. I know that this collaboration may seem surprising, but I feel that it is actually a very inevitable initiative. . Before we talk about the items, please tell us a little about your life together. Jonio (Jun Takahashi) has set up another base in Akiya, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in addition to Tokyo. How long have you been living in two locations?
Takahashi: I started about last February , so it has been almost 2 years.
Fujii: So that's still how it is. By the way, I moved to Hayama 6 years ago.
Takahashi: . yes, that's right. That's what you've been doing for only 6 years. It feels like I've lived here forever.
Fujii: No , no, no, no.
How far away is your home from Jonio's studio?
Takahashi:Well, it's so-so. . We are in Akiya, Yokosuka City, not Hayama. （It is about 5 km from the Imperial Villa (in Hayama) and a little further from Fujii's place. Since I mainly travel by car, my range of activities is quite wide, and I go to various places. Recently, I often go to a restaurant called "Asagohan" in Kamakura for breakfast. It is very delicious.
Fujii:It's nice there.
How do you like living in Akiya?
Takahashi:I had been looking for a place to live since the year before last, and I thought it would be great from the moment I went to see it. The distance from Tokyo and the fact that I am a runner, I thought it would be wonderful to have such an environment. When I went to the other side of the country, I felt a sense of relaxation that I could never get in Tokyo, and that is what I was looking for.
I see.
Takahashi:On top of that, Fujii was there , and the more I went, the better it was.
Have the two of you been in contact with each other for a long time?
Fujii:There was, but it was just to say hello. It was not like going out for dinner or anything like that. However, my wife and I had been in contact with each other for a long time.
Takahashi:Yes, yes. I have known her since she was in middle school.
I see. . As a result, it's like a family affair.
Takahashi:. That's how I feel, so I always go to Fujii's house when I go over there.
. That's quite a close relationship.
Takahashi:. It wasn't to that extent in the beginning, but recently it has been like that. As I gradually got a better idea of how to spend my time over there, I began to communicate with Fujii more and more, and since I have recently been interested in Japanese-style things, I would share things like that with him.
Fujii:Last year, we went to Kyoto together several times. We went to the "Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum" and so on.
Takahashi:Yes, that's right. And in the process of doing so, we thought, "Well, since we're here, why don't we make something?
Fujii:Yes, it wasn't like, "Let's collaborate!" . It wasn't like, "Let's collaborate!
Takahashi:This story began with my own desire to have a samue. I have always wanted to spend my days in samue, and I thought I was getting old enough to look good in it.
Non-native" has made a samue-like garment before, hasn't it?
Fujii:Yes, it was quite a long time ago . We looked at the items from that time and thought about what we would utilize and what we would change.
Undercover" has recently been involved in many Japanese-approach creations during the 2020-21 AW season with the "Spider Castle" collection.
Takahashi:I made one in 2000, which was a long time ago. I made a samue with Toru Nishiyama of WTAPS® at a show in Tokyo with friends from Futura, Stash, Cowes, and other graffiti groups. It was made of ripstop material and had a street-style feel. I liked it, but I was about 30 years old at the time, and my link to Japanese culture was still very young, so it wasn't something I would wear on a daily basis.
I see.
Takahashi:However, the Japanese element is now very much intertwined with my life, and I want to properly incorporate it into my daily routine.
Fujii:At the time, it was just a theme that you were working on.
Takahashi:Yes, I agree. In "Star Wars," there are things that Obi Wan Kenobi and others wear. It's like a Western interpretation of Japanese style. This time, of course, there are elements of that, but I wanted to make it more practical.
Fujii:. light or warm .
Takahashi:. yes. . and I also wanted to land on a feeling of fitting in with everyday life, so that I wouldn't be seen as a temple person.
