Hirofumi Yamashita, who worked as a buyer and press representative at the legendary shop Propeller and is currently the designer of his own brand, MOJITO, talks about the brand's roots with Masahiro Kogure, former editor-in-chief of MEN'S CLUB.

Kogure:You're from Kumamoto, right? When did you move to Tokyo?

Yamashita:I graduated from high school and went to fashion school when I was 18.

Kogure:Was Propeller your first job?

Yamashita:No, I came to Tokyo and attended fashion school for three years, and then worked as a stylist's assistant for six months...

Kogure:What made you decide to join Propeller?

Yamashita:Naturally, I'm a man who loves clothes, so I don't just broaden my horizons, but dig deeper and deeper into the roots of clothing. Most of the things I saw, bought, and touched in Kumamoto and Tokyo were American. That's why I joined Propeller. At the time, almost everything at Propeller was Made In U.S.A. For us, it was like a jewel box. I always thought it would be great to stay there all day (laughs).

Kogure:After that, I gained experience consulting for several shops and brands, became a freelancer, and in 2010, I created Mojito, a brand themed around Hemingway. For people of my generation, Hemingway is easy to imagine, but for younger people, Hemingway is a distant figure, having passed away a long time ago. Do people who buy your clothes now associate Mojito with Hemingway?

Yamashita:That seems to be the image they have. I hold trunk shows twice a year in the same places, like Hokkaido or Kyoto, and I often hear stories of people becoming interested in Ernest Hemingway because of my clothes. Customers tell me things like, "I read that book you were talking about the other day!"

Kogure:If they wear "Al's Coat," they'll read "The Killer" (published in 1927), in which Al, the model's name is inspired, appears. That's fantastic! Over the past few decades, there's been a strong tendency for clothing to be consumed. Fashions change one after another. But I feel like men's clothing doesn't have to be like that. Perhaps buyers see a kind of universality in the Mojito. Speaking of which, you make unusual sweaters with a wide body and a short length.

Yamashita:You call them "With Bambi Knit."

Kogure:That sweater has surprisingly resonated with young people, and even women. It would be great if young people jumped on it and became interested in what "With Bambi" is all about (Hemingway's son Jack, nicknamed Bambi, is famous for the photo of him with his first wife, Hadley).

Yamashita:It's just the best!

Kogure:In the beginning, you made a catalog, or rather a booklet, right? Yamaguchi Jun (who wrote "The Hemingway Way") wrote the text. It was a wonderful piece, with a story behind the name of the Mojito.

Yamashita:I don't mean that it's a bad thing, but when I look at catalogs and things like that, I see product names like "pigment-dyed crew neck jersey." I just don't like that sort of thing. The T-shirts were pigment-dyed using a material called jersey... That kind of thing doesn't really matter to the customers who wear the clothes. When we decided to make a booklet, I asked Yamaguchi Jun not to include any details about the clothes. At first, Jun looked puzzled.

Kogure:Normally, you'd want detailed information like the specifications of the clothes, after all, it's a catalog.

Yamashita:Yamaguchi Jun said, "Yamashita is the only one who's ever asked me to do something like that." I told him that black and white photos would be fine, and that we wouldn't list sizes or prices. I told him to keep the fabric and sewing method to a bare minimum, and he said, "That's interesting, let's do it," and agreed.

Kogure:In a way, that means Yamashita designed Mojito all by himself, and is involved in everything from the production to the final product, so he was able to make such decisions. A normal company wouldn't be able to do something so bold. So, you don't just make clothes, you travel all over Japan and sometimes even work in stores, serving customers.

Yamashita: (Working in stores) is a learning experience for me, and I get to see firsthand how people think and how they wear my clothes. But men's clothing, and not just my clothes, can be quite tricky. Not everyone looks good in everything. So I'm happy to be able to talk to customers directly about how to wear them to make them look good, and offer my own suggestions.

Kogure:Oh, what should I do to make a mojito look good on me?

Yamashita:Well, first of all, I have to wear it with confidence. I think that's the most important thing. When I'm at a fitting, young people seem nervous or a little embarrassed when they wear my clothes, but wearing it with confidence is the most important thing.

Kogure:I see.

Yamashita:Unlike when we were young, everyone is stylish now, isn't they? That's because there are so many sophisticated things on the market. So you can look cool no matter what you wear. In the past, people would confidently wear even slightly strange clothes, and that was actually considered cool. They might wear jeans that were half-starched and a baggy MA-JI jacket, but they looked cool because they wore them confidently. That's because they didn't have many options (for choosing clothes). The wearer had a strong desire and purpose to want or wear this. That's the secret to wearing the rugged clothes I make.

Kogure:The kind of force that makes you want to wear it, like you're going to wear it to the max. That was the case in the past too.

Yamashita:I think that's the big difference.

Kogure:Right, wearing it confidently. No, it's not easy. But Yamashita-san, you always wear mojitos with confidence. So I can just wear it like Yamashita-san's example. Finally, Yamashita-san, what do you want to do with Mojito in the future?

Yamashita:I'm thinking about making Mojito look a little more "surface-oriented." I like weaving stories with individual items like the "Al's Coat" and "Gulfstream Pants," but I'd also like to focus on coordinating a little more, or building an overall image for the brand. Since it's fashion, what we have now should be different from what it was 10 years ago. Otherwise, I'd be denying what I'm doing. However, it would be fantastic if we could continue this brand for the next generation, to the point where people would say, "This is the brand my father loved." The other day, I was drinking at a party after an event in Sapporo, and a mojito was brought out in front of me. The person sitting at the end of the counter offered me the mojito, saying, "Yamashita-san, you held my child." This person was the same person I'd served at an event in Sapporo three years ago. I immediately remembered holding his child. For example, it would be a designer's greatest joy if that son were to wear the Mojito that his father bought him. The clothes you made would be on the shelves of a secondhand clothing store... Wouldn't that be the best thing ever?

Kogure:That's right. I absolutely believe that Mojito's clothes are a rare brand with that quality and universal appeal. Keep up the great work. Thank you for sharing your valuable story with us today.


[Profile]
Hirofumi Yamashita: Born in Kumamoto in 1968. Worked in buying and press at the legendary Harajuku shop "Propeller." He later became a freelancer and worked in corporate consulting before launching his own brand, Mojito (http://mojito.tokyo/), in 2010.

Masahiro Kogure: Born in Saitama in 1957. Graduated from Hosei University's Faculty of Sociology. Worked at an apparel company during his student days and joined Fujingahosha after graduation. After working at the editorial department of "25ans," he joined the editorial department of "Men's Club." He served as editor-in-chief from 2005 to 2007. He then became a freelance editor, working mainly for magazines such as "Pen," "Men's Precious," and "Sarai."

Return to 1/2. -- "If Ernest Hemingway were alive today"