--The brand will be on hiatus at the end of August. Please tell us about your plans for the end.

We are planning to show our men's collection at Tokyo Fashion Week on March 17th, and our women's Spring/Summer collection on Tokyo Runway on March 20th.

--What made you decide to do a show?

This will be my second time on the Tokyo Runway, and I could really feel the organizers' desire for me to perform, so I said, "I'd be happy to accept." However, since it's a mecca for girls, I'll only be showing women's collections. So then we had to decide what to do for the men's collection. When I spoke with the director, he said he wanted to do a classic men's show with full mastermind flair, so I said, "Okay, let's do it!" (laughs).

This director has been directing our shows since the beginning, from the guerrilla-style show in Paris to the subsequent Tokyo Fashion Week. He's a professional, but I think there was a certain frustration in directing a show under the constraints. I was also moved by his passion to purely present the world of mastermind, just as he wanted. --What about collaborations?
I can't say too much (laughs). A collaboration model with Comme des Garçons will be released exclusively at Dover Street Market Ginza Comme des Garçons.
--When will it be available?
From March 17th. Last year, we created T-shirts and jeans to commemorate the opening of "Dover Street Market x mastermind Japan." But this time, I wanted to collaborate with "Comme des Garçons." I heard that "Black Comme des Garçons" is something Kawakubo wanted to preserve, and since I had always wanted to work with Kawakubo herself, I thought a collaboration with black would be best. So I told Kawakubo, "I'm creating a brand called 'mastermind Black,'" and we agreed, "Let's combine black in both." Everything, from the woven labels to the tags, is made under the name "mastermind Black Comme des Garçons."
--The two brands are connected through black.

Rather than connecting the pieces with an "x" (multiplication), I wanted to create a new look.

--What items are there?

It's almost the full lineup, men's only. For example, these quilted pants (pictured) feature a black Comme des Garçons design with slightly altered details on a material used in mastermind's original collection. I'm also planning to make versions with different materials.

--What other plans do you have?

Also, there's Opaque in Ginza and a limited-time pop-up shop with Medicom Toy. Starting March 27th, we're planning an event-like pop-up store called "Art Convenience Store" in collaboration with the magazine "Numero TOKYO" on the stage on the first floor of Isetan. All the products will be collaborations with mastermind in some way. It's going to be a lot of work (laughs).

--What specific items are there?

A Loewe bag, an Aquascutum trench coat, and a Tasaki pearl necklace. There are plenty of other items, too, like Amadana headphones, Fire-King mugs, and big four-color ballpoint pens. This is surely the highest number of collaborations ever. It feels like we're doing all of last year's worth of collaborations in the last six months.

--Gundam is also making a comeback. I heard you like plastic models?

Yeah, when I was little, all I could afford were 300 yen plastic models (laughs). My favorite is the Zaku, and I have a 1/12 scale Zaku I made for the first collaboration on display in my office. The one released this season is a 30cm version. I hope there'll be a third edition...

--Are there any special events to conclude the season?

We've been approached about various things, so something might happen. That'll be a surprise.

--Is there a possibility of a revival?

I really haven't decided what to do from here on out yet. Right now, I'm working hard, thinking only of doing my best to get through this final season.
Continued in Vol. 4