PUBLIC SCHOOL is on a roll.

In 2014, they won the CFDA Fashion Award for Menswear Designer of the Year, and in 2015, they won the Grand Prix in the Menswear category at the International Woolmark Prize (IWP). Riding on this success, they were appointed Creative Directors of DKNY in September 2015. We interviewed Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chou, who visited Japan for the Isetan Men's pop-up event.

--Congratulations on winning the Grand Prix at the IWP.

Dao-Yi Chou (hereinafter, Dao-Yi): With the theme of "Lost Civilizations," we expressed the process from ancient times, when wool was the only fiber, to the present day. The base was, of course, street and sports, as well as the New York style where we were born and raised. In terms of technique, we incorporated a variety of techniques, including needle punching and circular knitting.

--Even so, your achievements over the past few years have been remarkable.

Maxwell Osborne (hereafter, Maxwell): No, not at all. We've only just reached the starting point.

DaoYi: I also think that winning the contest is just a milestone. But I'm honestly happy that I was able to connect with retailers and users through it.

--I heard you were aiming to enter the world of hip-hop.

DaoYi: I was completely devoted to hip-hop in middle and high school. But unfortunately, I didn't have the talent for it. To make money, I started helping out at a clothing store a friend opened in the East Village, and that's when I realized I had fashion in me. Clothes were an important factor in standing out in the hip-hop world.

--How did you two start Public School?

Maxwell: We were colleagues at Sean John, a brand created by Sean Combs (a big name in the hip-hop world). We were talking about how there weren't any exciting clothes, and just a few days later, I was on my own. We love Sean John, of course, but we also love Yohji (Yamamoto) and Nike, but there's no clothing that completely fits our values. At the time, nostalgic traditional style was all the rage, so we wanted to prove that fashion isn't just about that.

--What kind of clothes excites you?

Maxwell: Clothes that stand out, but also blend in. It may seem contradictory at first glance, but it's not difficult to define. The color black is symbolic. That color can blend in with the crowd, or it can stand out.

--I think Public School is great at elevating street style to luxury. But that's an approach we all strive for. How did they manage to stand out?

Maxwell: WE DON'T KNOW (laughs). Probably because we're based in New York. That city is a melting pot, and all values exist equally. Street style and luxury were blending together right before our eyes. Perhaps it's because we produce in areas with a close eye, mainly in New York.

--But then again, it's a unique brand name.

Daoyi: We grew up in public schools. New York was our world through our student days.


[Public School Profile]
Founded in New York in 2008 by Daoyi Chou and Maxwell Osborne. In 2014, they won the Men's Designer of the Year award at the CFDA Fashion Awards. In 2015, they won the Grand Prix in the Men's category of the International Woolmark Prize (IWP), a young designer development project sponsored by The Woolmark Company, headquartered in Australia. To commemorate this victory, a capsule collection will be released exclusively at Isetan Men's. Designers Daoyi Chou and Maxwell Osborne visited the Isetan Shinjuku Men's store for a pop-up event in November, where they performed a hip-hop DJ set in-store, serving as a creative resource for the brand.