【FOCUS IT.]Poggy and 2G's Uchi talk about the abyss of Champion-made NBA jerseys.

Vintage store "CROWS" will hold an NBA jersey pop-up event at "2G" on November 23 (Sat.) and 24 (Sun.), featuring over 200 NBA jerseys made by Champion, which were only manufactured for 11 years from the NBA 1990-91 to 2001-02 seasons. We spoke with fashion curator Motoshi "Poggy" Ogi and Uchi of "2G," the organizer of the event, in advance of the event, which will feature more than 200 jerseys made by Champion during the 11-year period from the 1990-91 to 2001-02 NBA seasons. Listening to the two, who are two of the fashion industry's foremost collectors of NBA jerseys, it seems that not only are the designs highly finished, but the episodes surrounding each jersey are also very interesting. Here is the interview with Sean Weatherspoon, who also came to support the event.

Photo_Yutto
Text_Shun Koda
Edit_Yuri Sudo

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NBA jerseys are untapped in Japan.

Q: First of all, how did you become interested in basketball jerseys?

Ogi： About 10 years ago, I was the director of a store called "Liquor, Woman & Tears" at "United Arrows," and after the store closed, I was assigned to the dress department. After that, I went to Pitti Uomo and learned the basics of suits, but the more seriously I took suits, the more I felt like I was losing myself, as I had come to love fashion through street culture.

Ogi：Amidst all this, when I came home drunk, I would stay up until morning trying out various experimental coordinates, like a one-man fashion show. I tried wearing a Jordan NBA jersey I bought in the U.S. inside a suit, and it turned out to be unexpectedly interesting. At the time, no one else was wearing such a style, and I was also attracted to the fact that the details of each decade were not revealed, as is the case with "Levi's." I thought it was a great idea to mix sports items with suits. I like the style of mixing suits with sports items, and I have been doing it for about 10 years now.

Uchida: That style is exactly like Ogi-san.

The thicker white portion of the ribs is a sign of an older model. This is a detail that might seem easy to pass off when viewed alone, but when compared, it makes a big difference.

Ogi：That's when I thought NBA jerseys were interesting, and it wasn't until I went to Bali at the end of last year that I started digging deeper into them. When I went to Bali, I saw a lot of boot jerseys. When I looked back at my personal belongings, I found that there were no tags on them, and the NBA logo was a mixture of embroidered and felt. So I asked Uchida-kun, who loves basketball, about various things.

Uchida: I myself was a basketball fan, so I had some knowledge of the sport, but I introduced him to the owner of CROWS, who knew far more about it than I did. The owner of CROWS is a legend in the world of used basketball jerseys and is a well-known NBA jersey collector.

Ogi：Yes, and when I went to ask about it, I was told that the older ones did not have tags attached and that the ribbed borders were wider. I also went to various vintage stores and was told that they were made in the U.S.A., but no one knew the detailed differences. The more I learned about it, the more I was fascinated by the world of NBA jerseys. I talked with Uchida-kun about it, and we came up with the idea that NBA jerseys are a genre that has not yet been explored in Japan, and we wanted to let as many people as possible know about it, which led to this pop-up.

How did you come to collect NBA jerseys, Mr. Uchida?

Uchida: I played basketball from elementary school all the way through college, and I was such an NBA fan that I went to many NBA games. At the time, I had a typical B-boy style and wore a large size 48 jersey, but I was shocked by the styling of Mr. Ogi's suit and NBA jersey, and that's how I joined "UNITED ARROWS". So I gave up the size 48 I was collecting at the time and am in the process of replacing it with a 44, which is a lot of work (laughs).

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My Collection and how to tell the difference between an NBA jersey and an NBA jersey.

Do you have any other points of interest besides tags and rib widths?

Ogi: First, Uchida-kun taught me about these white letters. Many Bulls jerseys have the player's name in black letters with a white border on the back, but until the early 90's, they had white letters called "white lettering. were white with the player's name.

This is a jersey of Scottie Pippen, the famous player who built the Chicago Bulls' golden era as Jordan's partner. The left one is a white letter from the early 90s and the right one from the late 90s. Even though they are black letters, they are still vintage.

Uchida: To add to the white lettering, the NBA logo on the front is also felt rather than embroidered in this vintage. On the other hand, there are some with black letters but felt, and I think those are probably items at the time of the changeover.

