【FOCUS IT.] SOUMO, a brand from Okayama, questions true freedom with Graphpaper.

The brand was born in Okayama, Japan, in 2015.SOUMO. . It does not follow the general fashion cycle, does not hold exhibitions, and has no concept of seasons. The concept of the brand is also extremely esoteric. . Such a brand is currently holding an exhibition at Graphpaper Aoyama.

What kind of brand is the enigmatic "SOUMO" and what do they want to express with "Graphpaper"? We interviewed the designer, Yuta Yamamoto.

. the meaning behind "(freedom) → liberty."

The theme of this exhibition is "(freedom) to be free". It is not so easy to understand the meaning of the words alone. However, if you do not know the meaning of this theme, your understanding of the exhibition and its items will differ greatly.

Yuta Yamamoto, designer of "SOUMO.

Visuals created for this exhibition.

There are various theories, but it is said that Yukichi Fukuzawa first translated the English words "Liberty" and "Freedom" into "Liberty. Perhaps that is why I think that the freedom we think of is the freedom imported from the United States. I feel that this is a very rigid freedom. Therefore, the ( ) of freedom at the beginning of the theme expresses this rigidity, and the message of this exhibition is to remove the ( ) and become truly free.

The concept of freedom came from the United States, the land of the free. Is it true freedom or not? One of the charms of "Soumo" is that it raises such a difficult question. The keyword "freedom" is also expressed not only in the exhibition, but also in SOUMO's approach to manufacturing.

. we always sell items in a guerrilla fashion. Whenever I have an item of clothing ready, regardless of the season, I suddenly send the item to my business partners and ask them to place an order. That's why we don't hold exhibitions.

While the state of fashion is being reexamined, SOUMO has consistently taken the stance that it makes clothes when it can and does not make them when it cannot, without regard to the fashion cycle from its inception. Even so, the number of stores that carry the brand continues to increase, and the brand enjoys the enthusiastic support of experts from all over Japan.

We don't have a concept of seasons, but we need to have a kind of break between seasons, so we call them sections.

Section 10 items and exclusives .

. Let's start with the items. It is rare to find so many items from [SOUMO], but the focus this time is on the exclusive pants.

Graphpaper Limited Cargo Trousers ¥32,000+TAX

I used M-51 as a base, but added my own twist to it, such as the balance of size and the lines of the lines. I made this for the first time three years ago, and Graphpaper said it was very good, so I decided to make an exclusive version.

Based on the big sizes such as XXXL of the M-51 adopted by the U.S. military in the 1950s, details have been omitted or added to create a modernized version. These are items that only Mr. Yamamoto, who used to work as a vintage buyer and has a deep knowledge of vintage clothing, could have made.

I have always loved military goods, so there are many military-like items at SOUMO. Also, we use a lot of deadstock fabrics, both domestic and foreign, and I think the ability to handle them is one of the characteristics of " SOUMO.

T SHIRT ¥12,800+TAX

This exhibition was in the form of an order-taking and immediate sales event, and this T-shirt was one of the items available for purchase on the spot. . The printed graphic has a self-deprecating meaning, according to Yamamoto.

Although we call it "free and open," the T-shirts were a bit influenced by the atmosphere of "Graphpaper. . The inorganic images and the use of straight lines were influenced by them. As for the graphics, it is a self-deprecating T-shirt that no one can understand, saying that I am a free person who is trapped in ( ) after all.

Another item for immediate sale. Linen pants with multiple ties are one of the most expressive of freedom.

PANTS ¥29,000+TAX

The cord can be tied in any way you like. By changing the location of the loops on the side, the height of the cord can be adjusted.

Yamamoto recommends moving the knot to the side rather than the center.

. "There are a lot of strings on the sides and front, but feel free to tie them. . There is no right answer. . The front is roomy and the back is clean. I think it's totally fine if you wear them back to front.

Although it is a highly flexible item, it is a wonder that it creates a beautiful silhouette no matter where you tie it. It looks great even if you wrap it around one of your legs instead of the waist. You just have to experience it for yourself. And the denim of the same type that stood out at the exhibition. These are available for order.

The same type of denim as the pants introduced above. The weft is made of Japanese paper and has a crisp feel. ¥58,000+TAX

Also available in 5' and full length denim.

. "The denim is woven on an old power loom, and it was a challenge to see how close I could get to handloom weaving with a machine. However, when we were making this denim, we were told by the factory that there would be deaths. The shuttle actually flew off and broke a window.

The fabric they risked so much to make was enough for the remaining 30 pairs of pants. They will not be able to make this fabric in the future. . This exhibition may be your last chance to get it.

I have brought many other items as well. The theme is freedom, of course, but there is also an underlying theme of opposites. . I would be happy if you could look at the items with an eye toward that theme. I would be happy if you would pay attention to these items.

The everyday in the extraordinary. A Japanese-style room in Graphpaper.

In addition to the items there is an installation, a square room about 2 meters on each side.

When I decided to do an installation at Graphpaper, the first keywords that came to mind were white image and extraordinary space. So, although this may sound like the opposite of what I am talking about, I wanted to bring the everyday into the extraordinary. Since the extraordinary is so common nowadays, I thought that it would be better to have the ordinary within the extraordinary to create the extraordinary.

A sliding door and a garment case for a week's worth of garments hanging on a duckboard. There is a vivid graphic depicting "(freedom) to freedom". During the exhibition, this sits in the center of the store. The back side of the case also has an elaborate design, so please check it out at the exhibition.

We rarely use the Internet or social networking sites. "We make very little use of the Internet or social networking sites. I think the fact that we don't have to be exposed to unnecessary things is one of the charms of working in Okayama.

In a world that is likely to become increasingly chaotic in the wake of Corona, Soumo's creations do not seem to be wavering at all. I felt that Soumo's ideas and items, which are not bound by the times or conventions, are the key to its centripetal force. The exhibition will run until June 28 (Sun.). Last but not least, a glimpse at some of the looks.