THINGS I LOVE vol.15

Bottega Veneta is a luxury brand that started in Vicenza, Italy in 1966. He developed ``Intrecciato,'' a mesh-like mesh of leather straps, and has become synonymous with Bottega Veneta and is still popular all over the world.
In 2001, Bottega Veneta became a subsidiary of the Gucci Group. Along with this, Tom Ford, who was the creative director of the Gucci Group, invited Thomas Maier to join the brand. He had experience at Sonia Rykiel and Hermès, and was appointed as Bottega Veneta's new creative director. During the Milan collection that year, Tom told me, ``There's someone I'd like to introduce to you,'' so I went to the Bottega Veneta showroom. Thomas Meyer was there. Tom's partner at VOGUE at the time Richard Buckley, who was the editor-in-chief of HOMME, was also present, and Tom and Richard thoroughly explained how Thomas had excellent taste and was the right person for the brand. I could sense their enthusiasm, but to be honest, the showroom only had leather goods such as bags, belts, and shoes, so I couldn't see the overall worldview, and to be honest, I wasn't really interested in it. However, Thomas' keen eyes and the taste in the items he wore, such as his Rolex watch and Ray-Ban eyewear, were imprinted in my mind.

Later, around the time Tom retired from Gucci in 2004, Bottega Veneta's first runway collection was announced. The brand's presence, which had only been associated with intrecciato bags and shoes, gradually grew after that collection. I immediately decided to cover it on TV's ``Fashion Tsushin''. I interviewed Thomas for each collection, and as expected from Tom's brain, his answers to my questions were always clear. Above all, the attention to detail that brought out his otaku hobby to the fullest was amazing. The company removed the logo that was attached to its products and emphasized the intrecciato, which is synonymous with the brand. Bottega Veneta returned to its founding spirit of utilizing craftsmanship.

From then on, as I repeatedly interviewed Thomas after the Milan collection every season, we gradually became good friends, and when Thomas' private brand store opened in Miami in 2005, he invited me to come visit him. The store is said to be a select shop that sells clothes, miscellaneous goods, books, etc. purchased by Thomas. As I listened to his story, I became very interested in him, so I approached the magazine ``BRUTUS'' and set out to cover Art Basel in Miami. The magazine features fashion photos taken on Miami Beach, articles covering Art Basel, and a guide to Miami recommended by Thomas, making it very fulfilling.

In return, he promised to show Tom around his hometown of Kyoto the following year. Thomas' shop in Miami had photo books of Karesansui on display, and I thought that if I took him to Shinjuan in Daitokuji Temple, he would definitely like it.
From the conversations we had had up until then, I had a rough idea of ​​Thomas' hobbies and preferences. I was sure that he would probably be interested in Zen temples. When I returned to Japan, I devised a strategy for how I could take Thomas to Shinjuan, which was not open to the public. First, consult with your seniors who may be familiar with temple-related matters. I made it to the point where I met the priest of Shinjuan. I made up my mind and went to Shinjuan to have a face-to-face discussion. The content is “Casa BRUTUS'' magazine would like to publish a conversation between Thomas Meyer and the priest. Personally, I thought that it would be the most wonderful thing to have a conversation between the two of us at the sub-temple that Ikkyu-san had created, which is a condensed version of Japanese aesthetics, but in the end, I was rejected by the priest. When I visited Shinjuan with all my energy, I was first invited into the backyard, where I saw a priest beckoning to me from inside a houseboat placed in the field behind him, holding a glass of red wine and saying, ``Here, here.'' For a moment, I thought, ``What the heck is this?!'' I felt as if I was dreaming.

The Kyoto story of this monk and Thomas will continue next time.

　　　　　　　　

■Tomoki Yuma (@stsukezane）
Born in Kyoto City in 1965. Started his career as an editor in the editorial department of Magazine House ``POPEYE''. Currently, in addition to planning and styling fashion pages for magazines, she also designs advertising costumes for artists and musicians. Before the coronavirus, he covered men's collections in Paris and Milan for over 35 years.

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