[My Resume 18] A stylist brand aiming to break away from being a “stylist brand”

The genre of ``stylist brands'' suddenly became a boom.
Around the turn of the 2000s, men's stylists appeared in magazines all over the place and introduced their recommendations, which were instantly popular! So, in that vein, I started making things myself and it sold like crazy again! It's a phenomenon like this.
Writing this way may make you feel like I'm criticizing and defending this trend, but that's not the case at all.
As I mentioned earlier, I participated in the launch of MADE IN WORLD and was also directing the company, so I was rather positive about making clothes.
However, people who were originally involved in making clothes told me things like, ``I'm just an amateur,'' ``I just put a print on an ordinary T-shirt,'' and ``If I made it myself and appeared in a magazine, it would probably sell.'' It is also true that I was doing something wrong.
At that time, I was also involved in the planning of MADE IN WORLD's original brand ``KNOT''.
By the way, the brand name is an amalgamation of the initials of the core members at the time (Kojima, Nakata, Ozawa, and Tanaka), which means that items were created under a collegial system.
On the other hand, while watching the rise of stylist brands from the sidelines, I wondered what it was like to create clothes that would satisfy me personally. I'm going to start looking for it.
Furthermore, as KNOT became a popular brand, its street/basic taste became stronger, and that stuck in the back of my mind.

So, I consulted with Boo-chan (see ⑦ and ⑧ on my resume), and I was given the opportunity to work on a brand that would make the most of my sensibilities, and that is ``Numero Uno.''
A little off-topic, but when interviewed, people who have started a new brand often say, ``I started it because there weren't any clothes I wanted to wear.'' Honestly, I get tired of hearing that kind of statement.
Because I think if you really don't have any clothes to wear, then you have no choice but to spend your time naked.
I'm not trying to be too quick, but I always wish he would talk about things with a richer vocabulary and more strategic thinking.

That's why I wanted Numero Uno to reveal more of its concept and create solid products.
Rather than being a stylist brand that is ridiculed by the public, we want to create a brand that focuses on the role of a stylist: ``What should I pick up and how should I pick it up and how should I combine it to make it look tasteful, cool, and interesting?'' I made my debut in the fall/winter season of 2003.
The theme of the first season is ``EVERYDAY PARTY!'' Readers may think that we are still stuck in the crazy era, but that's not the case.
As I do now, I really like to make casual clothes, such as party wear, into everyday wear, such as making a G-jean made of tropical wool or adjusting the waist of Gurkha pants to make it look like a cummerbund. We have created a collection of tuxedo pants that can be used.

I also wanted to add humor and charm, so I added a character called ``Love Skull'' with heart-shaped eyes to the tag.
As a result, there was a good response and major select shops such as BEAMS and United Arrows started carrying the product.
At the time, I remember feeling satisfied that I had gotten a good kickoff.

However, I was reluctant to use my own brand on my styling page.
Because things will turn out exactly as people are complaining about them. In fact, right after starting the brand, Mr. Kurino from UA also said this to me.
"Why don't you decide not to use Mr. Ozawa's brand in your styling?"
I can now see that this must have been Mr. Kurino's honest advice about stylist brands that the public thinks of.

This kind of manufacturing is reaching its peak, but that's a story for another time.