Shuhei Ishida, a buyer for the 2nd and 3rd floors Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building has close ties with top creators and has recently expanded his interest beyond fashion to include furniture and art. "What interests me most right now is 'vintage,' and I want to learn about the stories behind these items and how to interact with them," he said, and for this project, he nominated Yosuke Otsubo as the curator. We visited the garage of Mr. Otsubo's home, who has lived in Los Angeles for a long time and is active as a fashion director.

The surf and skate culture I experienced in 1976 is my origin.

Shuhei Ishida (hereinafter, Ishida) : Your garage is amazing, but there are also a tremendous number of items in the warehouse next to it.

Yosuke Otsubo (hereinafter, Otsubo): When I returned to Japan from Los Angeles, I brought these back in a 40-foot (2.33m wide x 11.998m long) container. Since Mr. Ishida is here today, I've brought out the pamphlet and poster from the Long Beach Skating Championships held at the Long Beach Sports Arena in 1976. I really love the artist who drew these illustrations, Jim Evans.

Ishida: That's a very valuable poster. Did you see it in person, Otsubo-san?

Otsubo: I was 20 years old at the time. There was a $20,000 prize, so I think it was quite a competition. 45 years have passed since that competition, and skateboarding was adopted as an official sport in last year's Tokyo Olympics. If the skaters from that time knew about it, they would cry.




It seems that Ms. Ishida Otsubo has many stories to tell about her time in LA.

During my time in LA, I felt like I was seeing and experiencing everything, and from that, I discovered what I liked best. Everything I own is something I bought because I liked it. Back then, there was no internet, so I collected everything by walking around and getting it all, and each item has its own story. That's why I cherish them all.

I had always thought I would drive a Citroën DS for the rest of my life...

Ishida: One example is the Citroën DS, which he has owned over a dozen times in LA. He has an incredible number of license plates.


I used to think I'd drive my Citroën DS for the rest of my life, but after encountering a certain car in Japan, I thought, "Maybe it's time to move on from the DS." That's how much I fell in love with this BUCKLER DD-2.

Ishida: I'm not very knowledgeable about cars, but the color is beautiful, and it's compact and lovely.

This is a 1958 Otsubo model with a 1500cc engine, but since it weighs only 500kg, it doesn't feel underpowered even by today's standards. I found this in Japan and knew that if I went to see it, I would definitely want it, so I kept resisting, but I couldn't resist any longer and went to see it. Again, it feels less like I acquired it and more like I "inherited" it from the previous owner.

Ishida, I'm so envious that you're surrounded by all the things you love. Are your wife and family okay? (laughs)

Otsubo: That's where your partner's understanding comes in. Of course, we also have an EV for our family.

Ishida: I also turned 40 this year, and I've started collecting things that I want to keep with me forever. But when you look closely at each item, you can really see that it's packed with Mr. Otsubo's roots. You can feel the time and space he's spent with LA culture, and this garage is a one-of-a-kind "happy space."

Thank you, Otsubo . Actually, a friend of mine has opened a gallery shop in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Ishida-san, I'll introduce you, so let's go together!

We've arrived at the "playground/secret base" whose address is not publicly disclosed!

Thank you for your hard work traveling all the way to Tsukuba City, Otsubo . People from Tokyo are surprised when I say I'm going to Tsukuba City, but it's normal for me to drive an hour or two from LA to look for things. It doesn't bother me at all.

Ishida, that's an amazing building.

This is "SANTASSÉ GALERIE," run by Tassei Otsubo Onuki. Mr. Onuki and I were both born in the Year of the Monkey, and he is exactly two cycles younger than me. Mr. Ishida is also 40 years old, and I believe that those in their 40s and 41s are the generation that will carry the future of Japan on their shoulders.

Hello, Mr. Ishida. It's nice to meet you. Mr. Otsubo told me that it would be better to see it in person, so I came to visit. Why did you open your store in Tsukuba City?

Tatsumasa Onuki (hereinafter, Onuki): We opened last July, and the main reason was the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19, I used to go to America several times a year to buy goods, and I would collect Native American-inspired items as a hobby in Santa Fe and other places that I loved. When COVID-19 hit, the apparel industry went downhill, and I got bored, so I thought, "I have to do something," and that's when I happened to find this rice warehouse in Tsukuba City, my hometown, on a real estate website.