Away jerseys from the white letter period are in red letter. A rare find, even rarer than the white letter.

The NBA's 50th anniversary model is Made in the USA; it was made in the U.S. until the mid-90s, and after that it was increasingly made in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Uchida: This is another bad dress.

Ogi: This is a 1996 NBA 50th anniversary piece, with the NBA logo in gold. The team logo on the front is a reprint of the written logo from the 1980s.

Uchida: The other 50th anniversary model will have the body itself in gold.

Ogi: I consulted Uchida-kun when I found this one on the Internet. The body didn't look white, and I asked him, "What is this?" I asked him, "This is probably the 50th anniversary model. Later, Uchida-kun got the same one, and when we compared them, the color was totally different (laughs).

Uchida: It may be discolored by sunburn.

Ogi：I think so. Some Rolex dials are tanned, and I feel romanticism in the same way.

The neck openings also vary with age.

Uchida: Yes, it is shallow when it is old.

Ogi: It is interesting to discover various things when you do research in this way. This is a point I discovered on my own. Usually, the sizes are 40, 44, 48, etc., but sometimes there are S, M, and L sizes. But I thought that was lame, so I passed on them. But upon closer inspection, I found that some of them were made to European standards. Not only that, but the mesh is thinner and the print texture is less flimsy than American-made ones. The European standard hasn't gotten much attention yet, but I personally like it.

Some of Mr. Ogi's personal collection. The third from the right in the photo is a European standard white letter. Compared to the American-made one next to it on the right, the printed black letters seem a little lighter.

Ogi：And then there is authenticity. I like to wear this with a jacket, and I often do, but the sides have slits like the vents on a jacket.

What kind of model do you mean by "authentic"?

Uchida: There are several types of NBA jerseys: replicas, authentic, pro-cut, and the jerseys actually worn by the players, with authentic being the models that replicate the jerseys worn by the players during games.

Ogi; I also like Dennis Rodman, so I like that too.

Uchida: Rodman's American-made Bulls jerseys are totally harder to find and more expensive than Jordan's. He was only with the Bulls for four years, from 1995 to 1998, so there are far fewer balls. And Rodman himself is very popular, so the prices are skyrocketing, not only for jerseys, but also for T-shirts and other items.

Ogi: It's not easy to find, but Uchida-kun just gave me as a gift a Lakers jersey that he joined after the Bulls. That's also very rare to find, right?

Uchida: I think they are quite rare since they were only with the Lakers for one year. I've never seen one with a purple body.

This pop-up only features Champion jerseys, which were only manufactured for 11 years from the 1990-91 season to the 2001-02 season.

Uchida: Of course, Jordan and other players unique to this age group are appealing, but the unique feel of the NBA jersey material is also good.

Ogi: The mesh also seems a little thicker.

Uchida: After Champion, the license was transferred to Nike and Reebok, but there are only Champion collectors. There are NBA jersey collectors in many countries, but no matter where you go, it's always Champion.

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The hidden story is also noteworthy.

We would like to know what items you recommend.

Uchida: It's my personal item, but it's the legendary No. 45 jersey that Jordan wore only in his first season, when he switched to baseball and then back to the NBA again.

Ogi: Is this made in the U.S.?

Uchida: Yes, it is a late American-made model. It's in good condition and rare. Jordan's brother originally wore a 45, and he wanted to be even half as good as that, so he wore a 23. There is a story behind this number 45.

It's interesting that each NBA jersey has its own story, not just the design, coloring, or player's name.

Uchida: You may be right. Actually, we also have shorts, which we will also sell.

Ogi: You get an old tag like Champion's Trico tag.

Uchida: That's right. I haven't been able to dig deep enough into the shorts yet, but they hardly come up. They are small in size, so I would recommend them to women.

Ogi: We don't have one now, and will line up when it pops up, but I would recommend Rodman's jersey from his San Antonio Spurs days.

Ogi：I also recommend a Jordan jersey from the Wizards era, which I also own. It has wide shoulders and a short length, so you can wear it like a vest. I used to wear it a lot in the summer.

Uchida: I also like the later models of "Champion" around here. There are also Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant jerseys.

Just before the Champion license ended, the jerseys from the 2000s were designed with wider shoulders and shorter lengths, giving them a more fashionable look.

I want both of them because they are a golden combination.

Uchida: That's right (laughs).

