In the previous episode, Vol.1, Ganryu’s stance of designing fashion from society has been unveiled. So, how did he nurture his creative stance and mind? To explore his roots, in vol.2, we will be looking into his life’s path starting from his growing up in his hometown Fukuoka, to re-establishing his career with his own label, Fumito Ganryu. Also, we have steered our conversation around contemporary luxury streetwear. In this installment, we will be sharing the beginning of Ganryu’s interest in fashion, his sentiments toward street culture and his clothes he makes—Inspirational stories that are well worth reading.

Imagination as a child

――In the last interview, I was able to hear about the brand’s 2021 Spring Summer collection, and now, I’m keen to know how you’ve nurtured your mind and where it all started. I heard you’re from Fukuoka—so, at what age did you start getting into fashion?

Fumito Ganryu (Hereinafter Ganryu): The first time I noticed I was choosing and wearing clothes with clear intention was from skate clothes. I remember the feeling clearly even to this day. Back then, I was living in my hometown in Fukuoka; My brother had great taste in fashion, so I asked him where he buys his clothes, and he said he buys them at this famous store in Fukuoka-city. I was slightly intimidated to go to that store. Though, I eventually went there low-key borrowing and wearing my brother’s clothes, then the store owner came up to me and said, “Hey, you’ve got some cool clothes on, but aren’t you still in middle school? You’re very cool.” He was really nice to me and taught me a lot. Back then, I myself was a skater, and that’s probably one of the reasons that got me into fashion.

――So, since then you wanted to work in fashion?

Ganryu: Actually, if I think back further, there were more factors that sparked my interest in fashion. When I was little, I used to draw something like manga or more like…design sketches with story developments. In retrospect, I was drawing awfully heavy themed stories for a kid, who wasn’t even 10 years old [laughs].

――What kind of stories were you drawing?

Ganryu: It was right before the new millennium, and I was trying my best imagining and portraying the world in the new century, and in that world, many unexpected incidents occur that the earth gets in imminent danger of destruction.

――And you were writing such story when you were little!?

Ganryu: I know [laughs]. In the world I drew, humans were about to become extinct, and the sky was covered with multiple layers of smog and the ocean was polluted that no one living in the world knew the real colors of the sky and ocean. But they just knew from old stories that the sky and ocean were beautiful in the old days; they didn’t know or couldn’t even imagine the color blue—Well, that was the story.

――That’s an interesting story.

Ganryu: There are a lot of contradicting points like would people lose their memories in such short amount of time and did the color blue completely vanish from the world? It’s quite a poor endgame [laughs]. Anyway, the story was about restoring the color blue in the world. The worldview and the clothes the characters wear in the film Tank Girl, which I saw later in life, were similar to those in my story, although the contexts and endings of the stories are completely different from each other. The characters I drew also wore goggles on the head and military-style, punkish clothes. I can’t really explain how I came up with the type of clothes, but I wanted to dress the characters in attire that exudes a rebellious mood. I still keep parts of the story, and I feel embarrassed looking back at them [laughs], but I do get ideas from them.

――I’m surprised that you were creating a story based around the society since you were a child.

Ganryu: Since I was little, I’ve been feverishly curious in such topic. I was drawing many illustrations with story developments, but when I graduated middle school, I’ve shifted my focus to drawing something closer to design sketches; I was drawing during class and got in trouble all the time.

――[laughs]. So, you were a boy who liked drawing clothes and illustrations. Back then, which did you like to draw more: clothes or illustrations?

Ganryu: Even now, I draw pictures occasionally, so I guess I liked drawing illustrations more. I also liked music a lot.

――What kind of music did you like?

Ganryu: I still remember, in elementary school, we used to watch this science show on a reg in class. As I was obsessed with Einstein, I was so excited about that class and the science show.

――I remember from last time, you were saying that you love Einstein.

Ganryu: I liked science in general. In the science experiment show, they were playing the type of music that would now be called electro or ambient music—I liked those kinds of music.

――I’m assuming there weren’t that many kids who liked those types of music—is that right?

