long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)

grasslands:

Kenichi Kusano of KENNETHFIELD is participating in "The Third Edition" for the first time. Mr. Kusano is one of the most well-known designers in the world, and has worked for a number of international brands. Mr. Kusano proposed a work apron. It is a piece of interesting clothing that incorporates an unfashionable item as a fashion item.

Incorporating the apron, a tool, into fashion

First of all, I would like to know how you came to know about "Big Yank." Do you have any used clothing?

grasslands. To be honest, I don't own a single one (laughs). I have been buying chambray shirts and deadstock denim since I was a teenager, but I simply didn't know about "Big Yank. Later, around 2000, when I was working at BEAMS PLUS, I was allowed to buy the "POST O'ALLS" collection, but I didn't know about the "mess pockets" and "mountain pockets" on the collection. I learned about the roots of "Big Yank" through details such as the "rummage pockets" and "mountain pockets" on the garments. I had wondered about these details since they had been used as a design source for various brands, but it finally made sense to me. . Perhaps it was because I didn't know about them when I was young that I was able to create something like this.

It is true that "Big Yank" was not as well known as it is today. Then, why did you decide to make aprons this time?

grasslandsBig Yank" is a workwear brand that pursues multi-functional pockets, and naturally, I think they were offering products as tools, not as fashion. If I were to be asked to make a garment, I would think of it from such a tool-like perspective, and I thought it would be more fun to have people wear it as a fashion item.

Work-brand details based on practical use

How did you go about designing this unusual item, an apron?

grasslands. We based our design on a minor brand of aprons from the 1960s. However, making an ordinary apron would not be interesting, so I decided to incorporate more work-oriented details. In fact, Kenneth Field makes aprons every season, and I have an acquaintance who buys one every time he comes to the store. He wears it to work, but he says that the type that hangs around the neck stiffens his shoulders. So he asked me if I could make it into a sashiki-hang. So we came up with a design that uses a leather part as an adjuster, which is also used in this apron.

The selection of fabrics is also interesting, isn't it? What was the reason for choosing each of them?

grasslands. The one on the right is a cotton-polyester paraffin finish. There is a pizza restaurant in Harajuku called "Pizza Queberos," and they use "Kenneth Field" aprons for their uniforms. Considering that the aprons are subjected to repeated washing for hard use, cotton-polyester is stronger and makes more sense than 100% cotton. So, we decided to use cotton-polyester for this project as well, because we thought it would work better as a tool.

. Your way of thinking is completely tool-like. The sense of taking something unfashionable and making it fashionable is typical of you, isn't it, Mr. Kusano?

grasslands. That is what our predecessors in select stores have been proposing for a long time. . So I would like to carry on that sense.

. and I like the leather on the left. It has a rough, rough-out kind of feel to it.

grasslands. This is the leather used for the shoulder yokes of Rocky Mountain Featherbed. Thirty-Five Summers works with its own tannery to create special leathers, so they have a good balance of thickness. (Editor's note: Thirty-Five Summers also produces "Rocky Mountain Featherbed" as well as "Big Yank.) Actually, I was going to make a shirt using this leather, but I gave up in tears, because the workwear's distinctive rolled seams take a lot of time and effort with leather, and there is a big risk of loss (laugh), but as a result, it fit nicely with the aprons.

The idea of a mountain pocket on an apron is also fresh and interesting.

grasslandsI don't know if it was a matter of production efficiency or user demand, but the "mountain poke" and "gacha poke" details have disappeared. . In light of this fact, I thought about how I should propose them if they were to be used today. Therefore, we decided to make the pockets the same size as they were back then, and made them large enough to slip an iPhone into. We also made sure that it would actually hold cigarettes, not only soft packs, but also a box, to fit in with today's lifestyle. It was a very meaningful project.

What is the significance of the chambray fabric on the inside?

grasslandsWhen you carry a heavy load, you bring the load around your waist, right? When you do this, the waist area rubs against the fabric, so we put reinforcement fabric on the side that touches the clothes. Big Yank" has a chambray shirt as a representative item, so we selected chambray as the fabric for this item.

Aprons as a tool to be coordinated without being overbearing.

If you were to actually suggest coordinating these aprons, how would you do it?

grasslands. It's best to have people wear it without being self-conscious about it, and you can wear it in with a jacket, or if it's early spring, you can wear it rough with a flannel shirt, jeans, and Pecos boots. It's a rancher style.

I know that wearing a jacket inside a jacket is also suggested by "Kenneth Field", isn't it? Where do you get the idea for this kind of styling?

grasslands.: I often look at old books and photo albums and get ideas from them. For example, the styling of the apron inside the jacket was inspired by Irving Penn's "Small Trades," which contains portraits of real workers from around 1950, and a number of them actually wear aprons under their jackets. It's interesting to see the small details of the clothing in this collection of old photographs.

I see. And your office is in Jimbocho, which is famous for its used bookstores.

grasslands. one of the main reasons why we have an office in this city. . I like books and often visit used bookstores nearby as a distraction.

I think it will stay in style for a long time.

grasslands. Not only this apron, but I make everything I make with the idea that my customers will use it for 10 years. That is why I have been making the French cook jacket I am wearing today for about five years, changing the material, and I would like to continue making it for another five years. I actively provide opportunities to actually serve customers in the store, and I suggest sizes that are not influenced by trends and can be worn in a basic way. Since it is not an inexpensive purchase, we want our customers to feel comfortable wearing our products, and as a creator, I want to take responsibility for that.