PROFILE
Born in 1966 in Kugenuma, Shonan , he went to France in 1988 and returned to Japan three years later. He gained experience at a denim casual wear manufacturer and a denim factory in Okayama, Japan, and started " Slowgun & Co " in 1998 and " Auberge " in 2018.
Auberge basque shirt reminiscent of the "French" of the late 80's .
We came to talk to you because we heard that Auberge's basque shirts are popular among people of all ages. Mr. Kobayashi, how do you yourself analyze the reason for the popularity?
Kobayashi:As a premise, I believe that the Japanese concept of "French chic" was inspired by the import boom among select stores in the 80s and 90s. What is French? or "What is Parisian? In the 80's and 90's, stores were engaged in a friendly competition to coordinate and accumulate French brands, and before long, the French image behind Japanese people's eyelids was completed at a level that even French people were unaware of. In the French image compiled at that time, the basque shirt was the very first item that was indispensable.
With the recent 80's and 90's revival boom, when a Style Council song comes on, I think, "The basque shirt that was popular back then!" . It may be because of the French image behind my eyelids that my body reacts in this way on its own.
. Tell us about "Charlotte" and "Big Charlotte".
Kobayashi:In the movie "Namaiki Charlotte" (1985), Gainsbourg's daughter wore a basque shirt tucked into chemical jeans with an oversized silhouette, and the excess fabric and the pitch of the border were symbols of what Japanese people consider "French" and admire. symbol of "French" and a longing for it. Auberge's basic concept is to create such "longing" with overwhelming quality. Our approach to collage this sense of nostalgia and novelty when you put your sleeves on is, as I mentioned earlier, nothing less than Japanese French that transcends France.
The big size "Charlotte" has been updated with a precisely calculated border pitch so that men can also wear it in the same silhouette as Gainsbourg in the play. There are two sleeve length patterns. It is surprising that more than 2,000 pieces were sold last year alone. Each ¥30,800
Charlotte" is a tribute to Charlotte Gainsbourg's dressing style , created with outstanding technique. This is an ever-popular item that has been made since the brand's launch and second collection. White and navy type ¥26,400 each , khaki type ¥25,300
Please tell us about the features of your product.
Kobayashi:France is a country where underwear is shirts! . In fact, the culture of cut-and-sewn clothing is not so strong in France. Even if you look at vintage cut-and-sew clothing of Euro vintage, many of them are made in Germany. After all, the T-shirt culture that Japanese people are familiar with on a daily basis is of American origin. The Japanese cut and sewn industry has evolved from this postwar culture to a unique style that surpasses that of the original country by expanding the interpretation of luxury and vintage clothing. Even European high-end brands are using Japanese-made cut-and-sew fabrics. Japan-made cut-and-sew fabrics. Auberge's basque shirts are planned under such favorable circumstances.
For example, we use the top-quality suvin cotton called "suvin gold," which is used by Chanel and Hermes, as a raw material, and the knitting is done in an unprecedented way, with a super-stiffness that is so tight that it is almost impossible to knit. It is a combination of military-like stiffness and luxurious luster.
We also incorporate the best aspects of French sewing, and thoroughly correct the parts that bother us. For example, when it comes to the boat-neck collar, in France, the collar is made by applying a lockstitch, folding it over, and stitching it, so as the garment is worn, it gets longer and longer, revealing the collarbone, and it instantly becomes less feminine. It was Japanese wisdom to wear shirts and waffle T-shirts under basques from that time, but everyone must have felt "I don't like it when this happens". . Therefore, "Charlotte" and "Big Charlotte" are made with a collar that does not change dimensions.
The reason why "Big Charlotte" is selling so well is that it combines "French cuisine that burns the back of your eyelids" with a design that solves a problem that people have been complaining about.
Kobayashi:The negative elements that everyone felt about French-made garments at the time, such as the tendency for the garment to shrink vertically when washed or the neck to stretch endlessly, were turned into sales pitches. The "Charlotte" series was created by improving on everything that French-made fans had wished for. We wanted to incorporate a silhouette that was not available at the time and had a sense of spaciousness, but we also wanted adults to have a reason to wear it in a larger size. Therefore, we focused on the image of the movie Charlotte, clearly communicated that the way Charlotte was worn was the source, and arranged the sizing to add a modern touch along the lines of each individual's wonderful French memories.
When you went to France in 1988, did you have a strong impression that the basque shirt was a symbol of the French that you admired?
Kobayashi:. it was still strong. It was a key item that gave me the feeling that I was not in America just by wearing it. I have been savoring my ideal of French all my life for 30 years, and "Charlotte" and "Big Charlotte" were the ones that gave shape to those ideals with a Japanese delicacy. I'll explain the preliminaries of this story on YouTube, so you can meet your customers in a warmed-over state the moment you put them on the store shelves (laughs).
One of the things we wanted to ask you about was the "AUBERGE Channel," where you introduce your products yourself. How did you come up with the idea?
Kobayashi:In a nutshell, the theme of "entertaining the manufacturing process" hit the nail on the head. You know those YouTube videos of people cleaning up a wrecked car? It could be something like that.
As a starting point, there are good materials . . there are old clothes with interesting details . . there are craftsmen who are stubborn. We are going to make a program about the process of making clothes by connecting these three dots. We will report on the process of making the clothes, including successes and sometimes failures, with a bit of trivia. Before long, a kind of parental love for watching the growth of the products sprouts in the viewers, and they come to see their own children at the completion exhibition without any explanations. I realized that the manufacturing process is actually an interesting and entertaining one for those who love clothes. Then, I began to feel a sense of mission to convey the various aspects of the clothing manufacturing process to the public. The persuasive power of a video and the amount of words in a speech can pack in more information than a magazine, and since there are things that can be done from various angles, focusing on people and things, there is also a chance to get people to buy the product as a result. It is very powerful as an introduction to the finished garment, and people watch YouTube after work. In that sense, it's like a night club or a club meeting (laughs).
The "AUBERGE Channel" boasts 12,000 subscribers. Each time, Mr. Kobayashi appears on the channel, carefully discussing the "AUBERGE" collection as well as vintage clothing in his own words. The video above is the installment introducing "Charlotte," which will be released in March 2019, and below is the installment featuring "Big Charlotte," which will be up in March 2020. Kobayashi's body language and speaking voice convey his personable personality.
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