Ganryu: When I was going into middle school and high school, every time I was asked, “what is your favorite music?” So, I always answered, “you know the type of music played in the background of science experiment shows? That’s the kind of music I like.” No wonder people told me I was weird [laughs]. I was into anything that was creative including music, illustrations and fine art.

――And after you went through different experiences, you embarked on the path of fashion.

Ganryu: I want to diligently pursue the art of making clothes, but I’m also hoping to create something other than clothes, like media contents with a fashion designer perspective.

Current thoughts on my origin—street culture

――As you ride the skateboard, I felt like street culture is one of the sources of your origin, but I remember in the paper distributed at your show at the National Art Center, it was written: “Is the schema of “mode” and “street” that has been relentlessly projected as a proposition, rather conflicting parameters?” In fact, can you elaborate on this point, about your take on the schema of mode and street?

Ganryu: Essentially, mode and street are generated differently, yet they are in close conflict with each other, and if you oversee the phenomenon that lies in the extent of these words, they could be synonyms. Generation after generation, as more focus has been shifting towards people’s minds and different stances have begun surfacing, various brands have started coalescing these dismantled pieces into one with their established clear mindsets; I feel like new movements are emerging, one by one, from these brands’ creations. However, nowadays, what I see from luxury brands, how can I say, like their textures…they seem to be using only the surface elements to convey the contrasts. Of course, there are brands and people from both domestic and overseas countries that I feel have strong mindsets, but I just can’t feel the spirit from luxury streetwear taking over the world today, as it seems like they’re merely taking in street tastes, which isn’t intriguing to me. I can’t feel any rebellious ethos from a pseudo-contrast missing its core, and ultimately, I question its intrinsic meanings.

――Why do you think the luxury streetwear isn’t captivating your heart?

Ganryu: If considered under the premise of categorization, I think an unyielding spirit is the fundamental source of ‘street-mind.’ It’s a shame that the luxury world has a natural inclination of lacking this unyielding spirit. I don’t mean to deny those who like luxury street brands, but I personally want to see more ‘minds’ than ‘styles.’

――Now, other than luxury brands, from your perspective, are there any street-minded brands from overseas?

Ganryu: I think there aren’t that many compared to in Japan.

A new vision found from being away from fashion

――There was a blank period from when you graduated high school and entering Bunka Fashion Graduate University—can you tell us what you were doing right after you graduated high school?

Ganryu: I found a school in Antwerp, Belgium when I was floundering having so many different interests in, like again, drawing illustrations, music, and fashion. Back then, since there were no Japanese graduates from that school, I thought about going to that school, and studied the language while working part time, but eventually, I’d decided to go to Bunka Fashion college where a lot of eminent designers studied.

――And after you graduated Bunka Fashion Graduate University, you had started working at COMME des GARÇONS—was it your goal to work for the brand since you were in college?

Ganryu: I had been thinking that if I’m working for a company, it had to be COMME des GARÇONS.

――How did you spend the time from after you left COMME des GARÇONS to founding your own brand, Fumito Ganryu?

Ganryu: During the time frame, I was thinking about not only fashion but, what’s ahead in this 21st century, and where this society is heading. It is said that fashion industry is the second biggest factor that is destroying the environment. In the energy and car industries, consideration for the environment is the major premise. These industries were the first to be picked on, so they were persuaded to get on with finding the means to resolve, improve, and confront the issues at an early stage. Eventually, I was able to return to the fashion industry because I was able to go through the most valuable moments to reflect and nurture my stance of confronting the society—that’s how I feel in retrospect.
(Continues on to Vol.3)

Fumito Garyu
After he graduated Bunka Fashion Graduate University and worked at COMME des GARÇONS, in 2018, he founded his own label, Fumito Garyu. The brand presents diverse and updated border-crossing styles conflating the iconic street style with sporty or tailored styles; the brand’s collections feature daily wear that are pragmatic yet with designs that critically embodies a smattering of the society.
Instagram：@fumitoganryu

Photography Shinpo Kimura
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post The Designer of His Eponymous Brand, Fumito Ganryu vol.2–Exploring the Origin that Links Between Society and the Creation appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

His new aspect was especially significant in his 2019 Autumn Winter collection. The brand’s fashion show at Paris Men’s Fashion Week was constructed of tailored style, which was different from his past styles potent in street style components. The collection embodied the representation of modern mode street-style and oversized silhouettes; however, the designs were not on the casual side, but rather on the traditional men’s wear side, which was classically turned into king size—the designs reached a level equivalent to that of a counterpunch to the current generation’s fashion king, street fashion, and it seemed as if the brand was implementing street style only to deliberately reject it.

