The brand "CHARI&CO" started out as a bicycle shop on the Lower East Side, and has since been enriched with the scent of bicycles and the street. The one-of-a-kind worldview of the brand has spread from the streets of New York to select stores in Tokyo, and even to scenes in movies. The man behind the project is director Yuki Goto, who incorporates the real "atmosphere" of New York into his clothes. The person Mr. Goto chose as the "person he would like to talk to" this time was, surprisingly, rapper KIKUMARU.
He is a member of "KANDYTOWN" and currently works as a solo artist. He is known as an incomparable New York lover, and his brand connects New York and Tokyo.K'rooklynKIKUMARU is an artist with a broad cultural sensibility that goes beyond music. His recently released EP, "Chain Reaction 4," once again highlights his presence, not only with his solid rap skills, but also with his world view and the gorgeous guest performers that only KIKUMARU could realize.
They met in New York in the spring of this year. After meeting for the first time through an acquaintance, they were photographed in the city wearing "Chaliandoko" clothes. Their shared "love of New York" instantly brought them closer together, and they hit it off immediately. And now they have become such good friends that they even drink together. So, we sat down with them for a drink and asked them to talk at length about how they met, the story behind the photo shoot, the background of "Chaliandoko," and the charms of New York, while looking back at the photos taken during the shoot.
Photo_Tai Kino
Text_Atsutaro Ito
Edit_Seiya Kato
What brought these two men from different fields together was the common language of New York.
We had a meeting about this project when Mr. Goto mentioned the idea of a photo shoot in New York with KIKUMARU, which led us to this interview. First of all, please tell us how the two of you met.
Goto: We met for the first time last time in New York. We happened to have a mutual acquaintance and I was introduced to him.
KIKUMARU: Was it around February this year?
Goto: That's right. I heard that KIKUMARU-san was also in New York at the time of the "Chaliandoko" shoot, so I was able to shoot there.
KIKUMARU-san, were you aware of the brand "Chaliandoko" before?
KIKUMARU: Of course I knew that.
Goto: Thank you!
KIKUMARU：I had been checking out this Japanese brand that focuses on New York and bicycles, and when I was thinking of holding a New York festival in Tokyo, I went to their office to ask them to open a booth at "Chaliandoko". However, the festival itself did not come to fruition in the end due to Corona.
Goto: Yes, it was.
KIKUMARU：Also, I really like New York. I have a brand called "Crooklyn," and it is the city that inspires my music, so I go there often. I often go there. I think it's great that "Chaliandoko" actually has a store in New York.
Goto: Honestly, I'm happy (laughs).
What was your impression of KIKUMARU?
Goto: I'm really sorry, but I'm not very familiar with rappers and I don't know much about ....... So I didn't really know KIKUMARU until I met him for the photo shoot. But when I actually met him, he was extremely energetic and friendly. He also took good care of the younger students who had come to New York with him, and I felt that his behavior was very New Yorker-like. I was instantly attracted to him as a person.
KIKUMARU: I had a lot of fun shooting that time.
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What was it like filming in New York?
Goto: We first met at a cafe, and from there we stopped at the apartment where I was staying, and then we took Subway to Manhattan and Brooklyn.
KIKUMARU：Was that item you were wearing this season?
Goto: Yes, we had them wear jackets, sweatshirts, logo T-shirts, and other main items from the Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
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KIKUMARU：When I actually tried it on, I thought it was simple and cool, and above all, the items from "Chaliandoko" fit in well with the New York streetscape. I don't usually ride a bicycle, but I thought I could totally wear it.
Goto: I wanted to make the most of KIKUMARU's own charm, so I dared to choose something simple for this collection. The clothes looked great on her, and it was cool to see how naturally she wore them.
The city's bike shop will one day become a cultural crossroads.
When I look back at the photos again, I feel that both of you fit the city very well. From your point of view, what do you find attractive about New York?
