【FOCUS IT.] Playground's new standard for sneakers. Here is where you will encounter a pair that will never fade away.

On the day of release, there are long lines of people waiting in line on the streets, sometimes even causing servers to go down. It is no exaggeration to say that sneakers have gone beyond a passing fad and have matured into a culture. In the face of such a culture that places supreme importance on rarity, a sneaker store in Yoyogi Park was one of the first to delve into the dunks and turn its attention to sneakers from the 2000s onward, which have existed quietly in the shadows of the masterpieces.PLAYGROUND.It is.

If you listen to Yusuke Kusaga, owner and designer of the sneaker brand "pg," and Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, who directs the brand, you will discover a new sense of value in sneakers that cannot be described only in terms of rarity or vintage.

PROFILE

Yusuke Kusaga

Designer of the shoe brand "pg" and the bag brand "Kiruna," he is also the owner of the private store "Playground," which opened in his office in Yoyogi Park in 2018. With his extensive knowledge of sneakers, he selects mainly Nike and Adidas from the 2000s.

PROFILE

Tatsuhiko Matsumoto

After working as a store staff member, design production company, and graphic designer for apparel companies, he established the design studio "Wav Design" in 2006. Currently, he is involved in website design, logo design, and promotions for clients in the food, clothing, and housing industries.

From left, Ms. Kusaga and Mr. Matsumoto , two key persons and good business partners of "Playground.

The value of sneakers evoked by Freelock.

Before "pg," you were also involved in the sneaker brand "Termigan," weren't you? What are the differences between your brand and "pg"?

Kusaga: "Termigan" was a factory brand, and I was in charge of planning and sales. Since we insisted on domestic production, the cost was getting higher and higher, and most of the shoes were priced around 30,000 yen. I had a dilemma that the price was no longer appropriate for sneakers. In order to improve this situation, we asked a factory in China to produce our sneakers, so we are now able to offer them at a price range that is typical of sneakers.

Price is an important factor in choosing sneakers, isn't it? Is your brand concept different from that of "Termigan"?

Matsumoto: There are three concepts. . First, performance. . For example, tying shoelaces on a rainy day because they have come undone is a hassle, isn't it? To eliminate this problem, we have adopted a free-lock system in place of laces. . This way, you can walk comfortably in the city. . I think this is a great stress relief.

The second is rational design. We do not want to design products that are merely expressive. After all, a product must be designed for a reason, such as to be lightweight or durable, or it will not survive for long.

And the third is the casual price, as Mr. Kusaga mentioned earlier. It makes me happy to see people from all walks of life wearing them. When I plan a project, I always start with the price so that students will feel free to pick them up.

Kusaga: Rather than being too expensive and only a few people can afford it, I would like to keep the price low and have more people use it. I think freelock is a very convenient system for grandmothers and small children who can't tie strings.

Contrast" is a representative model of "pg.
The combination of classic design and high-tech specs , a truly "contrasting" combination, is unique.

They are also very convenient to put on and take off. . It is a design that has exactly the reasons you mentioned earlier.

Kusaga: Yes, that's right. But high-tech features are often incorporated in shoes with a lot of design. Puma's Disc Blaze has been around for years. I like it because it looks cool, but I've always wished ordinary shoes had them. . I try to combine an authentic design with freelocking in my "pg" "constrast" line.

You have a service here where you customize shoes brought by customers into freelocks.

Kusaga: At first, we only made Air Force 1 sneakers, but we started getting more and more customers who wanted us to customize other sneakers as well. Originally, we had a factory do it for us, but now I run the sewing machine myself so that I can respond to their detailed needs. Sneaker enthusiasts often have many pairs of classic sneakers. Many of them want to rearrange their sneakers that are still in storage.

. not only vintage, but sneakers from recent years also get their day in the sun.

When you first opened, you were selling not only shoes, but also clothing and daily necessities. Why did you decide to focus on sneakers?

Matsumoto: Branding is not about broadening, but narrowing. . In the beginning, you have to broaden your scope while searching for your greatest strength. With "Playground," that was the sneakers. We had a great response from customers, and above all, Mr. Kusaga has a tremendous amount of knowledge about sneakers. So, when it was time to focus on sneakers, we started selling Dunks, which he loves.

Kusaga: That's how it was. We ran out, stocked up, ran out again, and stocked up again, and I think we always had dunks on hand. Many of the regulars have the image that "Playground" = Dunk, and I think we have become a bit of a household name among Dunk fanatics.

What drew you to Dunk?

Kusaga: I was of the "Shibukaji-Kaji-" or "American-Kaji-" generation, so Dunks and Jordans 1s were the height of fashion. I would walk around town wearing them, and when I passed similarly dressed people, we would stare at each other, thinking that I had won (laughs).

Matsumoto: It's like I'm wearing something rarer than you (laughs).

Kusaga: Yes, yes. . I thought the Dunk was a cool shoe from then on. Also, the Dunk was the first Nike shoe to come in so many colors in the same model. Each color is the color of a team in a basketball league. Each Dunk has its own story, and when I explain it to customers, I am glad that they are interested in them.