Uchida: The jersey of Shawn Kemp, who was popular as a power dunker, also has a good design. The left side is the replica and the right side is the authentic. The replica has the NBA logo on the left chest, which is the opposite of the authentic. I think this is probably due to a design problem.

Ogi: The coloring looks like it would go well with Carhartt's brown duck.

Uchida: Yes, that's true. The team name has changed after moving to a new location, but I like the cute logo here.

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Sean's Collection.

While we were talking about this, their friend Sean Weatherspoon appeared at the interview site. He also brought a rare item for this pop-up event. Although the items will not be sold, he told us about the episodes related to the items.

Sean: I bought this jersey a few years ago from a Hip-Hop collector, much like the one worn by Hip-Hop artist DEFARI on his CD cover. It's probably the only item of its kind in the world. I've been asked many times by the collector who sold it to me to give it back, but I've refused each time. It is such a treasure for me.

Sean: I had this hanging in my office, and one day we were doing an "adidas" shoot at my office and a film crew came in. I explained to them how I got it, and they were surprised to find out that the filmer was DEFARI himself! I was so surprised. This autograph is from that time. It's a piece of clothing that I wouldn't give up to anyone.

Since we're here, could you tell us about your favorite jersey?

Sean: I don't usually wear NBA jerseys, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Pistons' Grant Hill jersey.

Sean: He once came to my school and taught me how to shoot. There were only two things to remember. Carry a pizza and bend your wrists like a bird. That's all it takes to be an NBA player (laughs).

　　

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Styling with coloring.

I would like to know if you have any tips on how to incorporate NBA jerseys into a coordinated look.

Ogi: I think it would be interesting to have them wear it like a vest over a shirt like I do, with a jacket, or even in a style like wearing an NBA jersey over a T-shirt and a denim jacket.

Uchida: That styling is cool too.

Ogi: NBA jerseys vary quite a bit, with the same size 40 having a longer length or narrower width, so I would like you to try them on and make your choice.

Uchida: Perhaps there is a lot of individual variation due to the lot.

Ogi：Because these items are not made to be worn as innerwear, the basic length is long. Therefore, I think it is easier to match them with shorter lengths.

Do you have any tips on how to dress for today's event?

Ogi: Today, I'm using dark tones throughout, while using NBA jerseys as a color scheme.
This authentic jersey is striped, so it feels a little dressier or more classy. I also liked Jordan's suit style, and the cap is also Porsche, as the Air Jordan 6 is said to have been designed inspired by the Porsche 911. The jersey I'm wearing today is Rodman, and I think it's fun to collect the scattered elements and think about coordinating them.

Uchida: I chose a jersey of Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, a player that not many people seem to pay attention to. He was an active player when I was playing basketball, and I was very influenced by him. The coloring goes well with the black watch jacket.

NBA jerseys come in a variety of colors, so it's easy to pick out colors and use them as a color scheme.

Ogi: Yes, that's right. I think you will enjoy a unique combination.

Who are your heroes in the NBA?

Ogi：I wasn't really into basketball, so I guess it was Jordan. I was influenced by "Slam Dunk" as well. I was also influenced by "Slam Dunk," because it is an NBA-inspired work with NBA players as models for the characters and the main character, Hanamichi Sakuragi, wearing the AIR JORDAN series.

Uchida: I'm not a player, but I like a famous sports reporter named Craig Sager. He is said to be a reporter who was well-liked by many players and fans because he always wore a fancy jacket and interviewed players. In fact, I will be selling a tailored jacket I made by dismantling a vintage bedsheet, which was inspired by that person. I would be happy if you could check that out as well. I created it with respect for him, so the name is Sager Jacket.

Ogi: I wear it often, too.

　
I think this is a great time for basketball to be in the spotlight, with more and more Japanese players playing in the NBA, such as Rui Yamura and Yuki Kawamura, and with the rapid progress of Japanese basketball. It will be a great opportunity to enjoy basketball from a different perspective than watching the game.

Uchida: I would like to get people interested in the NBA through fashion, and I would also like people who have only seen the current NBA to enjoy it. Besides, the prices are not that high now, so it is easy to reach them.

Ogi: The more I learn about it, the more interesting it is, so I want people to actually see it. I want people who have never worn an NBA jersey to try it out, because it is an interesting item not only in terms of the knowledge it contains but also in terms of how it is worn.