SIDE-A
Born in 1994. After working at the Shinjuku Lumine Est store and the Harajuku main store, he was transferred to the Parco store, where he was selected as the store manager in his first year as a new graduate. He is leading the company with his logical approach to store development, including a policy that places emphasis on numbers and an eye on overseas markets.
Instagram:@shuhey_koike
STUDIOUS × CULLNI Tylocken Jacket ¥45,000+TAX
STUDIOUS x CULLNI Belted Slacks ¥28,000+TAX
SIDE-B Find a gift at Santa Maria Novella.
You joined the company as a new graduate the year before last, and in November of the same year you became the manager of the Parco store. That is spectacular.
Koike:I was chosen because I had two years of overseas experience in college and could handle inbound sales.
What made you decide to go abroad?
Koike:To be honest, I had no yearning to go abroad, but simply wanted to see the world. I went to the U.S. not because I wanted to study fashion, but because I thought the U.S. was the best in the world in terms of economic and political development.
She often comes here looking for gifts. Recently, she gave bath salts to a staff member who was transferred to a new position. He himself is a fan of almond-scented soap.
Koike:After traveling to more than 20 countries, I decided that Japan was the place for me, so I came back to Japan and started working there. Above all, I like the people. I feel that they value the individuality of each person. Even if you go out for just 10 minutes or so, people care about their appearance to some extent, and although there are trends, they are not all the same. Men spend more money on their hair and clothes than any other class of men in the world. They value their individuality, and the food is good, too (laughs).
Q. There are many brands and stores in Japan, but why did you choose "Studios"?
Koike:Since I had seen so much of the world, I wanted to spread the goodness of Japan to the world. I really wanted to work in cars or food, but I joined this company because our company handled a lot of Japanese-made products.
I like fashion more than I like clothes. I am a cool guy, and anything that makes me look cool is fine with me, and I have had this desire since about the fifth grade. I think I also had an ulterior motive of wanting to be popular, but I was taught by my father that a man has to be cool, so it was ingrained in me.
What kind of father is he?
Koike:My father worked at Giorgio Armani, where he also modeled, and still wears suits to this day. My father always talked about the meaning of being cool, and I was educated in that way from elementary school, so it is natural for me to be cool. I think that superficial coolness created only by clothes is not the coolest thing, and everything including the inside is fashion. It is all about fashion, including the inside.
I see.
Koike:I became a store manager in my first year not because I wanted to be a store manager, but because I wanted people to think I was cool. Wouldn't it be cool if I simply said that I was a store manager in my first year? (laughs).
It's cool (laughs).
Do you have any ambitions for this year, both professional and personal?
Koike:My goal for the store is to achieve the highest sales of Japanese men's brands among PARCO's turrets. As for my personal life...I guess the store's goal is my personal goal! I believe that everything in life is work.
Finally, is there any news that happened around you in 2020?
Koike:My mother tore down the first floor of my parents' house and opened a café (laughs). (laughs). I was surprised to see that when I came home. (Laughs.) My mother was also crazy about it. It was far beyond my expectations. The store is located in Saitama and is called "Tsuki Coffee," but the interior and exterior are so particular that you would never guess it was my parents' house.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana) InstagramI see that there are even I look forward to seeing what you are doing here in the future!
STUDIOUS
Place: Shibuya PARCO
Phone: 03-6416-9909
Santa Maria Novella
Place: Shibuya PARCO
Phone: 03-5422-3933
