TATLAS chose André Saraiva as its collaboration partner, not only as an artist, but also as an entrepreneur who has worked on such projects as Le Baron, a world-famous club lounge, and Hotel Amour.
For this collaboration with Andre, he has created a classic and timeless down jacket, varsity jacket, and tracksuit. Each item features his iconic "Mr. A" character design.
To celebrate the release of these collaborative items, a pop-up store is currently being held at "J6" in Harajuku until November 16 (Wed.). In addition to the sale of the collaboration items including goods, the "TOKYO Poster" limited to 100 copies worldwide and original drawings are also available for purchase. Also available are the Monogram Collection and the 2022 Autumn/Winter Collection of "TATLUS". Inside the store, a huge artwork supervised by André, as well as pizza and other food and beverages, and music, truly embodied the fun of a nightclub.
We spoke with Andre himself, who was visiting Japan, about the worldview expressed by "TATLAS" and Andre Saraiva, which combines bowling and nightlife.
- What were your honest thoughts when you received the offer to work on the TATLAS project?
TARATLAS is known for its high-quality down jackets and other classic, timeless products, so I thought it would be a good idea to collaborate with them in a way that would make the most of that. I got a very positive impression, and the offer was immediately accepted.
- How did you go about creating the collaborative items?
TATRAS" has been focusing on the theme of entertainment, such as last year's "TATRAS PARK. Since I have been involved in the club lounge business myself, including Le Baron, I thought it would be interesting to combine the night scene and bowling as a leisure activity that could express "Mr. A". We came up with the interesting idea of ....... Mr. A" and "TARATLUS" both have timeless and unchanging values, so we created down jackets, varsity jackets, and tracksuits that fuse the best of both worlds.
- What were your impressions when you saw the completed items?
I really liked it. TATLAS was very receptive to my creativity, from the design ideas and samples to the production stage. The final collection was also very well done, and I have items that I will continue to wear for a long time to come.
- I looked at the collection this time and found many really cool things that I wanted. . I especially like the varsity jacket Andre is wearing.
(In Japanese) Arigatoo gozaimasu.
- The theme of this year's contest was "bowling." Do you have any memories of bowling yourself?
When you were in the U.S., you enjoyed the night scene, bowling late at night and enjoying drinks.
- In Japan, bowling is considered to be a sport, isn't it? Bowling ...... with drinks is new.
In the U.S., there is a culture of everyone getting together somewhere, like a home party, so in that sense, bowling has taken root as a game that everyone can enjoy, rather than a sport.
- I see! It's an interesting culture. I had the opportunity to see your pop-up store installation, and the bowling balls and pins were gigantic. What was your intention behind this?
The larger it gets, the more three-dimensional and artwork it becomes, so I am conscious of that aspect. It is also meant to be a participatory installation.
- It's interesting that you feel like it's "artwork that can be played with. This time, we asked Andre to create a special TOKYO version of his iconic poster "NEW YORK Poster.
I have been coming to Japan and to Tokyo since the late 90's, and whenever I come, I always feel great hospitality. Tokyo in particular is a very inspiring city, and it is definitely a source of inspiration for me. I am also involved in the hotel business, such as Hotel Amour, and many of the ideas for that business are inspired by and embodied in Tokyo.
- Andre, I know you have been to many other cities around the world, but can you tell us what you feel makes Tokyo different from other cities?
. I think Tokyo is a very unique city. I think it is a great feature that it mixes and expresses the trends of each city well. . And I always feel the precision and delicacy of the technology. For example, pizza tastes better in Japan than it does in Italy. I am also thinking of opening a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo at some point. ...... (laughs).
- As a Japanese, I am very proud. How do you feel about the graffiti scene in Japan, including Tokyo?
This will be my first time in Tokyo in three years, and I reconfirmed that the city is as energetic as before. In the graffiti scene in the U.S. and Paris, people did not care about local art, but the Japanese took it in a fresh way, and many Japanese were the ones who proposed collaborations. I think it is interesting to cut it that way. As with Futura, my first collaboration was with a Japanese brand. . I feel that the Japanese graffiti scene also has a unique sensibility.
- I see . That is an interesting opinion. Going back to the pop-up store, how did you feel when you saw the interior of this one?
I think it represents a great night scene. I would like to develop this place as a nightclub, if possible, though (laughs).
Photo_Ryutaro Izaki
Text_Yasuyuki Ushijima
