Even within the processing lineage, Gongmori is of a different school.
Gonmori-san, you originally planned and produced original items and licensed brands at "Lost Hills" in Harajuku, right?
Rights holder: That's right. Before "Lost Hills," I worked at a boutique in Chiba.
Kaneko: What kind of restaurant?
Rights holder: They were called "Empty" and "Cross." Both were co-owned with a friend.
I have heard that the restaurant was nationally influential.
Rights holder: In the beginning, it was a street-style store, but along the way, it began to carry American items of the high street.
What kind of fashion did you like at that time?
Rights holder: I used to go to Harajuku every week when I was a teenager, but in my early twenties I only bought records, so I lost my passion for fashion. Then, little by little, I came back and started my own clothing shop. Gradually, I started to feel that I wanted to make clothes, but I didn't know how to do it (laughs). (laughs) I knew that many brands were using vintage clothing as a reference, so I started digging into vintage clothing.
Kaneko: So you have wanted to make clothes since that time.
Rights holder: That is how I felt. However, I knew that it would not sell even if I made it in the store I was in, so I joined "Lost Hills" and was allowed to do various things. After that, I went independent.
Kaneko: So you taught yourself how to make things at "Lost Hills"? I didn't go to a vocational school or anything like that.
Rights holder: That's right. Just the feeling of liking something.
I guess the interesting thing about "bow wow" is that it is a self-taught style of manufacturing. And it is also unique that Mr. Kaneko found you there.
Kaneko: It felt very real. It was so smooth that I thought, "Is this vintage? It was so smooth that I thought, "Is this vintage? It was at that level. You couldn't see the back side.
Even Kaneko-san, who has seen all kinds of clothes, thinks that way, don't you?
Kaneko: I felt like I was two or three steps deep into the process. I think processing is definitely a compromise somewhere. Every brand wants to bring out the colorful side, so they try not to overdo it.
However, in the case of Mr. Gongmori, the processing is not quite as thorough. Although his work is not sexy in that sense, it has a different kind of appeal. I feel that Mr. Gonmori is aiming to create products that he is satisfied with. Even within the processing lineage, Gonmori's style is different. Even if I were to look at it from the perspective of looking at vintage clothing, he has gone to a level where I would not be able to tell.
Rights holder: There is something I have always been conscious of. That is "charm. That is the only thing I try to express. I like vintage clothes, and even now I buy a lot of them, but there are not so many items that I think are good. I once wondered what I was looking for when I made my selections, and the answer I arrived at was charm.
Kaneko: I totally understand that.
Rights holder: I don't often look at new clothes, but I find charm in my friends' clothes. That is why I have decided that the clothes I make myself will only have charm.
Kaneko: Even though I make things based on vintage clothing, the sampling of the original material is very specific. There may be a certain charm to it. I was only interested in the realism, but it is true that the things that caught my attention were all charming.
Rights holder: I also find what Mr. Kaneko wears charming.
Kaneko: I am often asked by customers, "How do you select vintage clothing?" I am often asked, "How do you select your vintage clothes? When I pick up a piece of clothing, I find it to be this one. Maybe that's part of my charm.
I would like to explore the word "charm" more.
Rights holder: I think it's different for everyone, but when you get down to vintage clothing, everyone responds to the same things. If you listen to stories from overseas, Hedi Slimane and Karl Lagerfeld all dig vintage clothing. Raf Simons came to our store the other day, and all the vintage clothes he touched had a certain charm. I want to bring that feeling to Bow Wow.
Kaneko: It's not very orthodox, is it? This is an aside, but I remember the president of a boutique store I used to work at using the word "charm" a lot. He would say, "This has no charm," even for original items, and he would make adjustments to the standard items every season, down to the millimeter, to make them more charming.
Rights holder: It's great (laughs).
Kaneko: If we include that perspective, the items we create will also change.
Rights holder: When we receive samples, they are usually not very charming at first. I think about how to make it more charming, and then I create something that I am satisfied with.
Do you mean to put charm on the processing?
Rights holder: Clothing has three elements: fabric, pattern, and sewing. I pursue realism by overworking the fabrics.
