These days, when discussing fashion, keywords like "vintage" and "secondhand clothing" are indispensable. Mixing high-end brands with vintage items has become a common practice among fashion experts, and even fashion novices know that wearing even lower-priced secondhand clothing sounds much better than wearing low-priced, no-name items. Seiko Miyazaki, owner and buyer of the Daikanyama vintage shop EVA, is sounding the alarm about this current fashion trend. From September 21st to 26th, EVA is holding a pop-up event, "A Life in Fashion—For Women Living Today—by EVA supported by Harper's BAZAAR," in collaboration with Harper's BAZAAR, the world's first women's fashion magazine with a history spanning over 140 years, at Re-Style Lady in the Isetan Shinjuku store. We visited her during a heavy autumn rain at ONLY ONE BOUTIQUE, which opened seven years after EVA opened. Despite being busy at the time with preparations for the event reaching their final stretch, Miyazaki warmly welcomed us.


■What a longing for overseas led to

Miyazaki was born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1975. While in high school, her record collecting led her to start an import business, and after gaining experience as a model and DJ, she moved to Tokyo and worked as an executive secretary for a listed company. After leaving her job, she started her own business and opened EVA, an unusual career path. Having had the opportunity to learn English as a child, she wondered why languages other than Japanese existed, and even felt frustrated that she couldn't speak it. Looking back, she says this may have been the trigger that made her look "outward."

"I mainly buy from Los Angeles and New York. Since I had my child, I haven't been able to travel abroad as frequently, but I have trusted acquaintances in various places, so I regularly purchase items through email. Vintage and second-hand clothing are things you come across through chance encounters, so you don't just accumulate them all at once; it's important to collect them steadily over many years. When I was asked to hold an event at Isetan Shinjuku, I decided to display vintage Celine shirts that I had accumulated, as the theme was Harper's Bazaar. International fashion houses like Gucci are also featuring a vintage feel this season, so I thought now was the time to showcase them. Timing is also important when selling products. Ten years ago, no one would have imagined selling second-hand clothing in a department store, but back then I wrote in my planner, 'to have my products in Isetan' and 'to be featured in Harper's Bazaar,' and now those dreams have come true. Although I sell old items, I always keep my eye on the future."



Miyazaki is a big fan of Purpose Bazaar magazine, and has carefully poured that passion into her creations. The remade vintage clothing items that EVA specializes in are astonishingly creative.

"Harper's Bazaar's editorials are based on a striking white color scheme, creating a unique worldview within the pages. I focused on this and, in addition to the vintage lineup, I also prepared a selection of white remade secondhand items. The base is what is thought to be a German medical uniform from the 1930s. I disassembled one item to create coats, jackets, pants, and more. I gave a new interpretation to something that has been around for decades, and expanded from one style to 17 styles to represent the various faces of women. Japanese women tend to shy away from coordinating all white, but it can also be worn in a street-style style, and I would love for them to incorporate it into their daily lives."


■ Women's fashion mindsets change with the times

A message from Miyazaki will also be displayed at the event venue. "I've written about how I see women's future lifestyles and what fashion should be like. Past covers of Purpose Bazaar will also be on display, and the women who have graced our pages are all very conscious. The reason we can enjoy fashion freely today is because of these people who have worked hard with such a strong attitude. I wanted to make this event an homage to women."

The event will feature vintage brands that represent the evolution of fashion culture, as well as remake items that offer a modern interpretation of art culture from the 1950s to 1970s. The 1950s to 1970s were truly turbulent times for women. In the 1950s, women were limited to roles as wives, mothers, and daughters. However, after various movements, women began to enter the workforce in the 1980s. Fashion also became more liberal with the times, with skirt lengths becoming shorter in the 1960s and draping, sheer clothing that showed bare skin becoming more popular in the 1970s.

"It is thanks to the lifestyles of the many women who lived through this era that we are now in an era where women can make their own choices. The items I have prepared this time symbolize the image of the woman I envision for ourselves today. I would be happy if people simply wanted to wear them and acquire them, rather than judging them based on whether they could be mixed and matched or whether they were useful or profitable. Personally, I don't like to wear clothes whose outcome is known before I buy them; I think the fun of fashion is figuring out how to wear them after you've bought them. Vintage items have appeal on their own, but there is no guarantee like they can be mixed and matched. I stock items that show how much they have been cherished, and that is what a vintage shop is all about; it is not a place to recommend complete outfits or offer trendy items. As a shop owner, I am most pleased when people are excited when they see the items."

■Vintage is not a trend

At first glance, she seems like a "cool beauty." However, her careful attention to detail and careful choice of words give off a sense of femininity and warmth. As a mother of a four-year-old child, she warms our hearts with her humorous conversations when it comes to talking about her family. It is precisely because of her personality that we can see her passionate love for fashion and vintage items. "Vintage and secondhand clothing are considered essential to fashion, and the mainstream has embraced this. While I think it's certainly a good thing that the things we stock in our stores are getting attention, I feel uncomfortable with this trend. Secondhand clothing is, in the first place, an eco-friendly concept: recycling items that have once belonged to someone else. Secondhand clothing is a way for students and other people with little money to enjoy fashion, and conversely, it's also a way to preserve rare items, such as designer archives, to pass on to the next generation. Neither secondhand nor vintage clothing is a trend in itself. In overseas snapshots, you can see many people wearing vintage and secondhand clothing and enjoying fashion according to their own sensibilities. Is it a must in Japan to get something similar to someone else's? I can't help but feel that Japanese fashion trends have become established as a way to "follow the crowd." "Miyazaki wants people to enjoy fashion by incorporating what they truly love and their own sensibilities. He goes on to say that the growing interest in vintage and secondhand clothing is a problem in the fashion world today. These days, there are no sources of ideas, and even the top fashion houses are all doing similar things, so everyone is quick to copy what others do. Fashion, which was once a luxury item, has become a business, and we live in an age where things that sell are mass-produced. If something doesn't sell, someone has to take responsibility.

"I'm sure that it's precisely because the fashion environment is in this state that people are fascinated by vintage and second-hand clothing designs that don't exist in this day and age."

■ A place that continues beyond a dream that has come true

Although Miyazaki achieved two of her goals at this event, she replied with words of encouragement, "I'm not completely happy. It's really thanks to everyone around me, and I personally have to work harder." "A vintage shop is like a bookstore; once you've stocked the products, all you have to do is look after the counter and wait for customers to arrive. Recently, people have shown interest in the items I have, and I've been getting a lot of offers, but in the future I'd like to expand my field even further and continue to promote my own proposals. I'd like to engage in activities that are not bound by conventional frameworks, such as proposing events and directing sales floors."

"A Life in Fashion - For Women Living Today - by EVA supported by" event currently being held at Shinjuku Isetan

【Store Information】
EVA fashion art
Address: Avenue side, 2-1 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Daikanyama1B
Opening hours: 12:00-20:00
Tel: 03-5489-2488
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[Event Information]
A Life in Fashion - For the women of today - by EVA supported by Harper's BAZAAR
Place: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, 4th floor, West Park
Dates: September 21st-26th, 2016
*A talk show will be held on the 24th (Sat) from 15:00-16:00 featuring Harper's BAZAAR editor-in-chief Tsukamoto Kaori and EVA owner Miyazaki Seiko.

畑 麻衣子