Many overseas luxury streetwear brands are garnering attention for their limited-edition products. When we asked them about their quick online sellouts, they revealed that it was influenced by Tokyo's Harajuku brands. They're also fans of Tokyo streetwear brands, and acquired their products online and through friends. This is the fourth and final installment of our long interview with Hiroshi Fujiwara, the source of this trend. --Do you buy more online or in person? I buy almost all my music online. If I like the download, I'll buy the CD. When it comes to fashion, I often buy online if I know exactly what I want, but I also like to stumble upon something I find and buy when I have some free time, like during a meeting. I rarely go to trade shows, and I hate ordering at a trade show and then waiting six months for it to arrive. Even when I buy shoes, I like to wear them right away. Ever since I was a child, I'd open toys on the bus on the way home and get told off.

--Whenever Fujiwara Hiroshi directs something, many fans line up at The Pool Aoyama. Do you ever think of ways to get people to line up?

I don't really think of it as a gimmick. However, I did line up in middle school to get something I wanted.

--Have you ever lined up, Fujiwara?

Yes, I have. I lined up at a second-hand clothing store in Kyoto called Night Performance because I wanted the rubber boots and Seditionaries that the owner brought back from London with him, five or six pairs of. There were only about ten people in line, though.

--The "luxury street" movement itself is one example, but it seems like the method used by Tokyo brands, which you represent, to sell items in limited quantities for a limited time has become a global strategy in fashion, including in the world of mode.

It's true that we may have been the first to try selling things that way, but that was because we weren't sure about our budget and whether our products would sell, so we could only make that much. It's not that we didn't make any. Even now, I don't think about it strategically. We just made the number of items that we felt were comfortable and that we wanted people to wear. The capacity we can handle is important to me.

--Are there any projects you're currently preparing?

We're preparing to launch a social media-like web media outlet this year or next year. Social media has many good points, but the bad thing is that it can lose credibility when real information is mixed in with posts from amateurs or people who aren't involved. I'm thinking of eliminating that and segmenting it into a semi-professional audience, and creating a media outlet that only introduces things that interest them. Instead of the current trend of social media where anyone can comment, I'm thinking of a specialized magazine for professionals. A social media outlet without comments that don't read the room.

--Even if unpleasant comments aren't relevant, just reading them can be stressful.

That's true. Even if something has nothing to do with me, there are long comments that are completely off topic. I plan to eliminate those and start a new media.

--What media do you usually use to get your information?

That said, I guess it's the internet and magazines like "Shukan Bunshun" and "Shukan Shincho" that I read when I go out to eat. The book I'm reading now is "The Black Labyrinth: The Truth Behind the Lucy Blackman Case 15 Years Later" (by Richard Lloyd Parry). The stories about Roppongi at the time are fascinating.

--Do you post on social media yourself?

I'm on Facebook and Instagram. Even if I post something on Instagram, I delete it immediately after two or three days. I don't like old photos sticking around forever, and I don't want others to see my past. "Don't think archives will last forever."

--Will you be composing music for a "MILK" show for the first time in a while?

You've been in charge of the music for Milk shows for a long time, but it's been a while since you've done music for a fashion show. Lately, show music has tended to be a disco-style style with no breaks in the music, but Milk's approach is to create a flow by selecting one song for each scene, and it seems they'll be doing the same this time around. They've also created what you might call mashups.

--The FASHION HEADLINE editorial team is also planning to cover the backstage at the Milk show, so we look forward to seeing you there.


■interview & text: Noda Tatsuya