【FOCUS IT.] Shumpei Seki's store "PARKS Paris" opened in the 16th district of Paris.

Last October, I heard that Shumpei Seki created his own select store in Paris. The shop was opened with much anticipation as a base to connect men's fashion in Japan and France! I thought the shop would look like a "Japanese-French" kind of place, but when I visited the shop, it was surprisingly a space quietly located in a local residential area. We spoke with Mr. Seki, who was relaxed and relaxed in a good way, just like the store itself.

Congratulations on the opening of your store. When did you open the shop?

It is October 18, 2019. , which was actually my 40th birthday. I signed the contract for the property in early October, and I had about 2 weeks to prepare for the opening. I thought it would be stylish to open on my 40th birthday," and set the opening date with a casual attitude, but it was still a lot of work. . But I wanted to make it in time for my birthday, so I did my best. However, I wasn't sure if I could really open the restaurant, so I didn't make any big announcement beforehand and opened the restaurant rather quietly (laughs).

PARKS Paris is located in a quiet residential area.

What inspired you to open the store? Not the Marais or Saint-Honoré, where the boutiques are concentrated, but the 16th arrondissement near the Arc de Triomphe, which is an unexpected location.

Atsushi Taniguchi of "jardin du l'IIony" runs a flower store next to this store. He told me, "The property next to the store has been vacant for a long time, Seki-kun, why don't you do something with it? I didn't intend to do that. I had no intention of doing so, but that same day I visited the property and met with the owner. Then, I felt like opening a restaurant (laughs). The box itself looked nice, and I thought, "I want to do it , I want to do it! I want to do it! I decided to do it immediately, almost on the spur of the moment. I thought I was done with the idea of running a store because it is so hard, but when I saw the property, I wanted to do it.

I see. It is very loose (laughs).

Yes, that's right. Paris is full of encounters that would be unthinkable in Tokyo. This store also had a good chance to open because "there is a property with good conditions there. However, this may be possible only because I live in Paris. For example, it is very difficult for a Japanese company to open a store in Paris, but since I have my own company in Paris, the contract is not so complicated. . I was able to start with a much lighter touch than I had objectively imagined.

. . it's because I live in Paris, isn't it? Still, the space is so small and lovely that it is hard to believe that you found it by chance, just like Seki-san.

This space itself really clicked with me, which is one of the reasons why I started the store. . I used the shelves and flooring almost exactly as they were originally there. I did some minor repairs myself. . I thought it would be fun to open the shop for now and just finish the products and the space little by little. At first, there were no tables or chairs. After a while after opening, I decided I wanted a table, so I went to a furniture store on the outskirts of the city that offered appointments, and bought a chair along with the table. I found a lamp at a flea market that looked nice, so I put it there (......), and I created the store's display as I went along.

The store sign is a masterpiece that Mr. Seki completed by applying layers of paint himself.

What was the most important aspect of the store interior?

This is the store logo I drew myself. This took me the longest time. I don't know how many coats of paint I used. . I even put shadows on it while making my hand wriggle. I had worked in a store for many years, but this was my first time working in my own store, so I wanted to do as much as I could. That's why I did most of the work as a DIY project. . I also waxed the floor myself and made it look good.

What is your product lineup?

At the moment, I collect 60% Japanese brands, 30% French ones, and 10% Italian ones. I collect what I like, what I want to wear, and brands that I have connected with since I came here. Specifically, there are brands such as "S H," "Anonymous," "Westoveralls," "Arpenteur," and "Le Yucca's," as well as accessories and sundries from Japan and abroad. . I have also created some original products that are exclusive to the store. I'm not really interested in showcasing brands, but rather, I think it is interesting to display good products individually or create special products through collaborations.

BOMBEAT" boom box from "Toshiba" brand. Two boomboxes in blue and black.

. You play music on cassette tapes. A boom box is also a nice touch.

The boom box was purchased at Waltz in Nakameguro. . Most of the cassette tapes were also bought at Waltz. . At first, I had only one blue machine, but now I have two. I was advised not to use them every day and to give them a rest because of the strain they put on the machines. I was strangely convinced that it was just like wearing leather shoes, and although they were heavy, I brought them back from Japan (laughs). . I think the process of turning the cassette over is also very nice and analog.

How do you feel now that you have actually opened the store?

Of course, there are people who come to the shop through Instagram, etc., but since this is a residential area, local madams and others stop by. They have a totally different view of fashion than I do, but when I explain my background, they like the stoles and hats and buy them. That is also interesting. This is a really local area, so I enjoy the relationships with the stores in the neighborhood. The lady at the pharmacy across the street would give me advice like, "The lighting in the store is too dark! She would give me advice like, "The lights are too dark! I took it in stride, and after that, I decided to buy some lights and install them myself, but it didn't work out so well. When I was having trouble, the guy from the restaurant next door saw me and helped me out. . I'm doing it in a relaxed, relaxed way, while really blending in with the local area and having an element of my own atelier.

Original sweatshirt with logo. This sweatshirt was specially ordered from "moct", which only offers items in a mokume-gray color.

There are also goods made in collaboration with "Take Product" and "Nozawa Mingei". The lineup of folk crafts and French perfumes is also unique.

The too-beautiful Italian shoe brand "Le yucca's" also started to be handled.

Boots by "Le yucca's" and a cap by "MATURE HA._MIL" directed by Mr. Seki.

This large scarf by "LOCALLY" is made of a special fabric from Bishu, a wool production area.

A shrunken wool jacket by Dhal, a new brand from Nagoya, Japan, which is still rarely handled in Japan.

. It's really local and exquisitely relaxed, which is very Parisian.

I think this kind of atmosphere is the real Parisian style, not the Parisian style that Japanese people imagine. For example, Gautier of "Holiday," with whom I am good friends, runs a vintage clothing store called "Le VIF" and says, "We finally got a signboard one year after opening. It's a loose feeling of making things up as you go along. I think this is what the real Paris is like. I don't think there is much of this in Japan, but since I started living in Paris, I like the relaxed atmosphere even more. I would like to continue the store while changing things so that I don't get bored.

Text_Mami Okamoto