how visvim creates “Future Vintage”

"Traveling from Lapland to L.A. with designer Hiroki Nakamura

An anthropologist of apparel and founder of the cult folkwear brand visvim, Hiroki Nakamura travels the world with a bunch of empty suitcases seeking out traditional methods of weaving, dyeing, and assembling textiles. When he returns to Tokyo, he publishes his observations on these crafts as small dissertations, and then begins figuring out how to integrate them into our modern cityscapes. Counting Japanese Edo-era kimonos, Amish patchwork, Native American blankets, Harris Tweed, French crocheting, and the footwear of Finland’s Sami people among his inspirations, Hiroki’s peripatetic product development process builds on centuries of research and development with the intervention of a few select modern machines..."

for the full feature head over to SSENSE.

source: SSENSE

interview with Eiichiro Homma of nanamica

"Founded in 2003, Japanese label nanamica straddles the line between form and function, taking cues from classic performance outerwear and iconic fashion houses alike. We speak to owner and head designer Eiichiro Homma about inspirations, where Nanamica came from and where it's going.

How did you get into the idea of making clothes?

My career started at Goldwin Inc., which is a sportswear company in Japan. That was back in 1982 and at first my role was in marketing. In the summer of 1983 Goldwin launched a marine sportswear business under the license of Helly Hansen and I was appointed as a Brand Director of Design. Thereafter I took care of developing technical outdoor and marine garments up until 2001.

Where did the name ‘nanamica’ come from?

Nanamica means 'houses of seven seas'. Since I love sailing and my partner Takashi also loves the beach, we had the intention to have a marine inspired name for our brand. 'Seven seas' sounds like 'round the world'. By this name, we would like to show our intention of communicating with people all around the world. In the beginning we wrote it in Chinese characters, then we converted it using the English alphabet as “nanamika”. Since the 'k' didn’t look right, we changed it to a 'c'..."

for the full interview click here.

source: GOODHOOD

Mike Skinner On 97

GOODHOOD recently sat down with The Streets' front man Mike Skinner to talk about the musical landscape in 1997 and the Nike Air Max 97, which just has re-released.

"You were in Birmingham in 1997, what was happening then – what can you tell us about the musical landscape at that time?"

"97, for me personally, was all about speed garage. Grime was when I came to London in like 2001 and before that, around 95, was house. Birmingham was a funny one because I hung out with guys that were rappers, really, because I used to record other rappers. Because we were from, like the suburbs really, I didn’t really feel safe at Drum’n’Bass events at that time. It did quickly go quite studenty, probably around 97. Certainly before 97 going to drum ‘n’ bass events wasn’t really, I mean it was alright but it was always something; someone firing a gun or kicking off. I wasn’t really into that. You know, ecstasy and gun fire doesn’t really go together. Weirdly, speed garage really worked for us because they played it in all the House clubs. Because it started with Armand Van Helden putting those sort of big jungle basslines on house records, so it really started in house clubs. The House clubs at that time were quite safe, you know, although they did try and put on a few bassline events at the Que Club and that was a total nightmare..."

for the full interview click here.


source: GOODHOOD

Hiroshi Fujiwara Is the Living Internet

"Many call Hiroshi Fujiwara the godfather of streetwear. His nod of approval means line-ups that would make Supreme jealous. There aren’t enough hyphens to list all the hats he has worn, so let’s just call him a renaissance man-slash-messiah.

Hiroshi was born around the corner from Ise Jingū, a Shinto shrine that is arguably the most sacred spot in Japan. We can all be thankful that Ise is in the sticks and that our hero was so bored in the boonies that he began scanning the horizon for something more. The punk rock scene was in full swing, and he was off to London as soon as he could manage. There are pictures around of that skinny kid—maybe with Malcolm McLaren—circa 1983. Coming from a country where the rules were strict and business was king, Hiroshi was hungry for new energy. And so he became a pioneer pirate, sailing from one island to another, serving as a cultural conduit..."

for the full interview head over to SSENSE.

source: SSENSE

Junya Watanabe One of Fashion’s Foremost Thinkers

"The fashion designer Junya Watanabe uses the word monozukuri a lot when discussing his work. “I think it’s very specific to Japanese culture,” says Watanabe’s American-­born assistant and longtime interpreter, Ikuko Ichihashi. “You could translate it to craftsmanship, but it’s more than that. It has more depth. It’s more about the design aspect, the aesthetics. How do you create something?”

