INTERVIEW with my mom

When I ask someone, I don’t think it’s something you should do by looking it up.　The ’90s were a relatively short time ago, so there are many things I can find out by examining it, and you probably know more. So I think that knowing the emotional part of a person and what he actually felt is the best way to feel the culture and atmosphere at that time.

-Questions sheet-

-Q&A-

What did you think of people who work in fashion in the ’90s? Did you feel any different from yourself？

MOM: I haven’t really felt the difference between people working in the fashion industry and myself, but in the ’90s, I found the latest fashion when I went to Harajuku. When I went to Motomachi, Yokohama, I found Hamatra fashion. For me, clerks were in the fashion industry. There was no fast fashion, no SNS, so the clerk was a good sample and could give me some advice. So, I think it was a familiar and longing existence.

What kind of clothes did you always wear?

MOM: Magazines such as “JJ” and “can-can” were textbooks for college students and adults.
Was it Hamatra fashion, JJ college student fashion, or Shibuya fashion?

What was the most inspiring person you think of in the 90’s?

MOM: I think the influence was the magazine model.

Did you see the potential for fashion when you saw them?

MOM: I didn’t feel the possibilities, but I think that the models are wonderful now because they have pursued fashion and life that fascinates them well, and I feel that there is a possibility in fashion.

I think there are people in your time who were spending a lot of money on clothes. What did you think of them? How much did you spend on clothes every month?

MOM: Some people bought a fur coat with all 700,0£ bonuses in their sync. I thought it was a waste, but I think it would have been worth it if I could still wear it after 30 years.
I think the cost of the clothes was about 300£ to 400£ or less …

What do you think is a symbol of 90’s culture? Please answer from your point of view.

MOM: The symbol of the 90’s is the bubble. Wanren bodycon, masterpiece movie, disco, telephone card …

What do you think is culturally different now than it was 30 years ago? Has your value for fashion changed?

MOM: I think there is a big difference in culture when there are no mobile phones, smartphones, or SNS. For fashion, you can look at magazines, go to the store, buy, and do everything with just one smartphone.
If I had ZARA, H & M, and UNIQLO 30 years ago, I think it would have been better if there weren’t. That’s because I felt that the value would drop a little when I could be the most fashionable.

What do you think about your son doing fashion?

MOM: I think it’s great for my son to do fashion, but I also want him to learn some useful fashion ways.
Clothing, food, and housing are indispensable, so I want you to acquire a wide range of knowledge.

‘Clothing, food, and housing are indispensable. ‘

-My view on this Q&A-

After all, fashion makes it possible to visually visualize the standard of living and longing, and it was the model and shop clerk who longed for it. But that means getting inspiration from seeing it in a magazine or actually going to a store and feeling the atmosphere of the place. However, in this era, SNS has become widespread, and the number of media that receive inspiration has increased, and we are mainly looking for that longing in the media. Nowadays, as long as you do fashion, you need more tolerance for media.

And the other is the spread of fast fashion. To be clear, I don’t like fast fashion. I wear UNIQLO once in a while, but I think fashion is something that people who don’t do fashion look like and admire. However, it is also true that there are various problems behind the scenes. I feel that fast fashion is representative of that. It is an environmental problem and a problem with labour. So in my opinion, I have no plans to wear fast fashion in the future. There are various opinions as to whether clothes should be regarded as fashion or clothes. Still, I think that what kind of fast fashion will be in the future is an issue for the future fashion industry. It changes over time, so I’m looking forward to seeing that era. And I want to be a person who can do something about the problem.

Thank you,

Tatsuya.