Beauty Lies in Fluctuations and Fissures
”KEISUKEYOSHIDA” on his brand’s 10th Anniversary– Side Story 揺らぎの中に浮かぶ “美” の本質「KEISUKEYOSHIDA」10年目の現在地
こぼれ話
This website version continues the interview with Keisuke Yoshida, which could not be fully covered in gap PRESS vol. 186. We delve into his experiences in junior high school, his encounters with culture, and his path to becoming a designer. We delve into Keisuke Yoshida’s origins and the passion he puts into fashion.
What first sparked your interest in fashion?圭佑さんがファッションに興味を持ったきっかけを教えてください。
When I was in my first and second years of junior high school, I went to a private school, so there were some kids dressed much mature, but there were still no “fashionable people” around me. I felt that there was a possibility that I could change that, and that’s what made me decide to take an interest in fashion.
At the time, actor Joe Odagiri was on TV with a half-shaved head and was a fashion icon. When I saw him, I thought, “This is it!”, so I got the same hairstyle and went to school.
That was a bold move! How did you feel at the time?思い切りましたね。そのときの心境は？
At the time, I was having a very dull school life. It was an all-boys school, and there was an escalator system from elementary school onwards. There were kids who were good at sports, good-looking kids, smart kids – each of them was showing off their own individuality, but I felt inferior to all of them.
I couldn’t accept not excelling at anything, so I started thinking about what I could do. Eventually, people started writing bad things about me on the school’s underground websites. I guess my eccentric behavior wasn’t very funny to the people around me.
It made you feel like you'd been rejected?自己否定されたような感覚になりますね。
Yes, so. Even though I’m sure it was only a few people who were actually involved, I had the impression that everyone at school was rejecting me. So when I see the recent social trend of excessive bashing and being bashed, it feels like it’s getting even bigger.
Originally, entertainers were free to exist outside of society, like Kabuki actors. But now, more than anyone else, they are expected to be socially conscious. I think that applies to us writers and creators as well. I think we live in an age where we must always have a sense of responsibility and tension. For me, fashion was the only salvation that allowed me to feel that I had changed.
First of all, why did you choose fashion?そもそも、なぜファッションを選んだのでしょうか？
I’ve always been the type who lacked confidence in myself, so even though music can change my mood, it’s hard to really feel the change because it’s invisible. Fashion was different in that respect.
For example, if you dye your hair blonde, even if people around you look at you negatively, you can have a real sense of change. I found that very appealing.
What did you actually dress like?実際どのような格好をしていたのですか？
I didn’t have much money in junior high, so I just read all the fashion magazines I could get my hands on. I was from a downtown area of Tokyo, and there was only small bookstores, so I could only get a limited number of magazines. But still, I tried to make fashion my own by reading a wide range of magazines I could get, from street snap to hip old man style.
Among all that, the first thing I wore was STÜSSY. Because Ikebukuro PARCO was on my way to school. It was a place that seemed to encapsulate the culture of the time, with a game center in the semi-basement entrance, a sneaker shop on the first floor, STÜSSY and L.H.P on the upper floors, and even a music store and CD shop. I started going there frequently and gradually became absorbed in the world of fashion.
When did you first become aware of high fashion?モードを意識し始めたのはいつ頃ですか？
When I was in my third year of junior high school, I came across gap PRESS magazine and learned about the field of high fashion for the first time. Not kidding!! When I opened the magazine, I was greeted with a row of looks from the collections, and I was shocked to discover the next level of fashion, something that I had previously only understood as “something I would wear” – right there there was another world of designers and runway collections.
What made you want to become a designer?デザイナーを志したきっかけとは？
At the time, I only knew designers like Margiela and LEMAIRE as “people who make cool clothes.” But when I learned that there was a lot of thought, history, and context behind them, I began to dig deeper into fashion.
I was deeply moved by the beauty and unknown world that was unfolding before me. I truly feel that fashion freed me from the narrow world of school life. Through that experience during my high school years, I began to think that I wanted to become a designer.
So you then went to Rikkyo University.それから立教大学に行かれたのですね。
I actually wanted to go to a fashion school, but my parents wanted me to go to university. At the time, I didn’t have good grades and was treated as a poor student at school. But I didn’t want people to think that I had run away to the world of fashion because I wasn’t good at studying, so I went to university and majored in the course of Philosophy and Creative Writing.
Fashion was at the heart of my life even while I was a student. I joined the so-called “Fashion Club” at my university, where I would put on fun shows, and I also went to fashion events, designer talk shows and study groups, which were all the rage at the time.
You attended “coconogacco” while you were in university, and then studied clothing design at A.M.I by ESMODE. Are there any memorable episodes on your path to your debut?大学在学中から「ここのがっこう」に通い、その後「エスモードA.M.I」で服づくりを学ばれましたね。デビューまでの道のりで、印象的なエピソードはありますか？
At coconogacco, everyone around me was already able to make clothes. I was going to the school while living a unemployed-kids like life for a year even after graduating from university, and although I managed to make clothes, they were nowhere near the level I could show to other people.
At the time, my class at coconogacco was aiming to enter the Italian competition “ITS.” Not yet experienced enought, I was suddenly thrown into a situation where I was taking on the world. Still, I had a strong desire not to lose, so I continued to desperately search for my own identity, even openly reflecting my past experiences of being bullied and the feelings and conflicts I had from those experiences.
That trial and error, and the presence of designers of my generation, have become a definite asset to me today.
Who has influenced your creations?ご自身のクリエーションに影響を与えた存在は？
I’m influenced by so many things that it’s difficult to choose, but if I had to pick, it would be the Antwerp designers of the 90s. I was really drawn to their diligence, the way they created silhouettes, and their slightly gloomy atmosphere.
I’ve also been greatly influenced by conversations with close seniors, friends, and writers, including Yasuhiro Mihara. A variety of other things have also influenced me, including books, music and TV culture. It’s like letting the knowledge and sensations I’ve absorbed mature within me and turning them into my own intellect. Ultimately, I think that many of these influences quietly live on in our daily lives.
What do you want to communicate as a designer?デザイナーとしてこれから伝えていきたいことを教えてください。
I think what’s interesting about fashion is that it’s a mirror that reflects the times. For example, it’s often said that “every design in fashion has already been done before” but even if the design techniques are the same, the meaning and vision presented change as the times change like from the ’90s to the ’00s to the ’20s.
Sometimes originality can be born just by changing your perspective, and even if you’re limited, you’re sure to make a new discovery and think, “I never thought of that before.”
No matter what era we live in, people can discover a new side of themselves through fashion. Even if that change involves failure or pain, I believe that it’s in that uncertainty that the “fun” lies.
We delved deeper into Keisuke’s origins, which we weren’t able to cover in the e-book version. What did you think? What particularly impressed me about this interview was his approach to creating clothes, as if he were weaving a personal novel. He truly loves fashion, he just can’t help it. That feeling was conveyed in every word he spoke. Keisuke’s story is still in the middle, and it looks like his worldview will continue to expand. I look forward to keeping an eye on his future journey and seeing what new page KEISUKEYOSHIDA will weave next.
