PROFILE
Born in Berlin in 1983. From Germany to the U.S., he worked as a product director for Carhartt WIP and Stussy, among others. In 2020, he was appointed creative director of "Gramichi" in recognition of his skills.
The greatness of Gramichi , which I learned through the collaboration with Stussy.
First of all, could you give us a brief introduction about yourself, Stefan?
Stephan:OK was born in Berlin, Germany in 1983 . . and has been the creative director of "Gramichi" since the Spring/Summer 2022 collection. He came to Japan in November 2020.
Where were you before you came to Japan?
Stephan:I lived in a town called Irvine, California , and I worked for " Stussy.
You were also in creative direction at " Stussy "?
Stephan:Yes . . I myself have been in the street culture since I was a child. Before Stussy, I worked at Carhartt WIP.
Stephan Wendler, creative director of GRAMICHI . . The interview took place at the venue of the exhibition.
Stussy and Gramichi collaborated with each other once, didn't they?
Stephan:It was the year 2020. To be honest, until then, Gramichi was a mysterious brand to me. I knew that it was an American brand, but I had no idea about its philosophy or history. Being deeply involved in this collaboration allowed me to reconfirm what kind of brand "Gramichi" was.
Do you have a different impression of GRAMICHI as a result?
Stephan:I thought it was a cool brand, founded in 1982, developing their own 180-degree leg opening gusset crotch and the webbing belt that is synonymous with the brand. Moreover, the founder was a highly skilled climber who was called "Stone Master.
These climbers got the word out, and from there, the West Coast surfers got behind it. Cool, right?
