【FOCUS IT.] That T-shirt is the best ever. Masashi Watanabe, the man behind the popular body brand, talks about why Goth is the GOAT.

Goth is the best thing that ever happened to me."

So says Mr. Masashi Watanabe, who has long been a pioneer of the Tokyo street scene. Mr. Watanabe speaks in a calm tone of voice, his words are persuasive, and his every word carries a certain weight.

He has been in contact with many things, and he calls "Goth" the "best" brand in his opinion. Plain T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, etc... His products, which are the ultimate in simplicity, are not only tough and silhouette-conscious, but also infused with Mr. Watanabe's unique philosophy.

Paying homage to heritage and landing it in a modern way.

When I learned that Mr. Watanabe was the creative director of "Goth", I was quite surprised.

That's right. When I started, I didn't show what I was doing. I wanted people to use it as a body, so I didn't want to put my own color on it. But now that more and more people are saying they like "Goth" regardless of whether I am doing it or not, I feel that there is no need to hide it anymore.

The "goat" body is also used for his own brand, "Bedouin.
The basic construction that blends in with any logo or graphic is also an attractive feature.

How did you get involved with Gault in the first place?

While working on Bedouin, it was difficult to find a body that I was satisfied with. When we tried to choose fabrics and shapes from scratch, the cost was much higher than we had expected. When I was thinking of ways to solve this problem, a textile trading company called "Yagi" asked me if I would like to work together with them to create items. I was thinking about what I could do, when I was approached by the textile trading company "Yagi" to make items together.

So we decided to create a blank body brand, thinking that T-shirts that can be worn as a staple would be better than those that change from season to season.

A wide variety of colors are available, with more than 50 varieties.

And when it came time to come up with a name, I decided on "goat," so I changed it to English and came up with "GOAT. (Laughs). But "GOAT" means "Greatest Of All Time," in other words, "When did you become number one? But "GOAT" means "Greatest Of All Time," in other words, "number one in all time," and it is a very positive word. We twisted the word "GOAT" to mean "Greatest Of All Tee.

It seems like Mr. Watanabe to name a T-shirt after a slang. Is "Goth" the best T-shirt for you?

Yes, this is the embodiment of the "Greatest Of All Tee. Some people think that a T-shirt made of Sea Island cotton and costing 100,000 yen is the best, while others only wear T-shirts that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.

STAY FRESH" is a special treatment that provides a high level of antibacterial and deodorant functionality.
Unpleasant odors from perspiration and indoor drying are also greatly reduced.

The base of this collection is based on the authentic American T-shirts I liked in the 1990s, such as "Onita," "Anvil," and "Fruit of the Loom. They were boxy and wide, and could be worn by people of all shapes and sizes. But it would be boring to reproduce them as they are, so we decided to incorporate a technology that is only available now, so we applied a special antibacterial treatment called "STAY FRESH.

You mixed the best parts of vintage with modern features.

I didn't want it to be a mere homage. I am interested in creating something that has been around for a long time, but with a quality that can only be achieved today. So I added "STAY FRESH" as an added extra, and it just happened to fit with the modern age. That's why it was not my intention (laughs).

GOAT SHORT SLEEVE TEE ¥3,080

GOAT BASEBALL TEE ¥4,620

Your lineup has expanded considerably over the past year, hasn't it?

The reason we can continue our brand is because we have fans. We believe that the brand's role is to support the lives of these people, so we have created items other than plain T-shirts, such as sweatshirts, parkas, and ringer shirts. All of them are regular items that can be bought by both teens and people in their 50s. If they can be worn 5, 10, or 20 years later without being influenced by trends, I think that is the right way for a brand to be.

They are like daily necessities, indispensable to our lives.

I would be happy if you would add "GORT" to your usual choices as daily wear. Some people will wear this T-shirt with a G-Shock, some with a bracelet from Hermes, some with pants from Dickies, and some with sneakers from Nike. It would not be surprising if "GORT" were mixed in with all of them. I hope that GORT will have such a plain position.

GOAT CREW NECK SWEAT ¥7,590

GOAT PULLOVER HOODIE ¥9,790

But I think it would be interesting if we could draw a line where it is different from fast fashion. I'm tired of fashion, but I want to wear something nice. I think the brand is just right for such adults, and the price is in a range that won't upset their wives (laughs).

You have a different perspective from Bedouin, don't you?

In the past, I made what I wanted to wear at Bedouin, but this season the organization has changed. In fact, we have brought in a young designer in his 30s, and I am now more like the president of the company. This will freshen up the brand and create opportunities for the younger generation. I have been doing this for nearly 20 years, so I have already done everything I wanted to do.

When I was in my teens and twenties, I wanted to rebel against the world and keep saying "no," but at my age, on the contrary, I want to be natural, or rather, I want to be myself. So recently, I feel that I am starting to enjoy what I can do in my current situation without overworking myself too much.

One of them is golf, which you have recently taken up?

Yes, I do. Golf is one example, but I have also tried radio, making music with friends, playing drums, and so on. I am taking on various challenges, but I am not at all determined to be a leader in those challenges like I used to be. I just want to enjoy it in a casual way. These activities are a source of inspiration for me, aren't they?

Do your hobbies and leisure time sometimes come into play in the creation of Gault products?

In terms of "GORT," we don't have a concept that is specifically for a certain type of person, so we want to stick to the standard. I want the clothes to be something that I can be myself in each situation. In my case, I can wear this to work or go surfing. I can even skate. In that sense, "Goth" is ultimately anything goes (laughs).

From the Instagram account of "Goat".

long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana) InstagramBut you have snapped people from all walks of life.

GORT welcomes anyone to wear it. We really want people from all walks of life to wear our clothes. We have a vague vision of how we want to grow the brand to achieve this, but we try not to plan the process too much. If we decide on our own that this is what we want, we will never be able to reach another dimension. Letting the brand walk on its own. We watch how the brand grows, and if it starts to waver, we stop it. In that sense, I myself am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of brands GORT and Bedouin will become.

Do you think that by leaving things untouched, you are leaving room for growth?

I think this is important. If there is a gap, I correct it and let the audience watch me grow, or conversely, I gradually update what they have pointed out to me, and I like the process of expanding in unexpected directions.

The values of the times are changing, and things that were taboo a long time ago are now commonplace. Therefore, I believe that we should not make decisions without thinking.

What kind of existence does "Goth" have for you, Mr. Watanabe?

There are many different types of T-shirts in the world, even if they are all lumped together. As I mentioned earlier, there are rich T-shirts made of Sea Island cotton, wool T-shirts, and so on. Among them, the answer I came up with as an ideal system is "Goth. It may be different depending on the occasion, but it is the best for me.

What are some of the things you would like to do in the future with the best "goat" as a weapon?

I wonder what it is. I can't do it right now because of the Corona disaster, but I would like to hold an event where everyone can wear "Goth" and get all squirmy. I'd like to invite a lot of people to my friend's club, not wearing a mask, and get all squirmy (laughs). (Laughs.) But it would be great if we could have an event where people could say, "You don't smell even when you sweat, your GORT is perfect.