The Rugby World Cup will be held in 2023. HOUYHNHNM's felt that we had to talk to these people, so we visited Mr. Takayuki Fujii, designer of "non-native" and Mr. Masayuki Ishizuka, brand director and designer of "canterbury" and designer of the uniforms for the Japanese national rugby team. They are also responsible for the uniforms of the Japanese national rugby team.
This is the third year for "halfTen Canterbury," which the two established. Over the past two issues, we have talked with them from various perspectives. The label was created to make rugby more accessible to the public, and is a fusion of fashion and sports, with Mr. Fujii flexibly and flexibly adding flavor to the foundation that Mr. Ishizuka has cultivated.
This season, it seems that the recipe is undergoing a transformation. We will now unravel the glimpses we caught in the conversation between these two men, who were excited to talk about rugby from start to finish, and what they have to say that cannot be measured by the number of words they exchanged or the time they spent together.
Rugby fever of the two is growing.
This is the third time we have covered HOUYHNHNM's "Half Ten.
Masayuki Ishizuka (Ishizuka): Thank you .
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana) firstis a conversation between the two of you,last timeWe had the pleasure of setting up a conversation between Mr. Fujii and professional rugby player Ryohei Yamanaka at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. By the way, I saw the new "Half Ten" this time, and it looks completely different....
Takayuki Fujii (Fujii): Yes, we changed it.
As I thought. I'll talk about that later, but first, let's talk about the national team uniforms that are in front of us. This year is the year of the Rugby World Cup, and these are the national uniforms, right?
Ishizuka: Yes , by the way, this is for forwards.
FUJII: The material is different for each position.
Ishizuka: Forwards are involved in a lot of contact, so we have chosen fabrics to play a protector role. In addition, we have changed the fabric of the shoulders to a non-slip material to make it easier to form scrums. On the other hand, backs emphasize ease of movement and use materials that are lightweight and stretchable. Even the knitting factories are different.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana) Canterbury's online siteThen, it seems that the larger sizes are selling well.
Fujii: I think it is because people wear clothes over their clothes to watch the games. In winter, you see people wearing down jackets over their clothes. Just like in the fashion scene, I think there is a tendency for people to prefer big sizes.
The World Cup is only about a month away. . I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of these uniforms around town.
Ishizuka: I would be happy if that would be the case.
Fujii: The conception of "Half Ten" began after the last World Cup, so I am somewhat deeply moved by it.
It has been three full years since you started in 2019. Looking back, how do you feel?
Fujii: Many things happened. In the first place, I had no idea that something like Corona would come along.... To be honest, there were times when this project almost came to a halt. But I just wondered if that was okay. I wondered if our rugby spirit should be defeated.
Ishizuka: I still remember our many heated conversations. By the way, did you know that a "rugby school" is to be established in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture?
Fujii: Finally, there will be one in Japan?
Ishizuka: Yes, it looks like there will be a facility like the rugby school in England. It was 1823 when someone ran with the ball in his hand during a football game. From there, the sport of rugby was born, and this year is exactly 200 years ago.
Fujii: It looks like the Japanese rugby world is about to get a lot more exciting.
Ishizuka: Originally, rugby is an educational sport. There is no such thing as tall players having an advantage, fat players having a disadvantage, or slow players not being able to play, and everyone participates. . because different positions have different roles. In that sense, it is inevitable that the clothing is made differently for each position.
FUJII: And you are the only one in the sport that does not have a nationalistic agenda.
When you say it like that, I get the impression that there are many different nationalities on the team.
Ishizuka: It is what is called "one team. Even in international competitions, we fight as a team, regardless of nationality. I think it is a wonderful thing.
Fujii: Once again, I am looking forward to the World Cup starting in September.
Ishizuka: Actually, we are planning to renovate the Canterbury flagship store in Aoyama to coincide with this year's World Cup.
Canterbury is changing, and Half Ten is responding.
. Behind the renewal of the flagship store was a change in Mr. Ishizuka's way of thinking.
Ishizuka: Yes . Do you know what is called "after-match function"?
Fujii: It's that thing where you go to a pub and drink beer after a game, regardless of whether you are friend or foe.
Ishizuka: Yes, that's right. On such occasions, the players wear formal attire, and they exchange sake cups wearing blazers over their rugby wear. Isn't that kind of nice? . That's why rugby jerseys have collars. They respect the traditional style.
Fujii: I felt that Mr. Ishizuka has taken this background into account and incorporated elements of "gentleman's sports" into this season's "Canterbury" collection. It's like an American style, or something that makes you stand up straight and tall. In response to this, "Halften" has also changed direction.
I see , that's what you meant.
Fujii：Until now, we had to narrow our focus to the "sporty" category to be able to establish the Half Ten brand. However, when Mr. Ishizuka consciously changed Canterbury to a traditional mood, Half Ten, which is centered on Canterbury, also changed its thinking. If "Canterbury" is very formal, "Half Ten" is a slightly looser version of it.
Ishizuka: You can now contrast them in the store. I wanted to explore the essence of the brand, as I mentioned earlier. Mr. Fujii responded to my request beautifully.
What was the conversation like between the two of you?
Fujii: I dared not to discuss it. As a designer, I thought it was important to feel things. I thought that if I gave form to my interpretation of what I felt, that would be the optimal solution for "Half Ten.
