This August, a domestic brand that defined an era will close its doors. The brand in question is mastermind JAPAN, led by designer Masaaki Homma. Its blend of streetwear and luxury captivated fashionistas worldwide, with lines always forming at stores on release dates. Five years ago, at the height of its popularity, the brand suddenly announced its demise. In this four-part interview, Homma discusses the brand's evolution from its inception to its demise, as well as his passion for clothing. First, please tell us when and what prompted you to launch the brand. I originally worked in sales at Yohji Yamamoto for six and a half years, then became the manager of a select shop primarily catering to new designers. Everyone there was making great clothes, but the sales figures weren't as high as they had been at Yohji. As a result, I found myself blaming the designers for the lack of sales, and I fell into self-loathing. So I decided to put myself in their shoes and see what I could do, even if only a little, and that's what led me to start my own brand.

And so, in 1997, I launched Mastermind Japan. I made some foolish attempts, including participating in Tokyo Fashion Week and opening a directly managed store. Before I knew it, I was in debt (laughs). Because I was doing it alone, I didn't know how to do sales, and I fell into a downward spiral. So, about three years after starting the brand, I wanted a chance to quit, so I decided to exhibit at a trade show in Paris. I wanted to tell the factories, fabric stores, and other people who had helped me, "I tried everything, but it didn't work out."

I thought it was my last chance, so in 2001 I participated in a joint exhibition called "SEHM" in Paris. When I exhibited in Tokyo, only friends came, but in Paris, genuine fashion professionals came to my booth and looked at my clothes. I was so happy about that. To be honest, it was probably the first time that so many people had seen my work. However, I received very few orders, almost none. The second season was a similar success. But the joy of having my work seen somehow held back my decision to quit. "Just one more time, because it's really my last time." However, I wasn't making any sales, and it was getting tough to continue the brand just because people were looking at it, so in my third season after entering Paris, I decided to go all the way.

I decided this would be my last, and while I was at it, I might as well change all my materials to 100% cashmere or silk. I even thought, "Maybe I should make leather T-shirts!" (laughs). If people thought everything I made was too expensive, I figured I'd just eliminate the point of comparison. I completely changed my product lineup so that I could confidently answer any questions about quality. Buyers saw that the clothes looked so much better, and they felt like cashmere to the touch, like, "Wow, that feels great!" (laughs). However, when I handed them my order sheets, they were shocked by the prices and said, "You guys are crazy! No one would order something like this!" (laughs). But I still felt a sense of satisfaction from having accomplished my goal. "I did the best I could at the time and created something great, but it's also a sign of talent that the market doesn't accept it."

As I was lost in emotion, thinking that my short brand career had come to an end, a buyer who had been watching me since my first season in Paris came by on the third night and said, "It's great! I'll be back tomorrow with the owner." I waited, skeptical, and the next day, on my final day, he really did return with the owner. After looking at all the samples, I handed him the order form. He didn't seem surprised, and we both started talking quietly, with serious expressions on our faces. He then said, "I'm going to order this." For the first time in my life, I received a major order worth millions of yen. It was from a shop called Maxfield in Los Angeles. I was still skeptical, but after returning home, the order actually arrived by fax. I said I would confirm it if I received a 50% deposit, and they actually made the payment. It was then that I realized, "These people are serious." When the items were ready to ship, I told them I would ship them if they paid the remaining 50%, and they made the payment. Then, a different kind of anxiety began to emerge (laughs). I wondered if such expensive items could really sell in a foreign country. So, about a week after I sent the items, I casually asked if they'd arrived and if they'd sold any. They replied, "They're selling like hotcakes, and we're almost out of stock, so please give us a list of everything you have in stock now!" (laughs). I immediately received a reorder.

At that moment, for the first time, I had a glimpse, albeit faint, of the direction my brand should take. If we simply make high-quality products, there will be stores in this world, even if it's only 1%, that truly understand our clothes and will sell them even at a high price. With that in mind, I knew I had to continue this methodology, even if only for those stores. I had no choice but to further improve the quality, study more, and make sure the store regretted carrying Mastermind. From there, I began to pursue the current high-priced line, or rather, high-quality products made in Japan. Although, I've been committed to Japanese manufacturing since the brand's inception.

--From the beginning, you've been committed to making things made in Japan, and you list the upstream and downstream people involved on your brand tags. Please tell us why.

Nowadays, it's common to refer to a company as "Japan," but back then, there were very few companies with "Japan" in their name. I'm clearly Japanese, so if I were to say "mastermind Paris," people would ask, "What are you trying to be cool about?" (laughs). And the design drawings I draw just the way I like are finally completed after going through the hands of many people. They cooperate by sewing even small quantities or producing fabric in impossible amounts, so I wanted to give back in some way. Wanting to make my mark on history together with them, I included the names of everyone involved—fabric stores, pattern makers, processors, sewing factories—on all of my product tags, and decided to make this information public so that companies interested in our materials and techniques could find us by searching online. In fact, some factories and fabric stores have been contacted by a certain couture house in Paris, and having their names made public gives everyone a sense of responsibility. This is something we have been doing since our first collection.
*Continued in Vol. 2