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JUN HASHIMOTO 2.0 AT PITTI 86: YOU CAN (NOT) UNDERSTAND
Or, If Only I Could Use My Camera
Words and pictures by Jasper L
Or, If Only I Could Use My Camera
Words and pictures by Jasper L
Part of what, in my mind, makes Jun Hashimoto such an interesting character is that - relative to most of the people at Pitti - he’s an obvious pragmatist. Well, he borders on cynical, really; and I respect him all the more for it. The last time we spoke he had brought a booth full of nothing but white shirts, and although he had shirts with him this time too (including the same white ones), the obvious stars were the multicolored leather jackets. I asked him why he branched out. The discussion is below.
Jasper L: The last time I saw you, you brought a bunch of white shirts. This time, leathers.
Jun Hashimoto: Yeah. Because leather is my strong point. With the shirts, I wanted to show my new details, but last time it was very difficult. It was…too simple.
*we share a laugh, like old friends*
JH: But, you know, I tried to change the collar, and the side, so that people would understand. And then, for leather, my strong point, I think it’s also very easy to understand [when you see it in person].
JL: You tend to do washed leather. Why?
JH: For display, and for the fitting. Because when you make a small [tight] fitting, it’s good, but sometimes it’s too small. So this shrunken style is a little bit bigger; then when you shrink it you have [the same pattern], but you have the space. This way, it’s very comfortable. But very skinny. Tight.
JL: Are these standard styles you do every season?
JH: I almost don’t change the style. I change the color and add some materials. So this time, it’s a horse leather. The basic one is calf. I’ve been using calf for maybe ten years. So it looks the same, but the feeling is very different.
JL: [Points to shrunken orange moto] What about this one here?
JH: This one is horse, but a different horse. And it’s a piece dye.
JL: And then you have the shirt-jackets as well.
JH: Yes, and these are very clean. Not shrunken. Very silky touch, you know?
JL: Yeah. Wow, I like the orange. But…this is a great blue.
JH: Yeah. This is nice. I mean, basically, I use black. Black is forever. But this orange, sky blue; it’s just for the show. Just to catch the eye - but this blue is my favorite color for now. This blue is so nice.
JL: Last time we talked about iteration, and about the idea of not changing things much. How do you approach designing a summer collection? When you have such a strong background in leathers, and in the heavy shirts, what is it like to put together a spring collection?
JH: I don’t care about seasons. Also, I have many collections in Japan. So when I bring just shirts, shorts; it’s not strong. It’s too basic. So that’s again why I’m kind of just showing…well, this time, I know it’s for spring/summer, but this [gestures at leathers] I can deliver for winter. So, it’s like a winter collection - no, not a winter collection; an early spring collection.
JL: And the shirts are the same way, season-less instead of seasonal.
JH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same way.
JL: In January you had all white. [We move over to the other shirts, I point to a camouflage piece] Is this, this camo, something you’ve done in the past?
JH: Uhhh. I don’t like this style. It’s strange, you know? This is kind of…commercial. Last time I had only white, like this [points], and people didn’t understand. If you see, you understand. But people don’t touch, which is a big point for me.
JL: So, if you were going to wear Jun Hashimoto, what would you wear?
JH: [Points to the same white shirt he brought in January.] I wear this. Also, I have one more idea. [He pulls out a deep, black shirt that is impossible for me to photograph] This is looks very basic, very black, but this is paper. Washi. And the dye is from Kyoto. Kyoto dye means perfect black.
[Jun shows me a Kyoto-dye and a charcoal-dyed shirt in the same fabric, and the difference is…obvious]
JH: [Points again to the Kyoto-dye] If I wear black, I wear this. This [gestures to the camo], just for Pitti.
JL: Yeah. When you come to Pitti…[we trail off into silence and look around us at the circus] Well, this doesn’t quite feel like the Jun Hashimoto scene.
JH: Nah.
JL: So, when you come, how does it…how does it work out?
JH: No no no no - it doesn’t “work out,” this is input for me. Because I know it’s very difficult for sales, here. So, this is just for my experience. When I stay here and meet people, it’s very good for me.
Leather:
Jun's standby: the black "Inner" rider
A viciously beautiful navy
Shirts:
The impossible black
Pitti bait
Jewelry:
Edo Kiriko (traditionally hand-etched cut glass) - style jewelry. Incredibly delicate, incredibly lovely, incredibly difficult to take a picture of.
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