Ishida, was this a rice storehouse? It's a lovely space. Was the renovation difficult?

I cleaned the floor and ceiling of the Onuki Yonezo and put up a board at the back. There's a gallery shop I like in Santa Fe called "Shiprock," and I thought I could do it there. My name is "Tassei," and I like Santa Fe, so it's a "Santa Set" gallery.

Otsubo: I met Mr. Onuki when I was working at Levi's, and we've been seeing each other often ever since. A store where you're guaranteed to find something you want is called a "destination store," and this gallery shop is a wonderful place where you can encounter beautiful things you've never seen before.

Ishida : It's important for a shop to be a place where people can come all the way here and find or discover something wonderful, isn't it? What kind of thoughts and feelings do you have when running this gallery shop?

Onuki: It's a small world in a way, filled only with things I like, but I think the younger generation will pass through without ever knowing this kind of world. I guess I've reached the age where I have to pass on these origins. Rather than just a shop, I wanted to create an environment where people could see it, and I hope that as many people as possible who are interested will come and see it, and that I can pass on this world to them.

Reinterpreting and updating vintage styles while paying homage to them.

Ishida Masanari: This gallery shop is "a collection of items that Mr. Onuki has gathered and that have met his standards," but what is it that you would like to pass on to future generations?

Onuki: When you think of gallery merchandise, you're usually disappointed to find only souvenirs, but the most elaborate item in this gallery shop is their original jeans.


Otsubo: These jeans are incredibly well-made, they're truly eye-opening.

Onuki uses 14 sewing machines that were used to sew specific parts of jeans from around 1900 to 1940, and sews raw denim woven on a shuttle loom with deadstock thread. A craftsman in Kojima, Okayama, finishes the work by himself, and uses silver ingots from 1890 to 1910 as buttons.

Those are the jeans that Daiki Ishida is wearing, right?

Onuki has been wearing these for a little over six months. I don't want to make vintage replicas; I want to work with craftsmen to create jeans that pay homage to vintage styles, interpret them, and update them.


Ishida , those jeans are really full of thought and care. I was also very interested in the rug collection at this shop.


We mainly stock Navajo rugs by Onuki, Shaker textiles called "Coverlets," and Amish quilts, but many of them have unusual patterns that aren't standardized.

Issei Otsubo wants to keep these things close to him, use them, and wear them—which, in today's terms, is sustainable. He enjoys the design sensibility and colors that only natives possess, from head to toe.

Ishida found a rug that caught her eye... she's going to buy it!

Buyer Ishida's thoughts on "How to appreciate vintage items"

Both Mr. Otsubo's home garage and Mr. Onuki's "Santa Set Gallery" were wonderful, with a story and style in every space. It was also a great learning experience for me to incorporate my own lifestyle and hobbies into my own space.

As Mr. Onuki mentioned, the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift towards enriching everyday life, including clothing, and the value of encounters, experiences, and discoveries has increased. This has given me great inspiration for creating my shop.

In particular, before visiting Ms. Onuki's "Santa Set Gallery," I imagined it would be a sophisticated select shop in a rural area, but when I went there, I found it to be very comfortable, and I could feel Ms. Onuki's story and message coming through. I think that freely expressing what you love, like Ms. Onuki does, will be important in business going forward. Also, Ms. Onuki has a desire to "pass on knowledge to people who don't know the origins of things," and it made me want to cherish the idea of conveying something through my own work.

• Yosuke Otsubo
  Fashion Director
  Born in 1956, he moved to the United States in his early twenties and lived in Los Angeles for 29 years. As one of the leading fashion industry experts, he has brought many noteworthy American and European brands to Japan for the first time, and has been active in the fashion and lifestyle industry.
  
  Tatsumasa Onuki
  SANTASSÉ GALERIE
  Born in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1980. At the age of 18, he started selling at a vintage clothing store in Harajuku, eventually becoming a buyer. At the age of 28, he became independent and started his career as a designer. He is currently active in a wide range of fields, including WESTOVERALLS. He has newly established SANTASSÉ, based on the concept of a "Trading Post." At the end of July 2021, he opened the gallery and shop "SANTASSÉ GALERIE."

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Photograph: Tatsuya Ozawa
Text: Makoto Kajii

*Masks are removed only during filming.
＊The information in this article is current as of the time of publication. Product information may be revised or changed without notice.

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