Fumito Ganryu constantly updates his own unique style. In order to deliver his bona fide words, we will be providing this long interview in three installments. In vol.1 we unveil the background of his 2021 Spring Summer collection that is currently out in the market.

Linking between social issues and creations

――The 2021 Spring Summer collection seemed to be compromised of the most casual designs out of all the Fumito Ganryu collections since the debut, and they were almost like loungewear. There was a certain ambiguity to the clothes as they could be worn both inside and outside, and I felt like christening the collection, something like “New Room Wear.” Were the designs influenced by the dramatic changes in lifestyle due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus?

Fumito Ganryu (Hereinafter Ganryu): For me, I wanted the clothes to be something very pragmatic, so not only for this collection, but all the collections are based on the premise of different circumstances and moods. I’m sure there are different directions of designs in the world; I don’t mean to deny other different mindsets, and I’m always trying to maintain my stance of proposing ideas to others like, “maybe these kinds of clothes will be in need?” Having that as a base, I came up with the designs envisioning that I personally wouldn’t want clothes that are only worn when I go out.

――Since the pandemic, people spend more time indoors, and I feel like we’re in a time now where clothes that are only made to be worn outside are no longer a match for our lifestyle.

Ganryu: I wanted to create a hybrid lineup, by which I mean mixing comfort or so-called loungewear-esque features in the type of clothes people wear for going out. Right at the moment when we started producing the collection, I knew that I wanted to set a theme considering the delivery timing—for the mood of the collection to be vibing with the time when the collection is delivered.

――I see. But they aren’t just loungewear, and I can feel design aesthetics from Fumito Ganryu 2021 Spring Summer collection.

Ganryu: I, of course, had in mind that I shouldn’t be making mere loungewear. I wouldn’t say this stay-at-home circumstance is going to last forever—that’s not realistic. Of course, there are some people who seriously think that way. But, in order to live, people can’t shut themselves in for a long period of time. I’m sure there are a lot of people, who are looking forward to spreading their wings as much as they want when things settle down and freed from the suppression. So, we came up with clothes that are loungewear that look like town wear, enabling people to go out in clothes that embody coziness of loungewear, and can be worn both for indoors and outdoors; we made the collection under the theme, “FREE ACCESS” as we wanted to make clothes that aren’t transient yet universal.

――I’d like to ask you about the items a bit more specifically, but first, the tracksuits that appeared in the 2021 Spring Summer collection were in readable. They were something I’ve never seen in the past Fumito Ganryu collections.

Ganryu: I guess it was quite daring in a way.

――I think so. Why did you decide to include those tracksuits in the collection?

Ganryu: You see, in Japan, there are people who like to wear tracksuits as loungewear. And I wanted to propose that style to people overseas. They are also worn for the completely opposite occasion of physical sports. I think tracksuit is a single garment with multifaceted attributes that can also reach the field of contact sports and enables us to construe various paradoxical elements at the same time—so that’s why I wanted to make a set of tracksuits.

――I see, so this tracksuit is an emanation of such idea.

Ganryu: But we’re not using fabrics used for conventional tracksuits, yet instead, we’re using special stretch-bonding materials to achieve that high-quality texture. Regarding the small details, we’ve tried our best to select the lightest materials that don’t make the item look cheap.

――If you feel it, it’s quite puffy; it’s an interesting fabric.

Ganryu: It’s the kind of texture that’s so nice that makes you want to touch forever. The armpits are made with special features for ventilation, and if you pull up the side zippers the expansion panels appear. It can be worn for sports as it provides ventilation and functional range of motion; it’s a garment with augmented design that can be donned as cozy loungewear, town wear, and in various occasions.

