The original landscape of America is still unforgettable.
What do you think of the finished sample?
Matsuura: . it's still nice. Oxford shirts are usually button-down shirts, which are somewhat of a myth, aren't they? . But when you actually put on the sleeves, it's hard to look as cool as American shirts. If you have this kind of complex, a shirt with a regular collar and white plastic buttons is just right for you.
Kaneko: No one doubts that myth (laughs). (laughs) . Even if there were, not many people would look for another item as an alternative. In that sense, I think the regular oxford collar shirt was a very blind spot.
Matsuura: Yes, yes. . I am an American by nature, so I thought this was ideal and wore it for a long time. However, I never introduced it in other media.
Kaneko: Why didn't you introduce them to us?
Matsuura: Basically, I like American casual and American traditional clothing, and when I was young, I was completely swamped by them, but I didn't dare to say so publicly (laughs).
When you say you like American casual in Japan, you tend to be seen in the context of vintage or something like that. I thought, "I am not like that" or "I don't want to be misunderstood. So I had a hard time saying so myself. Later on, I started to like European things, but in the end, I think I was afraid of being categorized.
. But now that you have introduced the shirt, you are not hiding it, are you?
Matsuura: As I get older , I feel more comfortable in American casual. So I want to wear it. I can finally say that I like American casual.
Kaneko: In our last conversation, you said, "Fashion is communication , but it doesn't have to be a presentation. I think it goes along with that talk.
Matsuura: American casual" in my mind is a normal, general style that doesn't involve music or culture. It's a Sunday dad kind of look, with a plain shirt tucked into chinos. It doesn't look fashionable at all, and it's very conservative, but that's American casual for me.
Kaneko: It's real everyday America.
Matsuura: Ideally, I would dress like an astronaut on his day off (laughs). (Laughs.) I had a yearning for that, so today I am wearing a polo shirt, chinos , and canvas sneakers. When I looked in the mirror at home before going out, I thought, "This is a conservative American classic. It's a little bit clean, but not at all fashion-related, and I still can't forget the original American scene. . As I got older, I became able to do that, and that's why I felt it was okay to come out.
I feel that such conservative American casual is composed of mass-produced items. This shirt is also an original "U.S. Air Force" shirt, which is an industrial product.
Matsuura: Yes, I agree. American clothes are very solid and sturdy. I admire the way they are made, rather than the design.
