From February 5th (Wednesday), the exhibition "What inspiration Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building " Nobuyuki Matsui x Daisuke Takatomi, featuring Nobuyuki Matsui, the designer of the up-and-coming Tokyo brand Nobuyuki Matsui, and Daisuke Takatomi, a glass designer residing in Hokkaido, will be held at "ART UP" on the 2nd floor of the Men's Building at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building.

The two artists' installation, which was unveiled at last year's Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo (RakutenFWT), received a great response. In this exhibition, in conjunction with Nobuyuki Matsui's Spring/Summer 2020 season theme, "Water Mirror," the two artists' creations, which evoke the atmosphere of that time, will be presented simultaneously.

The sounds and light produced by Takaomi's glass enhance the appeal of Nobuyuki Matsui's clothing. (Matsui)

Left: Fashion designer Nobuyuki Matsui Right: Glass artist Daisuke Takatomi

--Could you tell us how you two met?

Matsui : The reason I met Takaomi-san was because there's a small gallery called "Ellipse" in Yoga, and I saw his work there. And the person who runs that gallery is a really unique person.

Takaomi : That's right. In a good way, it's like this is what happens when you take stupidity to the extreme (laughs). I don't want you to misunderstand, that person is actually very proper and extremely serious. But he's really stupid, or something like that (laughs).

Matsui : I also heard from that person that "there's a really crazy guy in a good way," and his work is wonderful, so I really wanted to meet him, and I went to visit Takaomi's workshop in Toyako. That was about two years ago.

--What aspects of Takaomi's work captivated you, Ms. Matsui?

Matsui : I believe there's a very close relationship between art and nature. I can't generalize, but I feel that art is about how to make things look as natural as possible, or the fusion of artificial objects and nature. Among them, I was drawn to the fluid forms and sounds that Takaomi-san creates with glass. This feeling made me want to try making clothes.

Takaomi : Thank you (laughs).

--It seems that collaborating on RakutenFWT was a great source of inspiration for Takaomi-san as well.

Takaomi : I was incredibly excited, since it was my first time ever doing a fashion show. But Nobuyuki Matsui was the main focus, so I tried to think as much as I could about what I could do within that context, but at the same time, I tried not to overthink it. I figured that even if I thought about it too much, things would ultimately be decided on the spot, so I just made sure to be well-prepared so I could handle anything, and then I kind of went with the flow. Mentally, it was a completely different feeling from before, and I was really motivated and had a lot of fun.

--Ms. Matsui went to England to study psychology, but after experiencing various things there, she found that what she enjoyed most was making clothes, so she transferred to art school and began her career as a designer. At the time, she had no experience in making clothes, but she overcame that with her inherent strong curiosity.

Matsui : I do DIY projects, and I also weld glass using a burner. I love making all sorts of things myself. So, when I collaborate with artists, I always like to go to their locations and see how they create their work. At the recent RakutenFWT, I was inspired by Takaomi's installation, "Nobou no Senchi" (Wild Spring Pond). I wondered how I could translate the fluid shapes and sounds of the glass into inspiration. I picked up on the words that came to mind, and when I decided to use them for my own collection, the theme that emerged was "Suikyo" (Water Mirror).

"I'm always looking for excitement. I think Takaomi-san feels the same way," Matsui continued.

Matsui : I really enjoy discovering interesting things, so in that sense, every day is fun. For example, even if I see a single fallen leaf, I'll think, "Wow, what a beautiful fallen leaf!" (laughs). Actually, I have a feeling that Takaomi-san has a similar sensibility. When I see the photos you upload on social media of light reflecting off glass or shadows with fleeting beauty, I find there are many things I can relate to.

Takaomi : That's right (laughs).

The important thing about this exhibition is how to best showcase Nobuyuki Matsui's clothing. (Takaomi)

--Mr. Takaomi, you embarked on the path of becoming a glass designer after a chance encounter.

Takaomi : I happened to see some glass and thought it was beautiful, but my memory is hazy. I have the impression that I saw something beautiful, but I can't remember what it was. At the time, I was wandering around Japan and happened to come across "something transparent." It might not have been glass, but I thought it was beautiful anyway, so I decided to try making it myself and started.

--It's often said that there's not much difference in the quality of your work now compared to when you first started creating it.

Takaomi : I used to go to a glassmaking school, and some of my classmates still come to see my work from time to time, and they say, with a bit of exasperation, "What you're doing hasn't changed at all." But I think that there must be something I've been building up over time, although I don't know exactly what it is yet.

--What were your feelings when you received the offer to exhibit at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building ?

Matsui : For me, the biggest challenge when making clothes is the production process and how to adapt what I make to the current market. I don't think that's necessary when I'm doing bespoke work, but when I'm doing ready-to-wear, I have to think about that carefully. So I was really happy and honored that you resonated with what the two of us are doing within the framework of art.

Takaomi : That's what you'd expect from Nobuyuki Matsui. To be honest, I always thought of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building as being out of my league, and I never imagined that my glasswork would be displayed there.

--What are some of the highlights unique to this exhibition?

Matsui : This is my opinion, so I'll have to ask Takaomi-san about it, but there's been a lot of discussion about whether clothes can be art or not. In that discussion, it's said that clothes are the closest thing to humans as art, but they're not art. Personally, I vaguely think that art is something to be worshipped, and if that's the case, then maybe things that you can actually wear or that are too familiar can't be art. This time, I wanted to do it as art together with Takaomi-san's work, so it's not "art you can take with you," but I wanted to create an exhibition and space where people can take something away just by coming to the venue, like the beautiful sound of glass or the beautiful reflections. I hope that by having people see my clothes there, the wonderfulness of clothes will be conveyed even more.

Takaomi : The fashion show I put on at the last Rakuten FWT was incredibly memorable for me, so I want to make sure that people who saw that don't feel like something's different when they see the space at Isetan this time. Of course, it's impossible to replicate the scale, but I hope to present it well. Including this exhibition, I'm thinking about how I can support the Nobuyuki Matsui brand going forward. After all, my activities here are based on Nobuyuki Matsui's clothes, so it's about how to present the clothes and the worldview well. It's the same as when I make glass vessels; I always think about what will go inside, and I realized that it's the same thing at the last show. I also enjoy doing that kind of thing.

Text: Kei Osawa

Photo: TAGAWA YUTARO (CEKAI)

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