――The track pants are unique as they are in Sarouel form, and it feels like there are multiple looks and ways of wearing hidden in this piece.

Ganryu: Sarouel pants are extremely high-rise retaining a spacious space, which makes it a relaxing and liberating fit. The unique structure is a design and creates comfort at the same time. The design itself is both the function and solution. My favorite approach in designing is exploring and proposing logical designs that project multiple guidelines.

Being fair and just, and pursuing the society

――Regarding the shirt embodying mods coat details, the form of the sleeves was very fascinating, which by the way, I didn’t notice from the look photo and found out when I actually tried it on.

Ganryu: I’m happy to hear so.

――I thought it’s made in a women’s wear kind of distinctive shape that we don’t get to see in men’s wear. Do you aim to obscure the line of gender between male and female?

Ganryu: I think things slowly change through generations, and from an ethical point of view, there are many things that need to be ameliorated, but I think it’s healthier not to lose uniqueness. We need to, sort of, always consider what’s fair and just (the act of discerning good is good and bad is bad, regardless of the situation); things with extreme mindsets, for example, things made really ragged and “very manly,” or really feminine and “very womanly” may appear intriguing, but while having them in mind, I personally try not to abide by gendered traits when creating things.

――As I’m hearing your thoughts, it seems like you focus strongly on consumers’ perspective—is that something you’ve always pay heed to?

Ganryu: It might sound dramatic but making things that aren’t in people’s best interests can turn into a mere hobby, and I think it’s rather more important to come up with proposals that are on point with regard to serving the needs of people. However, I don’t want to have a stance where I’m only trying to flatter people like, “you wanted this type of clothing, right?” But instead, I try to envision people’s needs and mindsets in the near future, and try to translate them into designs and be more like, “how would you like to have something like this?” Generally speaking, clothes are crucial in people’s lives, and I think fashion harnesses a potent power that moves people’s hearts.

――Fashion is creative but it’s also business, and in order to gain fans of the brand, you need to propose clothes that make people go, “I want this, I want to wear this.”

Ganryu: Even if you’ve thought really carefully, there are still things you won’t know until you try; a professional fashion designer that I conceive of can come up with the best creations possible while having a determined business goal. If realness is being ignored completely, I want to take media and fashion separately.

――In order to capture people’s needs, is there something you practice on a regular basis?

Ganryu: Obviously, I study fashion design, but at the same time, I try to see things other than fashion. While working and designing, I basically listen in fast-forward, like Speed Learning, to various news, play videos of people with high literacy levels on social trends and whatever they are interested in, and debates among trustworthy job holders; I also ruminate as I read reference books. I sometimes have to really rack my brain to come up with ideas, but once an idea hits me, it just floods out front here—so basically, I try to shift my focus on social trends and take a lot of time contemplating.

――I’ve never met a designer who listens to things like news while working. So, would you say those social trends you absorb from news are naturally imbued in or percolated through your designs?

Ganryu: No, I wouldn’t say the social trends are percolated through my designs. I just try to envision things from them. The act of envisioning is equivalent to an act of pondering, and it’s part of my creative process. I’ve admired [Albert] Einstein since I was little, but there’s one of his quotes that I think is wrong: That is, “Information is not knowledge.” In fact, I think information is knowledge. If I were to correct his words, it would be, “Information is not intelligence.” Accumulating and updating knowledge with information is incredibly important, and knowledge is the only source that guides us to our genuinely realistic goal of knowledge. Someday, I want to make a T-shirt that says, “Information is knowledge. Not intelligence” [laughs]. Yet, I feel bad if Einstein had just said it wrong and didn’t mean the way he said it, and if that’s the case, I don’t want to jump on his mistake by making the shirt.

――That’s very informative [laughs].

Ganryu: It’s all because I love Einstein [laughs]. Sometimes, when you like something, you do research and find something that makes you think, “this ain’t right.”

――For the looks from your 2021 Spring Summer collection, you had sent the samples to Wiltshire in the UK and had the stylist Tom Guinness wear them. Why did you decide to shoot the looks this way, instead of hiring models and doing the shoot in Japan?

