BUYER 01 I think of clothes as "eternal analogs.
PROFILE
Owner and buyer of the select store GR8, he continues to inspire the fashion world with the backbone of the culture he has cultivated, including being named to the BoF 500 in 2017 .
gr8.jp/
Paris Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2021 ("Paris Men's") was held for the first time on an online platform. . What brands left a lasting impression on you, Mr. Kubo?
Digital content from the LVMH group, such as Louis Vuitton's animations with scenarios and Jonathan Anderson's detailed explanations of the collections at Loewe, was captured and created in a way that drew the viewer in. Walter Van Beirendonck's miniatures and JW Anderson's mere 35-second video also stuck in my mind. What I didn't expect to see was a lot of designer talk or subtitles.
The 3-minute, 45-second video, titled "The Adventures of Zoooom with Friends," by Louis Vuitton, begins with the character Zoooom carrying his luggage in a logoed trunk, moving through the streets of Paris, heading somewhere.... . It is a scene from the shows in Shanghai and Tokyo. . This was also the prologue to the shows to be held in Shanghai and Tokyo.
In addition to a real press kit ("Show in a box"), Loewe offered a variety of digital content for a limited 24-hour period. Among them, Creative Director Jonathan Anderson gave a detailed presentation of this season's collection, unpacking the inspirations and other details.
After mailing a press kit with swatches, calligraphy, illustrations, photos, and pressed flowers to the worldwide press, " JW Anderson " released a 35-second video on its official schedule. Also on July 2, Jonathan Anderson personally introduced the Spring/Summer 2021 Men's Collection and the 2021 Women's Resort Collection in a 12-minute video.
What do you mean by engaging the viewer?
Watching a large amount of digital content all at once is akin to looking through a huge number of line sheets and photographs, all of which could look identical. To be honest, all the image movies that seemed to spew out the designer's ego looked the same. It was like, "Which brand am I watching right now?" I wondered. Whether or not a movie caught my attention is similar to the way I look at my timeline on Instagram. When making a movie as a creation, there is always the point of how to make an impact on the viewer and draw his/her attention.
Do you have any thoughts on the Digital Fashion Week from a bird's eye view?
Brands that have invested in digitally specialized teams with an eye on the future and brands that compete on the basis of the wisdom that has emerged from their steady accumulation of creative work are the ones that are strong. In fact, brands that are financially strong and powerful are still selling well, and while until now there were various zones divided from high to low, the middle of the road may be disappearing.
Do you have any changes from the way you have been placing orders in the past?
. To be honest, there was a part of me that imagined, "This is probably how it would be. As I mentioned earlier, when you are faced with line sheets of more than 200 brands, it is hard to tell which brand the clothes are from, and of course, there is the world view and texture of the collection that cannot be conveyed online. I think of clothing as the "eternal analog. . At the same time, I feel that I should not stop working with the brands I have been involved with. Even if a deal that was worth 10,000 euros is reduced to 1,500 euros, I try to communicate closely with the designers and brands, and if I sincerely tell them that I don't want to stop, they understand. I want to think like a person who sows seeds and grows them together , and I am also reflecting on a business that emphasizes merchandising.
. So direct communication is more important than ever.
Yes, I agree. I think the winner of the post-Corona buying system is whether or not you can work directly with the designer. . If you make it a hassle, I don't think you will end up not understanding many things.
Do you feel that your customers have changed since you launched your online store?
When the opportunity to meet with people is drastically reduced after the Corona disaster, naturally the term to change clothes also changes, so I have the impression that the rhythm of buying clothes has also dropped considerably. Our job is to sell dreams. But, after all, the "speed" of various things is different nowadays. For example, if you buy clothes at a speed of 100 km/h, you might cause a serious accident, so you have to slow down to 40 km/h. Even if there is some sensory error, I think everyone feels the same way. . I think the same thing can be said about consumption. There are doubts about making a lot of new products, and there is a movement to stop wasteful buying, wasteful production and consumption.
Kubo: Did your own mindset change during this period of self-restraint?
Speaking from the standpoint of a manager, as long as I can run the company and pay staff salaries and taxes, I wonder to what extent I need to work hard in pursuit of sales and productivity. I have been busy so far, but I think that one of the riches of the human way of life and way of thinking is to be with one's family, or to go to the mountains or the river and think about things. I am now interested in things that I had no interest in before, such as tents and fishing gear. Neighborhoods, for example.
GR8" presented a video piece at the London Fashion Week in June, right?
I have been going to London Fashion Week for years and the designers are good people. When I received the offer, I simply wanted to support London and thought that if I could submit something good, it would help boost the event. Even more so now that Corona Disaster is here, as a Japanese boutique run by a Japanese person, I also want to convey to the world a mentality that only a Japanese person can have. I would like to convey the image of a fusion of Japanese spirituality, traditional beauty, and spirituality with fashion.
One of the videos produced by "GR8" for London Fashion Week. . The film features an interview with Japanese painter Motoaki Tozono, clad in "Charles Jeffrey Loverboy," "Vivienne Westwood," and "TOLU COKER," at the "Meiji Kinenkan" (Meiji Memorial Museum).