KIKUMARU：New York is a city that has everything. It is so diverse in race and culture that just one block away, the scenery and atmosphere can be completely different. One block over is sparkling, and the other block is a ghetto. The more you move around, the more you meet new people, and there are also artists in the area who are just plain badass, which makes you think, "This place is really amazing. I also like that the city is compact and easy to get around. It is very important to be able to go anywhere you want to go at a moment's notice.
Goto: You are absolutely right. I think the coolness of New York lies in the "mixing of various things. People of different races, cultures, and values gather here with their own purposes, and just living among them is always stimulating. But at the same time, everyone is very aware of each other, and there is a certain tension. It's like you can't live a life of normalcy, and if you don't constantly update yourself, you will be left behind. I think it is a very special city, including that kind of atmosphere.
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KIKUMARU：I lived in New York for a short time, so when I heard that Yuki-san (Goto-san) had lived in that serious city for 17 years, I simply thought that I respected him. And you also had a store there, right? What area was that?
Goto: The location is on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It's right next to the Williamsburg Bridge, and it's a common route for commuters who commute into Manhattan from Brooklyn. Many of them commute by bicycle, and I thought it would be convenient to have a place to stop if they get a flat tire or have some other problem on the way to work. I wanted to create a place where these people could feel like they were in the "closest" neighborhood. That's why I thought it would be best to set up at the foot of that bridge.
KIKUMARU: Well, it really started out as a town bike shop.
Goto: That's right. So at first, we mainly sold Japanese-made bicycle parts, and we started out with a rather light-hearted approach, thinking that we would at least make store T-shirts.
KIKUMARU：It's usually amazing to see you go from there to collaborating with famous brands. Was there a trigger or something?
Goto: At the time, we were still just a "street bike shop," but thankfully, many people came to our store. One of them was a guy who was in charge of production management for a brand called "Steven Alan. We became friends over the course of several visits, and in 2009, we decided to make shirts together. It was picked up by a major media outlet, and it began to be carried in select stores in Japan. I think it was around that time that I began to feel the desire to make a proper fashion brand, and I began to feel more and more interest in creating collections and in the process of making clothing itself.
KIKUMARU：It was just like going with the flow. What other people were coming to the store at that time?
Goto: At that time, skaters from Supreme and Untie Hero would show up quite often. Julian Stranger and John Cardiel would often drop by on a whim. It was like the people in the middle of the street naturally gathered.
KIKUMARU：I see. I feel that we have been able to do this for so many years because the locals and the community loved "Chaliandocho. Even so, I'm sure it must have been very difficult...
Goto: Well, there were some difficult times. Incidents that would be unthinkable in Tokyo or Japan happen all the time in New York, and things were stolen from our store, or from our staff on their own (laughs). Incidentally, the graphic on the T-shirt that KIKUMARU-san wore during the shoot was printed directly from the surveillance camera footage of the theft.
KIKUMARU: Oh no! That's right. It's so great that you put what happened in real life into your work. It feels exactly like the New York way.
Feel the real stimulation and growth in New York.
I guess you could say that Chaliando Co. overcame a lot of things that have happened in the past to establish its current one-of-a-kind style. Lastly, could you both give a message to the readers of this article and to those who are interested in New York?
KIKUMARU：I am an artist, and I express what I want to convey on a daily basis through songs, T-shirts, and photographs, but I believe that people who have this mindset will love New York. If you have that kind of mindset, I am sure you will fall in love with New York. There must be something that comes from seeing the New York cityscape through your own filter, not through images or on a screen. Anyway, if you are interested, I would like you to visit the site. The more you experience, the more you will get out of it.
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Goto: I may sound a bit old-fashioned, but I personally think that you should visit New York at least once while you are young. I think there are things that you cannot feel unless you are young. If you go there and dare to put yourself in a difficult situation, you will naturally grow as a person and as a brand. In New York, people of all ages, races, and backgrounds come together, so I have the impression that people look at good things, whether it is art, music, or fashion, with an extremely open mind. As KIKUMARU-san said, if you are interested in something, the best thing to do is to just go out there and try it.
