The Shirt Style By Brooks Brothers] Brooks Brothers, Shirts and Me Vol.10 Kazuki Nagayama Photographer

Non-iron Pinpoint Oxford Polo Collar Shirt ¥13,000+TAX(Brooks Brothers Japan)

Kazuki Nagayama is a photographer who works for many fashion magazines and advertisements for both men and women. As he occasionally posts on his Instagram page, Nagayama's style of dressing in suits and set-ups for shoots is unique among photographers, even though there are many. Like his photographic style, which focuses on beautiful lighting, Nagayama has a strong sense of individuality and aesthetics.

I didn't originally want something with a design, and I thought it would be a hassle to search for a shirt every season. Then I thought it would be faster to make a shirt that fits my body. I decided to lengthen the length and adjust the neck. Once the shape was decided, it was easy to just change the fabric and a new one could be made right away. After that, I started ordering suits, and I decided to tie them up anyway, and here we are today. In the beginning, I was often asked at photo shoots, "What's going to happen after this? or "Self-branding? But for me, it was easier and less troublesome. When I was wearing casual clothes, I spent more time worrying about what to wear.

Jacket ¥84,000+TAX, ,Pants ¥13,000+TAX, ,Tie ¥12,000+TAX, ,Suspenders ¥14,000+TAX(Brooks Brothers Japan)

Mr. Nagayama loves to wear a variety of fabrics for each season, but he always chooses button-down shirts. He says that he always chooses button-down shirts for his shirts. He does not see his set-ups as a dress-up style, but rather as a uniform that suits are comfortable for him and that he loves to use.

He said, "My shirts are totally button-down shirts. I don't wear shirts with other collars at all. I don't like dressy shirts. I like the casualness of button-down shirts. You can tell when you wear a button-down shirt from Brooks Brothers, but the details are very American. The first button-down shirt I ever bought was from Brooks Brothers. The one I'm wearing today has a good size and soft Supima cotton fabric. The yellowish color is just right. Today I wore it with a navy blue blazer, which is synonymous with Brooks Brothers, but I would also like to wear it with a brown checked suit.

Considering the ease of movement for camera work, suspenders were chosen for this day instead of a belt. Ties were also secured with tie pins to keep them out of the way.

The sense of security that comes from a firm and unchanging philosophy is what sets Brooks Brothers apart from other brands. I am sure that Brooks Brothers' button-down shirts will be talked about for the rest of our lives, until the earth dies. It's a great thing, isn't it? I think it takes time to become a classic. No matter how high the quality, something with a short history cannot be called a classic. It is the same with photographers. When photographing with the same white background, there is no difference in the finished product regardless of the career of the photographer. In order to make people say, "His white backgrounds are great," it takes time and a commitment to quality work with minimal waste.

Mr. Nagayama's favorite camera is a Hasselblad. His usual classical attire and the way he holds his camera are picturesque.

I'm not really interested in new releases, because I like to take the high road. That's why I tend to make rather bland choices. It's the same with photography, but I don't really like to make an outlandish choice and make it look unique. I always think about "how to make something look unique even though it doesn't look that way," so I want to connect that to everything. People often say "universal," but I wonder what is truly universal. Food, architecture, chairs, etc., I wonder why they are called universal. I always think that it would be good if I could incorporate this way of thinking into my work.

Photo_Shin Hamada
Text_Maruro Yamashita
Edit_Yosuke Ishii