VENDER WOH!, the brand by TAKESHI FUKUYAMA, a notable creator who designs displays for fashion and restaurants as well as creating costumes for popular artists, will have a pop-up shop at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd floor, Men's Creators, from July 7th (Wed) to July 20th (Tue).

Accordingly, we interviewed designer Takeshi Fukuyama and his wife, Akiko. We spoke with them about their commitment to craftsmanship, their future plans, and more, focusing on the items they will be exhibiting at the pop-up shop.

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  VENDER WOH!

  
  TAKESHI FUKUYAMA (Designer)
  AKIKO FUKUYAMA (Interior & Product Designer)
  
  Takeshi Fukuyama launched his own brand in 1997, and since then has been active in artwork, designing costumes for musicians, music videos, live stage sets, CD jackets, and creating costumes for professional wrestlers and martial artists. He is also active in a wide range of fields, including shop displays for sports brands and art installations.
  
  Drawing on various inspiring encounters and manufacturing experiences to date, VENDER WOH! launched its men's fashion line in 2017. The brand name reflects the belief that creating products that make fellow craftsmen and vendors exclaim "Wow!" will inevitably convey that same sense of awe to those who receive them.

Baseball, martial arts, skateboarding... Expressing sports through fashion in a unique style.

--This pop-up store has "sports" as its theme. Could you tell us about the intention behind that?

"Isetan approached me last year about a pop-up shop, which was originally scheduled to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, so we focused on sports. Also, for the past few years, I've been working with sports brands to create clothing, so I wanted to experiment with what I could create if I made clothes the way I wanted, and that's why I chose 'sports' as the theme. I hope to present the culmination of everything I've done so far in this exhibition."

—Could you tell us your thoughts when you received the offer from Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building ?

"I was honestly very happy and honored. Ever since starting my brand, I've always made sure that my clothes are never similar to those of other brands. I truly love clothes, so I've tried to see and touch as many different kinds as possible. Isetan brings together many brands, both domestic and international, from established brands to up-and-coming ones. I was really excited to see how my brand could create a sense of 'distinction' in a good way among them."

—What are some of the unique aspects of this exhibition?

"Many of our items are handmade or one-of-a-kind, and I think this exhibition will give you a glimpse into the unique charm of our craftsmanship—something that major manufacturers don't do. I've been able to express the appeal of sports that I've seen and the impact they've had on me through the designs and textures of the items, so I hope you'll feel that through each piece."

--Now, could you please explain some of the items on display, such as apparel and souvenir items?

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"This blouson is an homage to a famous former Major League Baseball player, and it took about six months to create from scratch. Starting with fabric selection, we used pigment dyeing to give it a moderately worn look, and then we made a stadium jacket and then deconstructed it. To achieve this look, we intentionally made needle holes and damaged the needles before using an embroidery machine, causing the fabric to snag and giving it a worn, rough finish."


The most challenging parts were things like the placement of the sleeves and making sure it didn't look like a remade item. Anyone who loves clothes will be able to tell from the shape that everything was made from scratch. I put a lot of thought into the subtle details of adding and removing elements. I hope people will also check out the details, such as the distressed look of the player's name logo and the cap logo design, which is based on his iconic pitching style.

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"I regularly make fight pants for mixed martial arts fighters like Kazushi Sakuraba, and mixed martial arts is called MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in English. This jacket is based on the MA-1 jacket and is intended for mixed martial artists, so I named it MMA-1. It's a pun (laughs)."


The ribbed sections resemble open-finger gloves, the orange quilting lining is inspired by wire mesh, and the overall silhouette is decidedly muscular. I sewed it once, then took it apart and stuffed cotton into the shoulder area to make it look more muscular. Also, because fighters have suffered various injuries from their many battles, their shoulders may droop, their arms may be different lengths due to dislocations, and their body types vary greatly from those of ordinary people. I thought it would be interesting to express those differences through an item, so I created this MMA-1 jacket.

I actually borrowed the gloves that Sakuraba used in his matches and used them as a basis for knitting. Because they're so thick, I had a factory make them, but it was quite a struggle; it took two people to get them into the sewing machine. In the end, I'm planning to use reflective thread to add a design that looks like a real wound."

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"This coat is inspired by a certain professional boxer. I researched the shorts worn by six of his most famous opponents and created this design based on that."

It's like he made his own gown out of spoils of war. Also, inspired by his nickname, I'm thinking of printing the date and location into the title.

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(AKIKO) "I don't skateboard at all, but I created this because I thought it would be interesting to see it as a sculpture in an indoor space. You can use it for any purpose you like, but I hope you enjoy the unique slopes and curves of the ramp."

This uses structural lumber made from compressed wood scraps, and the way the layers are stacked is incredibly beautiful. Compression is interesting, so I made it to make the most of the material. If you use it as an object in your room, it has the strength of a solid block, but the fact that it's eco-friendly as a material is really appealing. I plan to make about 8 or 9 in total, but they will all be different in size and shape. I plan to paint parts of them using smoky colors such as green and gray-blue.

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"This is an eco-bag with a basketball motif, and its product name is 'Ego Bag.' The design is based on the game shirts worn by basketball players. It's packable and can be folded up and stored in a case designed to look like a basketball."

There's also a steel basketball hoop sculpture. In addition to basketballs, they're also offering eco-bags inspired by hammer throwing. These bags, when swung around like a hammer thrower, have an eco-bag built into the hammer that opens up like a parachute.

VENDER WOH! What are the future prospects?

--Could you tell us about your future vision for the brand?


"In the future, I would like to create clothing that prioritizes functionality. Rather than using high-tech materials like those seen in major sports manufacturers, my challenge is to see how I can create handmade functional clothing using my own skills and the skills of the factories I always work with."

For example, there are packable items, but if you focus too much on storage, the design as clothing gets neglected, and you can't create something you're satisfied with. I want to create all sorts of interesting things, like a vest that becomes a coat, or something that pops out from the collar of a shirt, and I'm constantly working on many practice pieces. This Ego Bag is one of them. I want to keep challenging myself as long as there are still possibilities."