Isetan Men's, which focuses on collaboration projects with popular designers and brands, is featuring "spring coats" this spring. Yosuke Imaizumi, buyer for contemporary casual wear on the 6th floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building says, "Spring coats are a difficult item in the casual category because the wearing period is limited and the sales period is shorter compared to other items. On the other hand, they are an extremely important item in terms of presentation and coordination in order to convey the enjoyment of spring and summer fashion to our customers. So this time, we asked designers to create their own ' My Best Coat ' using light, seasonless materials. The image is not a 'coat to wear,' but a 'coat to throw on.'"


Imaizumi visited the ENGINEERED GARMENTS showroom. He spoke with designer Daiki Suzuki about the spring coats that adult men "want to wear now."

The shape is kept as simple as possible, details are eliminated, and it's made lighter.

Yosuke Imaizumi: Today's customers are really good at mixing and matching outfits that aren't bound by existing frameworks. This trend can be seen not only in terms of taste but also in the mixing of items. When I thought about new styling suggestions for spring coats, I thought that spring coats could fully fulfill the function of "post-jacket." They have cooperated with us on collaboration projects every season, but when it comes to suggesting jacket styles and set-up styles in my current shopping environment, I can't imagine doing it without Engineered Garments. That's why, although I'm very sorry to ask them to participate again despite their busy schedule (laughs), I asked them to take part this time as well.

Daiki Suzuki, designer at Engineered Garments

Daiki Suzuki: I'm not particularly sensitive to current trends, but I've been interested in outfits like short jackets with T-shirts and shorts, and I think shop coats with an in-between length would be interesting as an alternative to short jackets.
Can Taiki Imaizumi also wear a spring coat?
Suzuki: I like wearing coats that are about the same length as the one I was asked to wear this time.
Imaizumi : Does your approach to creating coats for autumn/winter differ from that for spring/summer coats?
Suzuki: That's right. In autumn and winter, we use sturdy materials and focus on details, but in spring, we try to keep things as simple as possible, eliminate details, and use light materials for a clean look.

Engineered Garments
Coat 51,840 yen

A coat based on a military coat design, with the details balanced for a refined look.

Imaizumi Engineered Garments creates products using a different approach from various angles each season, but what approach did you take for this project?
The Suzuki design is featured in this spring/summer collection, but the material used is taffeta specially prepared for this project. I liked the lightness of the high-tech microfiber material and the feather (heathered) gray color. Another feature is the beautiful puckering that comes out from the single-layer garment washing process.
I hear that Imaizumi 's design is based on an old field jacket.
Many of the popular coats at Suzuki Men's are military-based, and this one is based on the early 1941 military jacket, the "M-41." It's a style that isn't widely available, but it's a jacket I personally like and have used as inspiration several times in the past. This coat has a longer length than the M-41 and the details have been balanced, resulting in a coat that is similar to a Chesterfield coat.
When I first saw the samples from Imaizumi Engineered Garments, I felt that they featured products with unusual textures.


In the early days of the Suzuki brand, natural materials were the main focus, but I've always loved military materials, and I also like outdoor materials from the 1960s, such as the "65/35" polyester-cotton blend that existed before Gore-Tex came along in the late 1970s.
Imaizumi's designs are military-based, but they look great even when worn over a suit, making them a versatile coat that can be worn both on and off duty.
Suzuki : It's slightly oversized, so I think it would look good worn loosely over a suit or with a T-shirt and shorts.

The ability to combine clothes is something that money cannot buy.

Imaizumi Engineered Garments is currently available at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 6th floor, in the Contemporary Casual section. Do you have any thoughts, expectations, or requests regarding Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building Taiki-san?
Suzuki: I also have a shop in New York, and I love shops, so I want to cherish the unique worldview of each shop. I'm happy when customers come because they love the shop. It may be difficult to stand out in department stores where brands are the main focus, but I think there is also potential there.

Yosuke Imaizumi, buyer in charge of contemporary casual wear, is located on the 6th floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building

Back in 2005, when I was working as an assistant buyer on the second floor of the Isetan Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , Engineered Garments was introduced as the main content of "Creators Edge," which we had just launched. It made me realize the fun of being able to propose coordinated outfits by combining various brands. At that time, high fashion brands like Dior Homme were at their peak, and American casual wear was not very strong at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Engineered Garments felt like an antithesis to the times and was very refreshing.
I started the Suzuki brand because I couldn't find any clothes I wanted to wear at the time (laughs). I wanted to make clothes that weren't too skinny, not too edgy, and not black. There weren't any brands making American classic style back then either.
Imaizumi: Since then, sales at Isetan Men's have been consistently strong, but above all, Engineered Garments' catalog styling is cool. Of course, the individual pieces are appealing, but I love how stylish the coordinated outfits look.


Suzuki's clothes themselves are ordinary items that can be enjoyed depending on how you combine them, but it's all about how you wear clothes.
That phrase perfectly encapsulates the fun of wearing Imaizumi's clothes.
Suzuki: We describe the things we make as "perfectly flawed products," but I like things that have a certain "strength to clothing," such as well-fitting details and material combinations. Clothing is interesting; for example, even if it costs 300,000 yen, if it doesn't resonate with you, it's worth no more than 1,000 yen.
Imaizumi: That's certainly true.
Suzuki Engineered Garments may not be able to compete with so-called "good clothes" that have good fabrics, good designs, and good patterns, but we want to create clothes that you can become attached to through "one detail that catches your eye" or "materials that make you want to wear them." I believe that the emotions associated with clothing determine its value.

Daiki Suzuki

Born in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture in 1962. President of NEPENTHES AMERICA INC. and designer of ENGINEERED GARMENTS. He moved to the United States in 1989 as a buyer for Nepenthes, and after working in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, he established an office in New York again in 1997. In 1999, he launched Engineered Garments as an original American-made brand. In 2008, he received the CFDA Best New Menswear Designer Award. He is the first Japanese person to be inducted as an official member of the CFDA.

Related articles
・View the "My Best Coat" snapshots
・[Interview] Lightweight and fun to wear: Five designers talk about their "My Best Coat"
・Men's clothing is all about the story [Part 5] "My Best Coat" -- A spring style that showcases the "back view" by combining the designer's sensibility and the craftsman's skill.
・Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd Floor: Stylists showcase their unique and stylish looks in "My Best Coat"
・All about Spring Coats──A complete guide to spring coats recommended by designers【The Gentlemen Makers 2017 Spring】

Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

*All prices include tax.

inquiry
Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 6th Floor = Contemporary Casual
03-3352-1111 (main representative)