When it comes to the trademark look of Daishi Nishino, the man behind *NEET*, it’s got to be his glasses. But surprisingly few people may realize that *Ayame* played a key role in shaping that look. Over 10 years ago, Nishino was in charge of PR for 〈Ayame〉 and, working hand in hand with designer Yu Imaizumi—who is the same age as him—played a key role in the brand’s growth. Now, after all this time, that relationship has taken shape as a collaboration between "NEET" and "Ayame." This isn’t just another run-of-the-mill partnership; it’s a pair of glasses born from the accumulation of a long history together. To explore the story behind it, we started by asking them about how they first met.
- Photo_Sara Hashimoto
- Text_Yasuyuki Ushijima
- Edit_Kazuki Sakaguchi
PROFILE
Born in 1983 in Hyogo Prefecture. After working as an elementary school teacher, he transitioned to the fashion industry. Following a stint as a press representative for Brooks Brothers, he went independent and launched the pants-specialty brand "NEET" in 2015. In 2017, he established the PR agency "Nishinoya," which handles PR for a variety of domestic and international brands.
PROFILE
Born in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1983. Founded the eyewear brand *Ayame* in 2010. Opened a company-owned store in Sendagaya in 2019, and in 2024, opened *ayamerow*, the brand’s second flagship store, in Aoyama.
The Untold Story of How NEETs Came to Be.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)After leaving your previous job as a press representative at Brooks Brothers, you worked in PR for Ayame before starting NEET, right?
Westfield:That's right. I was put in charge of PR right after I left my previous job. The press room back then was located on Yahata Street.
Imaizumi:Edelheim, huh? (lol) All sorts of brands have offices there, and even stylist Takashi Kumagai complimented me, saying, “You’ve set up your office in a great spot.”
Westfield:I think that was in 2014. Since *Ayame* was founded in 2010, that would have been the brand’s fourth year.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)When did the two of you first meet, anyway?
Imaizumi:It all started when Dai-chan came to Tokyo from the Brooks Brothers store in Umeda to take up a position as a press officer, and our mutual stylist introduced us at the year-end party for *Begin* magazine.
Westfield:Oh, right! I think that was around 2009. I remember hearing from Imaizumi around that time that he was either thinking about starting an eyewear brand or had already started one.
Imaizumi:There are plenty of people my age working in PR at places like "Beams," "United Arrows," "Urban Research," "Nano Universe," and "Ships," but I met them earlier than I did them.
Westfield:Our generation was full of hot-blooded young people eager to try something new, and people even called it the "Golden Age" (laughs).
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)How did it come about that Nishino ended up doing PR for *Ayame*?
Westfield:Actually, when I left Brooks Brothers, I had received a very attractive offer from another company. However, since I wanted to pursue a path outside of corporate life if possible, I decided to accept Imaizumi’s invitation.
Imaizumi:Back then, *Ayame* didn’t have any physical stores, so we had a lot of freedom. Then *NEET* was born about two years later.
Westfield:When I was starting *NEET*, Imaizumi was the first person I consulted, asking, “I’m thinking of launching a brand of underwear—what do you think?” In fact, he’s the one who designed the *NEET* logo. I still vividly remember the advice Imaizumi gave me when I was struggling with the brand name: “Keep it to four letters or fewer.” Come to think of it, that applies to brands like , , and , and even domestic brands from that era, like , were all four letters or fewer.
Imaizumi:It’s easy to remember because it’s four characters or fewer. I guess it’s also easy to pronounce.
Westfield:So I remember getting really excited when I came up with the name “NEET”—I thought, “Wow! People are definitely going to remember that!” These days, people call me “NEET” without any irony, but back then, the image of “NEET” as someone who doesn’t work was so strong that it was a bit of a gamble (laughs).
Imaizumi:There was a time like that, wasn't there?
Westfield:By the way, men can take paternity leave these days, right? One of my clients went back to work after his leave wearing a "NEET" cap, and his boss gave him a pretty harsh ribbing about it.
All:laughing hard (single person)
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)When you were in charge of PR, how did you view the brand *Ayame*?