Ishizuka: That was unexpected. Up until now, I had been working with a more technical sports-use style, and I thought this would be an extension of that. However, Mr. Fujii sensed the change in my mind, and immediately said, "Let's go with that.
The visuals have changed drastically.
Ishizuka: I took the liberty of interpreting it as "city boy's style of spectating.
Fujii: That was the hashtag on Instagram.
Ishizuka: What, really! I didn't think you would really write it (laughs).
Fujii: I was going to say something like that, but I also thought it was an odd thing to say. Since I have been given the mission of "fashion," I feel that I should expand on the merits of "Canterbury" from that perspective, and I feel that the phrase came out because Mr. Ishizuka is able to see that.
Ishizuka: This visual has been well received by the younger members of the company . I was honestly happy to be recognized by young people who are interested in fashion.
The fit also seems quite large.
Fujii: We have created a "shoulders drop" look, which has never been seen before in "Half Ten". The shirt is raglan, which looks fresh, doesn't it? It's sporty, but with a button-down design.
Ishizuka: This shirt sold out in one hour. I couldn't buy it.
Fujii: I'm glad to hear that.
Ishizuka: This henley neck T has a loop neck.
Fujii: I followed the family tradition of "Canterbury" lager shirts. . The buttons, the stitching on the sides .
Let's look at the other items one by one.
Garment Dye Tee ¥8,800
Do you mean the year 2023?
Fujii: Yes. And the year 1904, when "Canterbury" was born, is represented by the number "04.
Ishizuka: Actually, next year the brand will celebrate its 120th anniversary.
Fujii: It is not complicated, but rather, there is a meaning behind the inclusion of simple numbers. When a customer asks, "What is this? I thought it would be a good conversation starter, like, "Actually, the brand was established in this year and it is .......
I was surprised to see you making prints.
Fujii: This year is the World Cup year and next year is the 120th anniversary, and the milestones continue. I thought it would be kind of nice.
Stripe Tee ¥11,000
. This is a different color from the T-shirt you are wearing today, isn't it?
Fujii: Basque shirts tend to have a loose neck, but we have devised a way to prevent it from stretching. We also made it a little narrower.
Ishizuka: The body width is also quite large. . I also like the fact that "Half Ten" offers sizes from 0 to 4 (XXL).
Fujii: Last time, even Yamanaka was able to wear it without any problem.
Garment Dye SS SWEAT Shirts ¥13,200
. This is a short-sleeved sweatshirt.
Fujii: The ribbed hems are tight, so they look clean without having to be tucked in.
Ishizuka: This was another very popular item online.
The colors are also very nice.
Fujii: Black, navy , olive . All of them are post-dyed.
Ishizuka: The texture of the post-dyeing process is well-defined, isn't it?
Garment Dye SS BD Shirts ¥17,600
Fujii: Also post-dyed oxford. It is also washed, so it looks cozy from the start.
Ishizuka: The buttons are from "Canterbury".
Raglan and button-down are still very fresh.
Garment Dye Shorts ¥17,700
Garment Dye Shorts ¥18,700
Fujii: Chino shorts and cargo pants both have a thicker silhouette with a one-tuck design.
Ishizuka: The size is one thing, but the texture is also good.
It seems to be affordable.
Fujii: The items are simple and can be used for a variety of outfits. I think they are easy to wear.
Ishizuka: As expected, the response to this item has been the best so far.
The meaning behind the brand name.
. It seems to me that you have undergone some changes yourself.
Fujii: Yes, that's right. I have shifted my thinking from how a product would look if it were placed in a "vendor" or what we would now call a "coverchord," to how it would look in a "Canterbury" store.
The clientele is completely different, isn't it?
Fujii: Yes. And to top it off, we also changed the country of production. I think one of the key points of the change is that we commissioned a factory in Japan.
Ishizuka: You only use cotton, right?
Fujii: Yes, yes, that's a big change too. Before, it was the other way around.
What do you mean by "the other way around"?
Fujii: I thought that if we were going to do something with a sports manufacturer, we had to cook based on jerseys. That's where this leads to our first discussion.
Ishizuka: It is a matter of course to increase benefits for the dozen or so players who actually play rugby. From there, we are trying to reconstruct the lifestyle of the players. As I mentioned at the beginning, we wanted to pursue the essence of "gentlemanly" and "traditional" aspects of rugby.
. Your change of heart is reflected in your items.
Ishizuka: The brand name "Half Ten" has the meaning of "connecting different fields.
Fujii: The position is derived from the "fly half," which is the so-called "command post" position in rugby. Just like a command post that looks at the game from a bird's eye view, I would like the "half-ten" to play that role as well.
. You mean beyond the realm of sports and fashion, right?
Ishizuka: Yes. In that sense, I want the Canterbury flagship store in Aoyama to have a significant meaning. I think it would be difficult for customers to input information if the store were to be multifaceted, so I wanted to create a store and clothes that would be easily recognizable as the "Canterbury" brand. Naturally, "HALF TEN" will also be displayed there, and I want to be able to create a world view that includes that as part of the brand.
When do you plan to reopen?
Ishizuka: August 24 , the day rugby was born.
FUJII: That's fitting, it's a good day.
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