【FOCUS IT.]GDC, a brand that expresses the life-size of Takashi Kumagai, is back.

Takashi Kumagai is a stylist, photographer, director, and other multifaceted figure in the fashion industry. He has established brands such as "NAISSANCE," which mixes street and mode, and "VENTURA," a brand for upper-apparel derived from "GDC," and is well known both in Japan and abroad as a fashion designer. On February 20 (Thu) of this year, Mr. Kumagai announced on his SNS the revival of "GDC," which boasted cult status from the late 90s to the 00s, and the grand opening of its flagship store on March 8 (Sat). In this interview, we talk with Mr. Kumagai about his career and the background of the revival of "G.D.C.".

Photo_Satoru Tada
Text_Atsutaro Ito
Edit_Seiya Kato

When he was a student, he wanted to be a designer.

You have been active for a long time in various capacities, such as stylist and photographer, but when did you first become interested in fashion?

Kumagai: Looking back, I have always loved clothes. When I was a student, I was like a "fashionable middle and high school student," and I used to get together with other fashion lovers of my generation at a store called "Gulf Interactive Gallery" in Morioka. It was the first official distributor of Chrome Hearts in Japan, and it was a cool store even back then.

So, did you start coming out to Shibuya and Harajuku in Tokyo after you became a vocational student?

Kumagai：No, if anything, when I was in high school, around the age of 16, I was already going to Tokyo for fun. On weekends, I would go out to Shibuya or Harajuku, and I was influenced by the fashion I saw in the city there. So at first, I started to like the Antwerp style, and then I became interested in what was popular, such as Ita-Kajitsu and American casual. For example, I used to wear clothes from Nigel Kevon, C.P. Company, and Giorgio Armani, which I received from my friends' fathers. After graduating from high school, I entered a fashion school in Tokyo called ESMOD Japon, and during my studies there, I also studied abroad in Paris. It was around that time that I learned about the job of stylist. So at first, I wanted to be a designer.

I see.

Kumagai：But while I was studying abroad, I met a top Japanese stylist who asked me if I would help him with a magazine shoot in Japan. That piqued my interest a bit, so after returning to Japan, I called him and assisted him on a few shoots.

And then you debuted as a stylist.

Kumagai: That's right. In addition to that, I worked part-time at a store called "Made in World" during the day and often went to clubs and events at night. Through these activities, my network of contacts grew, and I received an offer from "Men's Non-No" for an accessory feature project, which led to my debut as a stylist at the age of 24.

Q. While you were working as a stylist, what was the reason for starting up "G.D.C."?

Kumagai：I started out with the idea of making T-shirts with the person who would later become my co-owner. It was a unique design at the time, with words that were almost coined and the names of actresses I liked printed on the T-shirts, but the T-shirts sold instantly, and within three years we found ourselves a big brand.

I see. I guess we are off to a good start.

Kumagai：It was true that our products sold well, but it was difficult to produce them. In the first place, it was a time when it was illegal for a stylist to run a brand. There was a storm of controversy. Of course, I had to be careful about the people around me, but I was still able to do what I wanted while continuing to work as a stylist. For example, I would not make the same item as the one I leased. That is why "G.D.C." is based on vintage clothing.

Please tell us about the origin of the brand name "G.D.C.".

Kumagai：At that time, I had a jinx in my mind that if you took a name from an American place, it would be a hit. So I took the first letter of the magnificent "Grand Canyon" and chose the name "G.D.C." I also had a company called "Lake Tahoe," and I worked as a photographer under the same name. I also have a company called "Lake Tahoe," and I also work as a photographer under the same name, and "Ventura" is also named after a place in the United States.

What kind of people were wearing "G.D.C." at that time?

Kumagai：KJ of Dragon Ash, Tadanobu Asano, and Yosuke Kubozuka often wore our clothes, so I got the impression that their fans and people who played at club events also wore our clothes. It was a time of great excitement in Uraharajuku, and "Made in World," where I worked part-time, also sold the T-shirts. At the time, we printed 400 T-shirts and they sold out on the same day, so we were really busy just producing them (laughs).

The lineup is based on vintage clothing and incorporates trends while taking into account past experience.

Q. How did "G.D.C." start in 1998, and how did you leave the direction in 2010 to come back this time?

Kumagai：It has been about a year since I stepped down from the direction of my most recent brand, and even before that, I was involved in the design of various brands such as "Nessence" and "Ventura. Because I had worked in such detail, I was busy and could not fully express what I was thinking, so I decided to put it all together and work on a single brand. For this reason, I decided to revive "G.D.C." in March of this year. So this time, I am trying to express my current life-size mood and create items that will resonate with the younger generation.

Do you have any plans to reprint items that were popular at G.D.C. at the time?

Kumagai：We want to cherish our fans from the past, so we are thinking of reprinting items that were popular at the time, such as Kinski graphics with the actress Nastassja Kinski as the underlying theme, the Napoleon jacket with elaborate specifications that were quite well-made for the time, and stadium jackets that were popular and need no explanation as representative items of "G.D.C. I am thinking of reprinting items that were popular at the time, such as the Kinski graphic with an actress named Kinski as the underlying theme, the Napoleon jacket with elaborate specifications, and the stadium jacket that boasted unexplained popularity as a representative item of "G.D.C. Nevertheless, the main focus is to express my current mood, so the lineup will be based on vintage clothing and incorporate trends while taking into account my past experience.

I have an image of Mr. Kumagai as a master collaborator with Zoff and Saturdays New York City, etc. Is this something that G.D.C. will be developing in the future?

Kumagai: Of course, we will continue to do so. I have been actively collaborating with other brands and artists since I started directing my most recent brand. I am proud of having established a system of selling my collaborations online every weekend. I also plan to focus on offline activities, such as flagship stores and local stores, which is also my starting point, and release something every weekend, including non-collaborations.

I am very much looking forward to it. If you have any information you can share with us at this time, we would like to hear it.

This is special information that I will reveal only to your neighbor, Mr. Huinamu (laughs). Actually, our first collaboration partner after the revival of [G.D.C.] was with Dragon Ash, and KJ wore it during his 2-man tour with The BONEZ at "Zepp Haneda" last November, so there was a little buzz before it was released.

Thank you very much.

Kumagai: Thank you very much, too. We hope you enjoy your new restaurant.