My interest in fashion began with my encounter with John Lennon.

Shibata : By the way, Mr. Nakatake, have you been interested in fashion since you were a child?

I was born in Nakatake, Miyazaki, and I had a shaved head and played baseball. The town was small, and there wasn't anything that particularly sparked my interest in clothes, but I did like old things.

Shibata is just a child, but she likes old things—she seems quite precocious...

My father, Nakatake , was a typical Kyushu man who monopolized the right to watch television, and I grew to love old movies while watching adult films and period dramas with him. As for fashion, my father wore pretty much the same thing all year round, but I remember thinking he looked cool when I saw him wearing a beige swing top. That's my earliest memory of him.



It's that kind of cool look you get from behind, like Shibata 's father. I totally get that.

When I was a primary school student at Nakatake Elementary School, I happened to listen to a radio special about the Beatles, and I was surprised to hear that every song they played was like, "That's the song from that commercial!" It was a shock to realize that almost all of the "English songs" I vaguely liked were by the Beatles... I was born in '76, so I'm naturally a latecomer, but I was completely blown away and became a fan.
I collected all of their albums on the cheap CD versions sold at home improvement stores back then, and I listened to their solo songs after the band broke up all the time. Of the members, I was drawn to John Lennon, who had a rebellious and cynical personality, and I devoured books and poetry collections about him.
This book, "IMAGINE," is one of them, and I think it's the easiest book to understand for following his life.

Shibata : I see! So, what part of this book has influenced you the most, Mr. Nakatake?

John Lennon is dressed differently on every page. From a teddy boy look to the suits he wore when he first became famous, to a psychedelic hippie style, long hair and a beard, I was fascinated by his changing appearance, and how it all linked to his music.

Shibata was also drawn to John Lennon's fashion.



Nakatake: I didn't particularly intend to imitate him, but I guess that became my standard of coolness. Starting with round glasses, then the white bell-bottoms from Abbey Road, the military shirt with patches from the NY concert, the Wrangler denim jacket, I went around to vintage clothing stores in town looking for similar items.
Also, because he was trying to express his belief in John's innovative spirit—his refusal to stay in the same place—in a very superficial way, his friends would wonder, "He looks different every time we meet."
By the way, what was your experience with the Beatles, Mr. Shibata?

Shibata: My Beatles experience came relatively late, and it was actually through cosplay. Mod culture was popular when I was in college, and I was inspired by London.
But when I went to England, I did manage to take some great photos at Abbey Road (lol).

Nakatake: I'm definitely going to take a picture of that (laughs).

What came to mind when I thought of 1960s American traditional style was my dad's swing top | Page 3