Westfield:I thought it was a brand that would sell right away. Whenever I stopped by their trade shows, there were always lots of people from the fashion industry there—it was just so glamorous. I could tell they had a following even outside the eyewear industry. The truth is, the eyewear industry is a bit of a niche market, and it’s incredibly difficult for a brand with no backing to gain recognition. But *Ayame* has managed to establish itself in that environment—it’s a real maverick in the eyewear world. While there are plenty of domestic eyewear brands now, Ayame was truly a pioneer.
Imaizumi:That's right. I can't even tell you how many times I got turned down when trying to get our products carried by that famous eyewear boutique...
Westfield:I think it’s amazing that they worked hard to get their products officially recognized by eyewear retailers, and as a result, those retailers started carrying them. Lately, the phrase “Sabae” has become synonymous with eyewear, but Sabae is actually quite exclusive—it’s not like just anyone can easily get their glasses made there.
Imaizumi:Up until then, our clients had been limited to specialty eyewear shops, but Da-chan was the one who opened the door to clients like "United Arrows" and other specialty retailers.
A collaboration featuring metal frames—something you wouldn't normally see.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)Although Mr. Nishino’s glasses have become his trademark now, was he always the “glasses guy” back then?
Imaizumi:Daichan, you weren't wearing it at first, were you?
Westfield:To be honest, I used to only own a pair of glasses. But ever since I joined , I’ve started trying out different styles, and before I knew it, I’d become known as the “glasses girl.” I mean, it would be pretty ridiculous for someone working in PR for an eyewear brand not to wear glasses (laughs).
Imaizumi:That's true (lol). I never thought my glasses would become such a trademark.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)So, I’d like to ask you about this collaboration. Have *NEET* and *Ayame* ever collaborated before?
Westfield:This is the first time we’ve created a design from scratch, but we’ve done collaborations before—this is actually our third one. It all started when a wholesaler in Hiroshima, who knew that I used to work in PR at *Ayame*, approached us with an offer to hold an event featuring *NEET* and *Ayame*. We had the “KAGE” model from Ayame—which I really liked at the time—engraved with the “NEET” logo.
Imaizumi:That was the second time we created a custom model for "KAGE" after that event, right? That was for the opening of "N&N STORE" on Awaji Island. Since that was a custom mold, this is our first collaboration built from scratch.
Westfield:Isn't it hard to make a metal frame mold from scratch?
Imaizumi:The number of production steps is completely different. There are about twice as many steps as with cell frames, so it’s a lot of work because we have to calculate everything so precisely. Plus, making the molds is quite expensive.
Westfield:So asking for a collaboration with metal frames is basically a joke of a request. But this time, Imaizumi actually agreed to this crazy idea. Things got really exciting and moved along smoothly, but I don’t think I could have asked him to do it if it weren’t for the relationship we have.
Imaizumi:No one wants to take on custom metal molds, you know. This is actually the first time we’ve done a collaboration like this.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)Was there anything in particular you kept in mind when designing these glasses?
Imaizumi:I really liked the look of the old Dunhill glasses that Dai-chan used to wear, so I used those as my base. I didn’t want to disrupt the original balance, so I kept the modifications to a minimum and focused on minimizing any sense of incongruity while bringing out the best of the original design.
The Dunhill glasses that served as the basis (Mr. Nishino's personal collection)
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What are the differences between the original Dunhill model and this collaborative product?
Imaizumi:First of all, the material is different. Da-chan’s Dunhill is made of a nickel alloy, so it’s a bit heavy. That’s why we’ve used titanium this time to make it lighter. The “Titanium” color, in particular, features the natural finish of the titanium itself.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)Are you saying it doesn't have a plating coating?
Imaizumi:That’s right. If we mix other metals into the plating, people with metal allergies might have a reaction, so we often leave the base material of the “Ayame” collection completely untreated. Also, if we polish the gold to a high shine, it can look too gaudy, so we’ve sandblasted it to give it a deliberately matte finish.
Westfield:The original Dunhill design was a bit quirky, but this new product definitely has that Ayame vibe to it. Especially when the samples came in, I sensed a certain elegance in the shape of the lenses.
