. for some people, it is just plain old clothing. . For others, on the other hand, it is so valuable that they would pay any amount of money to get it. The balance of supply and demand causes the value to rise and fall, much like stocks or virtual currencies, and the deeper you go into the world of secondhand clothing, the more confused you become. The world of secondhand clothing is truly mysterious and profound. The world of vintage clothing is indeed a mysterious and profound one.weaverThe "Kohl's" is a secondhand clothing store that has neither a physical store nor an e-commerce site, but rather is a godforsaken store that appears and disappears on the street. In addition, the products they sell are usually priced in the tens of thousands of yen per piece, and some are priced in the hundreds of thousands of yen. The reputation of the store has been spreading, and now customers line up before the store even opens. We will now look into the mystery of who in the world is running the shop and how it is operated.
Starting on Saturday, December 1, "Theweaver." This was the fourth time for the company to open a booth at the event. A few days before the event, we visited the venue, "Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, on the third floor of the "Hibiya Central Market. Inside the venue was the representative, Mr. Hitoshi Ikeda, and his three supporting members. They were preparing for the opening of the store in a friendly atmosphere, but they are not in the vintage clothing business for a living. They are usually employees of ZOZOTOWN, one of Japan's leading e-commerce sites.
ZOZOTOWN, where we work, allows us to have a second job. Also, as you know, Mr. Maezawa, the president of ZOZOTOWN, is a person who pursues what he loves to the end, and that kind of DNA naturally flows through his employees. Inspired in part by this, when I was thinking of starting some kind of side business, I decided that I wanted to open a secondhand clothing store, as I had always loved secondhand clothing since high school. When I told my friends about it, they agreed with me, and I decided to give it a try.
They are not vintage clothing professionals by any means. They are amateurs who started a secondhand clothing store because of their love of secondhand clothing. However, their love for vintage clothing, the amount of passion they put into it, and the amount of time they spend on it make it hard to believe that it is a sideline business. That is why the store has grown to attract so many vintage clothing lovers. So how is it that these amateurs are able to collect such rare and valuable items?
. "Various people ask me about my purchasing routes, but I scrape them together that way. . Sometimes I do it by foot, and sometimes I bid on overseas auction sites. I think the ratio is about 50-50."
Among the most exciting items that will enthuse people are the many T-shirts printed with the work of photographer Bruce Weber.
I have always loved vintage T-shirts, and when I was in college, I came across a Bruce Weber T-shirt. . From there, I was hooked and got more and more into it. . I borrowed the name of the store from there, of course. This time, I set a theme of 'I like' for the merchandise, so there are many of my favorite Bruce Webber T-shirts in the store.
This T-shirt was distributed by Bruce Webber after the death of River Phoenix as a memorial gift to those involved.
Stussy's T-shirts with cubist faces were made in the early 1980s. In terms of the number of these T-shirts on the market, they are by far the fewest among the many products on the market.
It's not every day that you get to see so many Bruce Weber T-shirts at once, but if you come to "weber," you will. As awareness of the event grows, the line in front of the store is steadily lengthening with each passing visit.
. these T-shirts didn't start out with a high value either. I won't say who, but they are now the result of the mood of the world pushing them up to the level of luxury goods. Then, what is coming next? What does "weber" think is the next vintage? Kazuki Hatanaka, the chief strategist of "weber," who ran a vintage clothing store before joining ZOZOTOWN and is still involved in vintage clothing as a side job, tells us.
. the next vintage I think of now is from the 2000s. They are not yet worth that much at thrift stores in town, but I think they will definitely become scarcer and more valuable in the future. . So this time, I collected quite a few movie items from the 2000s. I think we probably have the largest collection in the world at this very moment.
T-shirt from the 2007 film "Grindhouse," directed by Quentin Tarantino and his close friend Robert Rodriguez .
. there is also a wide selection of T-shirts related to movies from the 2000s and earlier.
The value of vintage clothing from the 90's is skyrocketing in the marketplace , but that was roughly 20 years ago now. . but in a few more years, the 2000s will be 20 years old. . So, it may be inevitable. Mr. Hatanaka continued to talk about the new values of secondhand clothing.
T-shirt from the movie "Blow" released in 2001. Both the front and back have Johnny Depp printed on them. Made in China .
There is a tendency to think that vintage clothing must be made in the U.S. or that selling large women's sizes as men's clothing is taboo, or rather that it is tacky. I think there is a tendency to think that it is tacky, but recently I feel that this sense of value is becoming less absolute. Even if it's made in China with an inkjet printer, it's still cool."
We will define new values for ourselves while following the values of the past. I was very impressed by his strong desire to do so. And where will "weber" go from here?
. "We have set a goal for the next three years, and the first year is to make the restaurant popular. . and then next year or the year after that, I hope to work with Bruce Weber. This may sound like an outlandish goal, but I actually got a few likes from him on the "weber" post. So maybe he recognizes me? I think so. Also, profit is important, of course, but I want to work with my friends. It's like club activities when I was in school."
A down coat by "GERRY" from the early 1980s.
. There is also a large selection of vintage clothing from Patagonia and The North Face.
In addition to the Bruce Weber and films mentioned above, this year's "weber" includes a large selection of outdoor vintage items.
Members of the group take a picture after finishing putting up the "weber" trade name on the wall.
I am sure there will be a lineup again, and the rarer items will disappear early on. However, we have a great selection of items that are usually hard to find. Please visit the nomadic vintage clothing shop "weber" to look for such treasures. During the exhibition, Mr. Ikeda, who is on paid leave from his main job at "ZOZOTOWN," will be in the store.
Text_Keisuke Kimura
weaver
Dates: December 1 (Sat) - 9 (Sun)
Location: Hibiya Central Market/Tent gallery
Address: Tokyo Midtown Hibiya 3F, 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-6205-7894
hibiya-central-market.com
www.instagram.com/weber71