The word “craftsmanship” references the person behind the craft. By contrast, “monozukuri” is formed from the words “mono” (thing) and “zukuri” (to make, to manufacture, to grow). The individual behind the craft is subjugated to the act of making. For Watanabe, who de­-emphasizes himself often, the use of the word is pointed. He doesn’t appear for the customary bow at the end of his runway shows, presented four times a year in Paris. He rarely grants interviews, refuses to discuss his personal life and is reticent even to talk about his work..."

for the full feature head over to the NY Times.

source: NY Times

More Than a Cult Designer: Hiroki Nakamura Goes Big

"The moment was primed for kitsch or magic; it could have gone either way. On a warm summer morning in Florence, Italy — the air narcotic with the scent of blooming camellia — guests of the men’s wear trade fair Pitti Uomo made their way through tunnels of clipped greenery at the Renaissance Boboli Gardens to a fashion show mounted by the Japanese designer Hiroki Nakamura.

Stopping first at a kiosk just inside the Porta Romana gate, they donned chevron-patterned kimono jackets that Mr. Nakamura, 45, had ordered from a traditional Kyoto craftsman. Thus attired, they moved as a group toward a Zanobi del Rosso 18th-century “Lemon House”, looking like nothing so much as members of a diplomatic legation to the Medici court in a woodblock print by Hiroshige.

In reality, it was just buyers and press and other personnel from the extended fashion posse. And yet, fashion without storytelling is just sewing. It is his shrewd understanding of this precept that has helped vault Mr. Nakamura’s label, Visvim, from the status of Tokyo indie to a business with a reported $100 million in sales..."

for the full feature head over to the NY Times.

source: NY Times

life & times: NIGO

"A little over two years ago, one of the most notorious names in Japanese fashion announced that he was leaving the label he had founded way back in 1993 – a label that had become synonymous with streetwear and the culture of its time.

When NIGO revealed he was exiting A Bathing Ape after two decades at its helm, the announcement marked the end of an era. In typically visual, irreverent fashion, the designer posted an image to Instagram showing a toy-version of himself being lowered into a grave by a KAWS-drawn interpretation of Bart Simpson. It was almost everything you’d expect from the man."

for the full feature head over to Highsnobiety.

source: Highsnobiety

STORY of MY LIFE: Interview with Daiki Suzuki

Daiki Suzuki was born in 1962 in Hirosaki City of Aomori Prefecture, a place known for apple cultivation and cherry blossom trees, and spent his childhood surrounded by the natural environment. “I used to enjoy playing baseball, collecting insects and crawfishing with my friends. Having no computer games, we spent most of the time outside. I had looked forward to seeing our annual Neputa Festival, too.” Despite what he is now, Suzuki was a very small boy, having almost nobody shorter than him in his class. Being a class clown, filled with curiosity and active, he became absorbed in cycling...

for the full feature head over to Nepenthes.

source: Nepenthes JP

Introducing Hiroki Nakamura the Collector

"How do you explain your fascination with vintage objects and artifacts?