Imaizumi:The shape of the Dunhill frames is a bit too striking—people tend to focus too much on the corners of the frame, so I’ve been adjusting those angles. Also, on a more detailed note, the bridge, the side arms, and the temples aren’t off-the-shelf parts; we make them all from scratch.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)So, Mr. Nishino, how do you like the results?
Westfield:Aren't brown metal frames kind of rare? I especially love this pair.
Imaizumi:Brown is a pretty subdued color, and it really suits Da-chan's style. I think it goes really well with modern clothes.
Westfield:When it comes to metal frames, the usual options are just silver and gold. So when we decided to add a third color, it was really great that they suggested this one. Also, I used to love the Dunhill frames I was wearing, but since they were an older model and a British brand, the fit just wasn’t quite right for me. In that regard, Ayame glasses are designed specifically for Japanese faces, so they fit me better than any other brand. I’m really happy we were able to bring that design to life with Ayame.
Imaizumi:While I had a lot of respect for Da-chan, I did make some suggestions like, “I think we should do it this way here,” and he took them on board right away. When it came to the colors, too, since I know Da-chan so well, we were able to decide on something like this pretty quickly.
Westfield:The model name “NEAT” really caught my attention, didn’t it?
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to naming your models, Ms. Imaizumi?
Imaizumi:I hate to say it myself, but I think the model names are a bit silly. Still, I hope that makes people grow attached to them, and that the names catch on and become familiar to our customers.
Westfield:Wait, which one has made the biggest impression so far?
Imaizumi:"It's 'DODODO,' right? (laughs). Also, 'NEWOLD'—the first name I came up with—really stuck with me from a whiskey commercial I saw when I was a kid, so I've always wanted to use it someday. It holds a special place in my heart."
Westfield:The "SPIKE" model of the Crown Pant also left a strong impression on me. That name comes from Spike Lee, right?
Imaizumi:Oh, right. Since Spike Lee was doing a crown punt, we just used that as the model name.
“Half-baked” in a good way.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)Mr. Nishino, how do you plan to style this collaborative model, "NEAT"?
Westfield:I like the word “half-baked” and use it often, but *NEET* is a brand that’s “half-baked” in a good way. It occupies a space that’s neither dressy nor casual. I think that’s exactly why *NEET* has been so well-received. This collaboration model also embodies that quintessential “half-baked” quality of NEET, which is why I think it goes well with both sneakers and dress shoes.
Imaizumi:Actually, the Dunhill glasses that Daichan loved to wear are a style called “semi-auto”—essentially, they’re dress glasses. But they were originally developed for aviation as teardrop-shaped frames, so they’re basically a spin-off of sports glasses. The Semi-Auto is basically a dress-style version of that teardrop shape with added angles, so it’s kind of funny that he unconsciously chose a shape that’s so half-baked—it’s totally “NEET” of him.
Westfield:Really? That's cool!
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What do you think would look best on Ms. Imaizumi?
Imaizumi:I’d like people to wear them casually. Plus, I think they look great on women. Gold and metal frames are trendy right now, and they have the added benefit of making your face look smaller.
Westfield:I hope couples will share this. It’s coming out on Valentine’s Day, after all.
Imaizumi:They have a slightly classic vibe, but since they’ve been reimagined using modern technology, I think they have a really clean finish. The metal frames have thin rims, so they don’t cover much of your face. That’s why, when you pair them with something like a knit cap—which covers half your head, like Da-chan is wearing today—you can really control the volume nicely.
Westfield:I hate to say it myself, but I’m basically a NEET. I’m just kind of in limbo—in a good way.
Imaizumi:It doesn’t clash with my inline skates, and it’s got a bit of a German vibe to it, but it also looks kind of luxurious. “Halfway there” is such a great phrase, isn’t it? (lol)
Westfield:It’s a word that tends to have negative connotations, but it’s kind of interesting, isn’t it? I don’t think you see that very often in other languages.
Imaizumi:It’s a bit self-deprecating, but in a way, it’s very Japanese. Even if people say it in a negative way, I want to be able to hold my head high and say, “Well, that’s just me.”
NEAT × ayame
On sale: Saturday, February 14
NEAT Official Website
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Ayame Official Website
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