Hirofumi Yamashita, the man who served as buyer and press at the legendary Harajuku street culture shop "Propeller," launched his brand MOJITO in 2010. He will be participating in the pop-up event "Interview 02" at Lacic in Nagoya from October 30th to November 15th. Ahead of the event, he spoke passionately about the brand with Masahiro Kogure, former editor-in-chief of MEN'S CLUB.

Masahiro Kogure (hereinafter, Kogure):When did you start MOJITO?

Hirofumi Yamashita (hereinafter, Yamashita):Since 2010. I've always wanted to start a brand where I could create clothes according to my own will. I think it all started when I searched for the "MOJITO" trademark. I happened to notice that the trademark for "MOJITO" was available in the category of clothing and clothing accessories, which is necessary for creating a brand, so I went to the Patent Office and applied for the trademark "MOJITO."

Kogure:When you were thinking about starting your own brand, did the brand name Mojito just pop into your mind?

Yamashita:That's right. I've always loved the drink mojito. There are many anecdotes about alcohol connected to Ernest Hemingway, but the most famous are the daiquiri and the mojito. However, there is a theory that Hemingway never actually drank the mojito...

Kogure:In the first place, weren't you interested in Hemingway's clothes, or rather, the man himself?

Yamashita:Hemingway is often called the "symbol of American machismo," and I think he was a man who fulfilled almost every desire of a man. First of all, he was good at sports, had a high alcohol tolerance, and was married four times.

Kogure:He loved women, didn't he? (laughs)

Yamashita:He wrote many books, traveled the world, and eventually won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the epitome of a tough guy who had achieved status, honor, and all his desires. When I began to look at the clothes he wore and the things around him in relation to my own business, I always felt, "Ah, this man was no ordinary man."

Kogure:The first time I met Yamashita, it was before he started making Mojitos, right? At a downtown bar (laughs). I was thinking about making clothes like this when he took out a suede jacket and shorts from his big bag. I was surprised to see someone making such masculine clothes these days. When I saw the leather safari jacket, I assumed they were going to make clothes exactly like the ones Hemingway wore, but when I got to see the collection, that wasn't the case.

Yamashita:That's right.

Kogure:Yamashita himself has studied Hemingway's photographs, books, and many other documents, and is inspired by them to create his own (Hemingway-esque) clothes. The book "Hemingway's Style" (co-authored with Imamura Takeo, published by Nikkei Inc.) by the late Yamaguchi Jun is a collection of Ernest Hemingway's clothing. As it says, it would be easy to just replicate what Hemingway wore. For example, I think it would be quite easy if you made clothes in the style of Abercrombie & Fitch (his favorite store) and used the same belt he often wore. For example, if you like Levi's 501s, simply recreating the old 501s would be considered the pinnacle of denim love, but Yamashita didn't do that.

Yamashita:I think there are probably more brands that use Hemingway as an icon than we know. I'm sure many fashion brands use Hemingway as a theme. But for me, Hemingway is something to aspire to, something I admire. He's like a god-like figure. If I were to wear exactly what Hemingway wore, I'd go to Wills & Geiger and ask them to make something identical. But then there'd be no point in me doing it. If Hemingway were alive today, what kind of clothes would he wear? I wanted to create clothes with that in mind.

Kogure:If Hemingway were alive today, what kind of clothes would he wear now?

Yamashita:This open-collar shirt, the "Absinthe Shirt" (a shirt number that Mojito has been making for many years), is probably because he's achieved both money and fame, so he doesn't really need to wear a tie. Steve Jobs is one example of this kind of person. They don't need to worry about what others think, they're free and open. But they're also somehow intelligent. I designed this open-collar shirt with that image in mind. He's the kind of person who is said to say, "Hemingway's greatest work is himself." If I were to make the same clothes as him, perhaps they would only look good on him. It would feel like I was being forced to wear them. So I pick out keywords that catch my eye from novels, or take inspiration from the towns and homes he lived in, or the people around him, and incorporate them into the clothes, or I fantasize about them, and then create clothes that fit the times. I feel that this is the true joy of directing Mojito's clothes.

Kogure:For example, Mojito has a famous item called the "Al's Coat." How many versions have there been this season? Are you on about the seventh one now?

Yamashita:The 16SS collection is your 10th collection.

Kogure:It's already your 10th collection (laughs). So, Mojito updates (the same clothes) over and over again. Even though they say men like classics, there are surprisingly few classics in the world. Even though there are some that look like classics. And Mojito is a brand that evolves the same clothes a little each year.

Yamashita:As a creator, it takes more courage to release the same item twice than to make something completely new. For example, with "Arzu Coat," I thoroughly refine it myself before exhibiting it at an exhibition, and I intend to release something that is practically unchangeable. But to the end users (customers) who continue to buy it, we need to constantly show our evolution. That's why we add new elements and update it every year.

Kogure:Even if it's the same "Aruz Coat," do customers buy it again when a new product comes out?

Yamashita:There are people who own eight or nine pairs of "Aruz Coat." The same goes for "Gulfstream Pants."

Kogure:I've bought two pairs of "Gulfstream Pants."

Yamashita:Some people own 11 pairs or more. Some people own over 20 "Absinthe Shirts." It's common for people like that to exist.

Kogure:I see.

Yamashita:Levi's "501" is the only item among the countless brands in the world whose product number has also become the product name. When you reach our age, there are quite a few people who have worn 10 pairs of Levi's or who change out the same pair of white Levi's every year. So, if we were to do the same thing as "Levi's," it wouldn't work. That's why we need the technique of "upgrading."

Kogure:Mojito is, so to speak, a small collection. I get the feeling that they're making only what's needed.

Yamashita:Rather than displaying a lot of different items at an exhibition, or making a lot of similar clothes, and telling buyers, "Go ahead and choose," I want to take a slightly different approach and say, "I've selected just this." I often use the phrase "keep your spine intact." I'm not a fan of collections that change drastically every season.

Kogure:So Yamashita-san carefully considers your collections even before they're exhibited at the exhibition. You're stripping them down. That might be hard-boiled. It's similar to Hemingway's way of life.

Yamashita:That's right. Hemingway was a man who had a lot of that kind of personality, and I want Mojito to be like that too.

Continued on 2/2. -- "Instead of spreading it out horizontally, we dig deeper and deeper into the roots of clothing."