PROFILE
Born in Aichi Prefecture. After working in key positions for a number of brands, he became independent. In 2017, he opened the world's first official concept store for the Danish outdoor brand NORDISK in Tokyo. He is also the bassist for the band "toe. His talents are not limited to fashion, but are also active in a wide range of other fields.
PROFILE
Born in Kyoto. After working as a press representative for the select store "Journal Standard", he became independent. Currently, he works as a freelance director focusing on fashion, and is active in product planning, visual direction, and PR for a variety of brands. On the other hand, he is also active as a musician under the name Naoki Kuze, performing live and distributing his music.
He was accustomed to the process of making clothes from bags.
Q: First of all, how did you come to direct the apparel line of "Mountainsmith"?
Yamane:The reason is that I was approached by a brand. I try not to accept an offer from a brand I know nothing about, but I used to use a bag from this brand once upon a time. Maybe when I was in junior high school? The hip bag left a strong impression on me.
I guess the "lumber pack" is synonymous with the brand.
Yamane:When I was talking with stylist Lambda Takahashi during the visual shoot for this brand, he told me that he used to use it once upon a time.
Kuze:When I was a student, I went to school in plain clothes and was free to choose my own bag, but outdoor fashion was popular at the time, and several of my friends were using "Mountainsmith" bags. You sometimes see these bags at thrift stores.
Yamane:Yes, yes. But I had only used it once upon a time, and when I heard the name for the first time in a while, I remembered. I didn't want to do anything that would distract from the main idea of the project, so I visited the head office in the United States.
Golden, Colorado.
Yamane:Yes, it was. It was a small company in a very small town. It was a small company with about six employees doing business within their means. When things become commercial, for better or worse, this is reflected in the products, but at Mountainsmith, we take items that have been around for a long time and update them little by little with our own hands, and I think that's very good. I really like that.
Yamane:When I visited the head office, I was warmly welcomed and allowed to look through the archives of materials and items from the past. I felt more empowered by the visit, and it further accelerated my determination to do my best and create good products.
As I mentioned earlier, our generation all used this brand, and we decided to design it while respecting its iconic aspects.
However, "Mountainsmith" was originally a bag brand, wasn't it? I think it was difficult to create clothes from there.
Yamane:That part was relatively smooth. Looking back, it is the same as what we usually do. FCE started out as a bag brand.
I see. So you are not from completely different fields.
Yamane:Yes, I was familiar with the process of making clothes from bags. That's why I was able to find the same place to drop the bag. For example, if I were asked to make clothes for a running brand, it would be difficult. I don't usually run. But with Mountainsmith, it was very natural.
Just organizing information on the screen does not produce anything.
A few minutes ago, you mentioned that you looked at some of the brand's old materials and archives. Did you gain anything from that?
Yamane:In Europe and the United States, the majority of brands are committed to sustainable practices. The same is true for Mountainsmith. Brands involved in the outdoors use synthetic fibers as their main material to maximize functionality, and it has become a standard that they must consider such issues as the environment, which sometimes prevents them from distributing their products to major outdoor stores. So, when we make clothes, we also have to consider these brands. So we decided to protect the identity of the brand when making clothes.
Mr. Yamane, did you always have an interest in such initiatives yourself?
Yamane:As I worked on this project, I gradually became interested in it. As I was involved with various brands, I saw that they were working on animal-free products and environmentally friendly manufacturing, as in this case, and my feelings grew rapidly. I feel that we are in a position to convey this to our customers through fashion, since we can do as much as we can.
Do you feel more confident now that you've been to Colorado?
Yamane:Yes, it was a great harvest. By looking at materials, archives, current items, and how the staff works, I was able to get in touch with the roots of what Mountainsmith values. I think there is a big difference in what we make if we don't know that.
So it is important to have a sense of the physicality of the work.
Yamane:I am not a very dexterous person, so I have to see things with my own eyes in order to give them shape. I can only put the information into an item when I go to Colorado, talk with the staff face to face, and feel the atmosphere of the town, and realize that "this is the kind of environment in which Mountainsmith is born. Just organizing various information on a computer screen does not produce anything.
