Interview
ADJUSTABLE COSTUME Using frightfully clever technological gewgaws, we conducted an interview with Mr. Kazuki Kodaka (who does not speak English), founder of Japanese menswear brand Adjustable Costume
Main photographs: Ryotaro Horiuchi
“Men have wanted to have the spirit of the samurai in Japan for a long time. I think it’s somewhat similar to the way British gentlemen think. Respect for the other person and cowardly means are not allowed”
W
hen did you found your brand Adjustable Costume and what was the starting point? Adjustable Costume started in April 2011. That year was the year when there was a big earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, in the Tohoku region of Japan. I remember starting in a very uneasy situation, and that’s why I felt I had to do what I wanted to do.
You seem to produce huge volumes of shirts, jackets, suits, coats, boots and other clothing items. How do you manage to produce so much? Do you have a huge workshop with hundreds of staff? We produce various items with the co-operation of many fabric stores, ancillary stores and garment factories. I do all the work, such as design production, production work, public relations, accounting, etc, by myself. There is no staff except my wife and son, and one cat. The number of production is extremely small; we do not produce in large quantities. I’m not running a big business.
What is your professional background – did you have any training in fashion design or tailoring? I went to Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo for three years. There I studied design, sewing, and business. After graduating from a vocational school, I was employed by designer brand ficce uomo/ yoshiyuki konishi, then subssequently I worked for three American casual brands: The Real McCoy’s Japan, Pherrow’s, and Dry Bones. I had a lot of experience with these companies before I became independent!
What defines your choices of each new item you make? Everything I make is what I want to wear now. It is not ‘sell now’ and with that you can never go wrong. I will obediently create the items I want to wear, regardless of the times I imagine and what the world wants.
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