People who wear serialized 【 Blanket T-shirts.] VOL.4 Tomoka Naka, SOTA

Summer is for T-shirts. Children and adults, Japanese and Americans, everyone wears T-shirts in the summer. But because they are so commonplace, the fabric and silhouette should be comfortable. That is where "blankt" comes in. This T-shirt body brand debuted this spring. Although it is an up-and-coming brand, it has already been picked up by major boutiques and is now the focus of much attention. There is a lot to talk about, but first, we decided to have eight well-informed people try on the brand. For our fourth installment, we have two pairs who are looking forward to playing in the river this summer.

Photo_Shingo Goya
Text&Edit_Yuri Sudo

NO.7 NAKA Tomoka
(Calligrapher)

Born in 1991 in Osaka. Started calligraphy in the first grade of elementary school. After working in the bridal and apparel industry, he decided to pursue calligraphy and moved to Tokyo. Currently, he accepts calligraphy orders from companies and individuals, provides calligraphy titles for product packages, and holds workshops.
Instagram:@naka.tomoka

It can be used in a variety of ways, both on its own and in layers.

Please tell us about your daily clothing needs.

My style is menswear-like, a mix of old and new. I like vintage denim, sweatshirts, and sneakers so much that I have a collection of them, but I also like street brands such as "Emele Endre" and "Supreme. I enjoy changing the balance depending on my mood at any given time. I think I settled on my current style because of the influence of a senior colleague whom I admired when I was working at a select store. By the way, that senior colleague is now my husband (laughs).

When I do calligraphy at work, I wear a vintage all-in-one because the ink often flies.

What kind of T-shirts do you like?

I also buy simple T-shirts without prints new, but most of them are second-hand. Especially movie T-shirts and band T-shirts. I have a habit of collecting, so I feel romantic about T-shirts that do not fade away no matter how many years have passed. I buy sneakers worn by the main characters in movies, or influenced by fashion movies of the 80s and 90s. By the way, my favorite is a vintage T-shirt from the movie "Kids.

How do you feel about wearing a Blancto T-shirt?

It is fine-grained, lightweight, and comfortable to wear. I feel like it could be used in more ways than I imagined, for example, worn alone or as an inner layer for sweatshirts. The neck is also somewhat closed, so it could be layered as well. It's ash gray, not gray, so it blends in with a one-tone white style like today's, and I think it's surprisingly easy to match with anything.

For today's outfit, I kept it to one tone with shorts by Emele Andre and driving shoes by Prada, while adding a splash of color with a striped shirt by Gap. I wore a lot of gold accessories to balance out the simplicity of the outfit.

Please tell us about your recent work.

Since starting my career in 2021, I have been gradually gaining recognition and now I would like to publish a collection of my works. I have a desire to expand the culture of calligraphy overseas, so I thought this would be a good first step. It is difficult for me to physically travel around with only one body, so I would like to create a collection of my works, and from there, I would like to use that as a starting point to go out into the world.

Finally, what would you like to do this summer?

It's playing by the river! When I was in Osaka in my early twenties, I used to go to the river with friends, but I haven't been able to go at all recently. I haven't been to the river in a long time because I don't do as much as I used to when I was growing up, such as barbecuing and eating cold watermelon.

The T-shirt worn by Tomoka Naka at ▶︎ isthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)(Wearing size: S)

No.8 SOTA
(Designer, DJ)

Born in Tokyo in 1999. Designer of and member of the DJ duo WASP. Self-taught in design, he launched his brand in 2022. Although it started as an online-only brand, it is now so energetic that it releases a new product every season. An exhibition in Paris is scheduled for next January.
Instagram:@_sotayamashita_

Black is the only choice for a T-shirt. I want to resist the boom, so the length should not be too short.

Please tell us about your daily clothing needs.

I like clean clothes that are based on street culture. One of the reasons is that the so-called Y2K fashion has started to become popular, and I think I prefer such clothes as a counter to the trend. I am somewhat of an innocent person.

It is the same when I make my own clothes. The other theme is "Tokyo-po". If I were to verbalize it better, I would say that my clothes give the impression of "having a playful spirit, but also looking like a person who does proper work during the day" (laughs).

What kind of T-shirts do you like?

I used to wear stiff ones like [Pro Club] in 2XL, but now that I'm an adult, I like to wear just the right size, not too high or too low in ounces. I wear only plain black T-shirts, and I buy more of a particular brand once a month. In summer, I wear only black T-shirts, so I enjoy wearing pants made of different materials and with different patterns.

How do you feel about wearing a Blancto T-shirt?

It was comfortable to wear! I like that it's a size L and not too short. I used to like short lengths, but then the short length boom came along and I wanted to resist it (laughs). I prefer it not too short.

The vest I wore today is from my father's brand "Mojito," and the pants are a collaboration between "Reformed" and "Edwin.

Please tell us about your recent work.

I want to continue DJing for the rest of my life, that's all. Of course, I would like to play at big festivals and overseas events, if I am asked to, but rather than aiming for that, I just want to keep on doing it.

Finally, what would you like to do this summer?

I want to go to the river! I recently did an event in Okinawa and was in the ocean every day, so now I want to go to a river. I have never been to a river before, so I don't know what exactly I should do, but I have heard rumors that it is apparently fun, so I would like someone to take me there (laughs).

The T-shirt worn by ▶︎SOTA isthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)(Wearing size: L)