In addition to Dunks, you also have Jordans, Waffle Racers, and Adidas Gonzales. Does this lineup of sneakers reflect the tastes and preferences of the two of you?

Matsumoto: If you collect only what you like, it becomes a hobby store. But here, I want to propose a new kind of value for sneakers. I have the impression that vintage sneakers are valued only for their rarity. But that is changing in the world of vintage clothing. What used to be only American vintage clothing is now attracting attention to regular vintage clothing as well, and this is expanding the way people enjoy fashion. The same is true of sneakers, and there are many cool shoes from the 2000s or even 10 years ago that are not well known.

Kusaga: Yes, that's true, but the sneaker market nowadays is more of a "hard to get" kind of market. People who have had enough of that kind of hype often come to our store. Sneakers are like athletic shoes. I think they should be worn, and people should enjoy the moment when they walk down the street.

Matsumoto: We are preaching to sneaker lovers that there used to be such great sneakers in the past, and that if today's 20-somethings were wearing them, they would be wowed. If today's 20-somethings were wearing such sneakers, they would be surprised and would be impressed.

I'm in my 20s myself, but the lineup here seems very fresh to me. Looking at the sneakers one by one again, they seem to fit the current street fashion.

Kusaga: Yes, that's right. But there are also some amazing young people in the younger generation. Whenever I ask the names of models I don't know on Instagram, some of them tell me about them. When that person comes to the store, he is very young looking. I asked him how old he was, and he told me he was 22 (laughs). (Laughs.) Until I met him, I thought he was around the same age as me, so I was quite surprised. I was surprised.

Last but not least, it has been two and a half years since the opening . What was the reason for the renewal at this time?

Matsumoto: That's because we have a clear direction of what we want to do, which is sneakers. Just as "pg" has three concepts, "playground" has three themes. The first is reuse. Selling Nike and Adidas sneakers from recent years means getting people to buy what they used to have. While proposing a pair of shoes that will never fade away, I think of this as a form of social contribution, and I am trying to make an antithesis to a world that is overflowing with things.

The second is upcycling. We add value by attaching freelocks to sneakers that can still be worn. Many brands are now enthusiastically promoting recycling, and we are aware of the importance of this kind of activity.

The third development is based on reuse and upcycling. Through "pg," we are trying to express sneakers that are not yet available in the world. So, as a sneaker store, I wanted to arrange the interior and fixtures in a way that would accentuate the concept.

. When there are so many shoes lined up, it makes me want to walk in as I pass by. To commemorate the renewal, you are also releasing special order items with "isness", aren't you?

Kusaga: The shoes are Fidrock, a German magnetic part with the iconic "ISNES" logo on it. The T-shirt is a standard "ISNES" design with the body turned upside down. The back of the T-shirt is printed with the shoes that were uploaded on Instagram.

PG x is-ness limited edition sneakers ¥18,000+TAX

The iconic "IZNESS" on the fidlock parts adds a splash of color to the all-black body.

Matsumoto: I like things that are universal, and I thought that if I were to make a T-shirt, it would definitely be a photo T. . . I thought it would be fun to print a photo I took just for Instagram. . It's rare to see something digital reborn in an analog form, isn't it? If I changed the photo to one of a different sneaker, I could make a second version.

PLAYGROUND x is-ness limited edition T-shirt ¥6,800+TAX

A special pair of shoes for visitors.

I feel that sneakers are no longer a passing thing, but have become a cultural and wardrobe standard. How do you think the sneaker market will develop in the future?

Matsumoto: I feel that the global market across countries will be bigger than buying new products.GOAT.Have you heard of a sneaker app called "Sneakers"? It's a service that allows you to buy and sell sneakers with people from all over the world, but its members come from 170 different nationalities, and it even has warehouses for shipping in the US, Europe, and Asia. . So I imagine that the market for circulation will expand, but the competition between brands will intensify.

Sneakers have been subdivided from fashion to fashion and sneakers, haven't they? Under these circumstances, "Playground" will use the three concepts mentioned earlier as weapons to transmit a new sense of value for sneakers, right?

Matsumoto: In the world of the future, the act of doing something itself must be part of a social activity to be supported and needed. However, just as people will not eat something if it does not taste good even if it is good for them, they will not buy sneakers if the selection is not cool. Therefore, we want to sell cool things. It would be great if we could get customers to buy them, which would also lead to social activities and make them realize the value of the old ones.

Kusaga：As Matsumoto-san said, the underlying idea is that they are cool. Some people think that overpriced sneakers are cool, but that is not what we are aiming for. We want to propose a special pair for our customers. We want to offer our customers a special pair of sneakers that they will want to wear in various places. I want them to have many experiences where they wear them and go to many places, and many people say, "When did you get that? Sneakers are fun. I hope to convey that sense of excitement in an honest way.

Photo_Tatsuya Michishita