Ganryu: Tom Guinness is a stylist I was introduced to by our CMO Nakamura (Seiya Nakamura: CEO of Seiya Nakamura 2.24 and CMO of Fumito Garyu) and I was really allured when I saw Tom’s styling as it was nonchalant and cool. We’re also having him do the styling for our upcoming 2021 Autumn Winter collection, which we announced during Digital Paris Fashion Week.

――What did you find attractive about Tom Guinness’s works?

Ganryu: When it comes to lightly and concisely portraying a core subject or heavy theme like social circumstance or trends, while also depending on a catchy phrase like “FREE ACCESS,” I felt like Tom Guinness is the right person who would have a special affinity for these things and can interpret them in a light manner.

Abundant options are what make people’s minds opulent

Fumito Ganryu 2021 Spring Summer Visual&Sound installation

――The video you’ve released concurrently with the looks was intriguingly mysterious. It shows Tom Guinness hanging the clothes on a rack and putting things away, which are customary actions, on multiple separate monitors. It felt so surreal that even these basic actions you would see on a daily basis seemed mysterious.

Ganryu: The footage was also made with our CMO Nakamura, and the visual expression and direction were decided together with him. As it was for the world’s first digital fashion week, Nakamura and I unanimously agreed to take a digital approach and thought that it would be in vain if we lurched towards the normal approach. I obviously don’t mean to deny the conventional runway format; it’s just that I didn’t want to do it this time. Since it had to be expressed digitally, I felt this indelible discomfort in taking the same physical approach.

――Was there anything new you’ve discovered from this unusual show experience ?

Ganryu: I again felt the rationality of runway shows. By parting from the physical show, I’ve re-acknowledged the reason to never-change and stay the same as a creator. Of course, in the future, I want to explore and propose rational expressions or dramatic renditions that can only be achieved digitally, though, in regard to “delivering” information or beliefs, I would say physical shows are way more rational. How the garments move in response to the wearers’ motions, gauging how comfortable and exciting the clothes are from the mood exuding from the wearers, whether the clothes reach the level of perfection or not, and whether they are realistic or not—I think these things can never be fooled on the actual physical stage.

――I can sense that from watching the runway shows. The bonafide value and traits of the garments can only be emanated by people actually wearing them.

Ganryu: If the garments were only objects, they may be good enough in still pictures, yet, they aren’t ornaments and they are meant to be worn. Regarding the rendition, music is of coursed used, but if we wanted to do it without music, there would still be a silent message expressed through the venue, models, and hair and makeup, and we can present our works in only about 10 minutes. Runway isn’t an extraordinary space, but it’s a stage for rational form of expression, and that’s what I’ve been reminded of from being away from it.

――I really think the collection is presented the best in a runway format. Is there no potential in digital presentations?

Ganryu: I absolutely think there is potential in digital presentations. I think it’s good that we now have more opinions and get to choose between ‘physical’ and ‘digital.’

――So it could be said that globally, people’s lives have been restricted due to the circumstance, however, in the fashion industry, a new option of digital presentation was born.

Ganryu: Under the pandemic, how come we have to feel this much frustration. I’m sure each person has their own reason for their frustration, and one of the causes could be the dynamic restriction and options being taken away when there are so many desires. ‘This can’t be done,’ ‘this is the only way,’ or ‘this has to be done’—I think it’s because the suppressed thoughts keep compiling without ever being resolved. If only we were to have the nutrients called ‘options,’ we won’t be losing the opulence of our minds.
(Continuing on to Vol.2)

Fumito Garyu
After he graduated Bunka Fashion Graduate University and worked at COMME des GARÇONS, in 2018, he founded his own label, Fumito Garyu. The brand presents diverse and updated border-crossing styles conflating the iconic street style with sporty or tailored styles; the brand’s collections feature daily wear that are pragmatic yet with designs that critically embodies a smattering of the society.
Instagram：@fumitoganryu

Photography Shinpo Kimura
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post The Designer of His Eponymous Brand, Fumito Ganryu vol.1–Clothes That Cross Over the Border Derived from the Pandemic appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.