Obviously, things in the past weren’t made for commercial reasons. I discovered that these objects are so much more powerful because they were designed for a purpose. They have so much more power and that speaks to me. I enjoy having them around me. They inspire me and I want to make things that have meaning for myself. If something is made for a reason, not just to be sold, it has a stronger feeling to me. Since I was little, I have been collecting vintage stuff. I go to flea markets or vintage shops and I get strong feelings from these places and items..."

for the full feature head over to Hypebeast.

source: Hypebeast

Talking with Yuki Matsuda "A Japanese Designer’s Quest to Define American Style"

"I don’t think a machine can make the shoes we can make,” says designer Yuki Matsuda, the founder of Meg Company, whose brands include Yuketen, Monitaly, Chamula and Epperson Mountaineering. Based in Hermosa Beach, California, Matsuda approaches and reinterprets different aspects of American style with each of his brands. His pieces appear both historic and modern at the same time, appealing to those who both love a vintage aesthetic and long for precise tailoring. And in all of his products, Matsuda strives to achieve harmony between the skilled craftsmen, the best materials and his refined designs..."

for the full feature head over to Gear Patrol.
source: Gear Patrol

life & times: Shawn Stussy

"To this very day, there are few brands more iconic within streetwear than Stüssy. And there are none that have exhibited the same staying power as the Californian-born label. Few of its peers are seen as such an enduring signifier of underground culture so many decades on. Almost chameleon-like in its ability to blend into cultures right across the globe, Stüssy has meant many different things to many different people throughout its three-and-a-half decade lifespan, with the only common thread being a uniquely independent spirit..."

for the full feature head over to Highsnobiety.


source: Highsnobiety

Takahiro Kinoshita of POPEYE magazine Interview

Popeye magazine was established in 1976. Do you remember when you first encountered it?
I must have been 13 or 14 when I first started reading Popeye. This would have been in the ’80s.

When you saw a copy for the first time do you remember what impression it left on you?
Popeye did a lot of sports-related issues back then. I was also an athlete, mostly playing tennis. I remember that Popeye had several issues called ‘Tennis Boys,’ as well as some issues related to activities like skiing and surfing.

Were there other titles with a similar focus that you were reading at the time?
We had a rival magazine in the ’80s called Hot Dog, which is no longer available...

for the full interview head over to INVENTORY.

pic source: INVENTORY

Arc’teryx Veilance: Atsushi Nishijima brand ambassador

for the full feature & interview with Atsushi Nishijima, head over to Arc’teryx Veilance.





pic source: Arc’teryx Veilance

Dior Homme fall/ winter 2015 Kris Van Assche Interview

An In-Depth Interview with GOODHOOD’s Kyle Stewart

accordingly to yesterdays shots from the new GOODHOOD store, Highsnobiety recently met up with store founder/ owner Kyle Stewart to chat about GOODHOOD’s future, their unique mix of brands and the place Britain has in the wider fashion world.

What does the new store mean for current Goodhood and Life Store locations?

We’re closing them down – so we had Goodhood on one side and Life Store on the other – they’re both closed and we’re going to have our office in what was Goodhood. We’re open officially on September 10 – in terms of the store, its gonna be a massive step up for us – it’s a lot bigger and it’s gonna have a cafe in it, we’re going to be doing food. It’s quite exciting in that aspect, being able to communicate with our customers on a different level. We’re dead excited about it.

Are you guys going to be expanding your brand range?

Yeah, we’ve expanded it quite a bit, not so much on menswear but on women’s quite substantially and also on the Life Store area – we’re adding in stuff like cosmetics and books as well.

So more of a lifestyle store?

Yes, exactly that...

for the full interview click here.

“A Man with no Country II”

Hiroki Nakamura of japanese brand visvim gives us a little insight in the upcoming
fall/ winter collection titled “A Man with no Country II”. the interview took place in
Paris as Hiroki always displays his collection during Fashion Week.

thanks to Hypebeast for the interview.

a very good read

the guys over at 032c & BOF recently published an interview with
James Jebbia, founder of NYC based Supreme. they give us a really
interesting insight on the brands myth.
you can read the first part here and the second part here

pic source: BOF

Patta is doing it.....

Complex interview with Team Patta, watch out for a new Patta x Nike Hyperstrike. i want these so bad.....

A History of DJ Krush

Legendary DJ Krush reminisces on Wild Style, education, and his move to music. Interview conducted in Los Angeles in conjunction with the DVD release of "A History of DJ Krush".