CIRCLE OF DAYZ vol.4 Setsumasa Kobayashi Part 2
2021.08.21 #FASHION #INTERVIEW
In the second half of the "CIRCLE OF DAYZ" series, we take an in-depth look at some fascinating people who have strong ties to DAYZ. For vol.4, we talked with Setsumasa Kobayashi, brand director of <…RESEARCH>, about the past, present, and future.
I was just doing something stupid.
—— What are your thoughts and feelings on Tokyo?
When you're a kid, Tokyo is just the environment around you, right? But when you hear Tokyo as a word, it's like an intricate jigsaw puzzle with each piece feeling like a different but interwoven place. It's thick in some places, and thin in others. It's not the same as the isolated feeling that Asakusa had when I was a kid. The other day I went to Asakusa for the first time in a long time. Back in the day it was full of factories, but now there are none at all. When I didn’t even hear the sound of footsteps in the streets, I realized that it's a different era now. But when I am asked to talk about Tokyo, old Asakusa is what comes to my mind. I don't think I want to go back there, but when I look back on the past, something stirs in me, and I feel that I have to find something new again.
——It seems like this project was born out of the idea that it would be interesting to recreate a modern version of the past, rather than simply digging it up and reminiscing about it.
In response to the theme, "revisit your passions," I pulled out some old photo tees from the depths of my memory drawer. The motifs are all things that are normally found around us, such as gas stoves, vacuum cleaners, mattresses, and walls. When I think back to the time of making this work in 1998, I had to gather props, build a set at a studio in Ebisu, and hire professionals to shoot it. It was a lot of work, a lot of money, and a lot of time to make something that was just for a t-shirt. The photographer who worked so hard on this project was ABE Eichi, aka Abe-chan. It took a lot of hard work, so of course I have a lot of strong feelings and memories, but when I think back on it now, I was just doing something stupid (laughs). At the same time, I hope that the people of today can take a new look at the extreme way I put my focus on just one t-shirt. That's why, this time, everything from the tag to the familiar red ribbon, to the vacuum-packed packaging has been reprinted in its original form without any alterations. The handkerchiefs and magnet sheets, which were not part of the original lineup, are a byproduct of this reprint. I'm thankful for having been asked to work on such a wonderful project, and for being able to make it a reality.
As long as you keep going, things keep going.
——Please tell us about <…RESEARCH> and your future plans.
When I was trying to finish GENERAL RESEARCH and transition to <…RESEARCH>, which started with MOUNTAIN RESEARCH, I was thinking a lot about the rights that brands have. At GENERAL RESEARCH, we had already acquired the rights, or trademarks, but I wondered how we could get to the point where we didn't need to register our name or claim our rights, and what we could do to make that happen. MOUNTAIN for mountain living clothes, NAVAL for navy clothes, PRISONER SUIT for prisoner's clothes, RIDING EQUIPMENT for motorcycles, HUNTING JACKET for hunting, and so on. By the way, these are all the names I used in the early days, but since we were just researching what we wanted to explore, we decided to skip the registration of rights at this point and just call it <...RESEARCH> so that I don't have to deal with any form of rights registration at all. In other words, the <...> is left blank so that we can add any title we want. I didn't like the idea of being tied down by the rights to my name, and there was even a time when I thought I might even do it without a name (laughs).
When I started MOUNTAIN RESEARCH, the first thing I thought about was that it would be interesting to set a specific place behind the brand. I was really excited about the idea of clearly defining a location, and the fact that the location was a mountain in Japan was amazing to me (laughs). I thought it would be interesting to picture people like us, who like fashion and punk, amateurishly doing mountain work in funny clothes.After searching for a specific place for a few years starting in 2005, we found a place in the mountains of Nagano at an altitude of about 1,500 meters, far from the human habitation. The landscape there of Japanese cedar and birch looks like Scandinavia to me. It's a place where borderless scenery spreads out, like it's Japan but not really Japan; the ideal place. Since then,
In a way, it's the same as the story of how we built this store along the river. After more than ten years of making half-baked clothes for the mountains, I'm now involved in designing a campground, which will be completely different from a typical campground (laughs). That's just the way it turned out. I've opened a store, made clothes for the mountains, and designed a playground; I don't know if it's good or not, so I have to keep going. If it continues, that's great, and if it doesn't, then there's something wrong with it. The most important thing for me is to keep going even if I never make any money for the rest of my life. As long as you keep going, things keep going.
PROFILE
Setsumasa Kobayashi
A “researcher” who focuses his attention to a life in mountains or in mountainous regions of his home country of Japan.
After terminating Mountain Research’s predecessor General Research in 2006 after its 12 year history since 1994 launch,
Kobayashi made a step forward to thoroughly focus on a particular and specific subject quitting to research generally (thus named General Research then). Mountain Research kicked off in 2006 and keep updating its history up till present along with numerous other projects (some still active while others being one-offs) under various Research titles (simply named after what it is about). His current main focus is his all time interest Mountain Research and newly added (in 2020 to Research family tree) Riding Equipment Research, a pro gear line for custom built motorcycle riders.
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Interview & Text : Yu Yamaki
Photo : Yu Inohara
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