FEATURE 115
NICE TO MEET YOU! A New “Hang Out with Mr. Slater” SeriesHow does that person wear DESCENDANT?
We welcome Mr. Keiji Kaneko from BOUTIQUE and Ms. Megumi Yamamoto from Swell Vintage for the 2024 early summer style sample.
“DESCENDANT’s clothes are in keeping with the current mood in terms of form, texture and colors and although I come from a different background than director, Tetsu Nishiyama, their coolness impresses me. Recently, I’ve been thinking, if I could carry the clothing at my women’s store, they could fill in the gaps.”
STYLE01
“The first striped T-shirt I selected was perfect for what I envisioned, such as the border placement, width, tightness of the neck collar and the fit. I paired it with the 40-inch LEE vintage denim from the 1960s - 1970s, and I believe it would look cute if women wore something like this, styled with a vintage item. At BOUTIQUE, we suggest men’s vintage items in smaller sizes to women. I often think that DESCENDANT is a type of clothes that women would also look good wearing.”
CUT&SEWN : HORIZONTAL STRIPE SS
STYLE02
“DESCENDANT is a casual and has a large form but I get the impression that it has an elegant and clean feel. The same goes for these denim shorts. I paired it with an original sweatshirt that I bought at a store in London that specializes in vintage Vans.
I also think it’s amazing how authentic items like the BROOKS BROTHERS button-down shirt I wore inside go well with it. By the way, the theme of this style is my longing for an unknown culture. Now that I’m at this age, I can wear it proudly (laughs).”
PANTS : ERIK DENIM SHORTS HARD WASH
STYLE03
“This work shirt feels like nothing I own. I paired it with LEVI’S 501XX and a nostalgic T-shirt from BANANA REPUBLIC. Lately, I have been thinking about clothes that continue to be passed down and worn by future generations and have been painstakingly made for decades, never changing. It is not easy to keep making the same thing, whether it sells or not, without giving up or starting something different.”
SHIRT : SOUS OPEN COLLAR SS SHIRT
“I feel like Tetsu-san is the reason why I am able to have so much fun wearing DESCENDANT clothes, which come from a different background than mine. They were created through all kinds of experiences and encounters with people, so no matter what you choose, you won’t go wrong. I think the reason DESCENDANT’s clothes look so cool in people’s eyes is because the layers of experience they have accumulated oozes out from every aspect.”
Keiji Kaneko Born in 1973, he started L’ECHOPPE after working as a buyer at EDIFICE. Currently, in addition to curating the shop’s concept, he also launches and supervises various brands and labels. In 2023, he opened BOUTIQUE in Aoyama, which offers vintage clothing for women and is also present at the storefront. For the 2024 Spring/Summer, he has just launched a women’s brand called J.B.ATTIRE.
“To be completely honest, I never thought I would wear DESCENDANT because of its strong image as a streetwear brand. In the 1990s, when Harajuku’s street culture was at its peak, I was already working as an office lady and I was not buying anything other than high-end brands. I’m not familiar with the street context myself, but recently, I saw my middle school son’s classmate’s mother wearing it often, and I thought, ‘Oh, it’s cute!’ That’s what I was feeling.”
STYLE04
“For women, I think that a beautiful outfit is created by balancing how much skin on the neck, arms, ankles and other areas are visible through clothing, but when you actually wear DESCENDANT, we find that it’s exquisite. This T-shirt is casual and the neckline and sleeves length are just right. However, wearing sneakers tends to make you look like a parent on the sports day, so I paired it with shoes that show a little bit of skin and a hat. I felt like something was missing, so I threw a knitted polo over my shoulder.”
CUT&SEWN : POSH ORGANIC COTTON SS
KNIT : SPIDER KNIT POLO
STYLE05
“I love that these trousers give off such a clean look even though they are a baggy size 3. The same goes for short sleeved shirts, but the basics, such as the tailoring and materials, are solid and I feel like they fit my body well regardless of the size. I think simple, basic clothes like this will stay in my wardrobe for years and not be tossed out.”
SHIRT : PIER OPEN COLLAR SS SHIRT
PANTS : DC-6 ORGANIC COTTON TWILL TROUSERS FADE WASH
STYLE06
“It looks great paired with some vintage clothes. At my shop, we make patchwork pants that are remakes of old striped shirts and I tried pairing them with a DESCENDANT button-down shirt as if they were a setup. I have a golden ratio between tops and bottoms and I tie the hem of my shirt accordingly.”
SHIRT : KENNEDYʼS OX STRIPE SS SHIRT
“When I touch back on it again, I realize that I have my own particular preferences when it comes to the details of size and balance. Looking back, it may have been the influence of my parents, who loved fashion. As a child, I tagged along with my father when he went shopping for denim and saw him discussing the size in detail and I first felt fashion was fun during the Shibu-kaji style (especially Yuko Asano’s style) because my mother was wearing something similar and it inspired me. Styles may be passed down from parents to children without them even realizing it.”
Megumi Yamamoto She opened the online store Swell Vintage in 2013. At first, she sold handmade clutch bags made of genuine leather, but as she visited LA to buy vintage patches to sew on the bags, she gradually shifted to vintage clothing. A physical store opened in Jingumae in 2020, and she holds pop-up events irregularly across the country. Her trademark is hats, of which she has over 50.
How did you like their styling?
Please look forward to the next “NICE TO MEET YOU!”
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