THINGS I LOVE vol.19

In 1998, there was an exhibition of Samsonite active wear during the Milan Collection. The items, which were made of high-tech materials and had large pockets on pants and vests, had an atmosphere similar to Prada Sports (now Linea Rossa) at the time, but it became a hot topic that Samsonite, famous for its suitcases, created travel-themed clothing such as jackets, vests, and pants made of high-tech materials, which were groundbreaking at the time. "Who on earth designed this?" It was the subject of much discussion during the collection period. I think I found out that the new Neil Barrett was that person when I moved to Paris after the Milan collection. I'm sure DNR (Daily News Record) or the Herald Tribune...my memory is vague. The show at that time was at the level of a floor show, and the products were displayed at the venue as if they were preparing for a trip. The composition, which evokes the character of Samsonite, had a strong impact on viewers. They also make air pillows and eye masks for use on airplanes, and I thought they were quite stylish.

Neil Barrett was born in Devon, England in 1965 into a family that had run a tailoring business for three generations. Graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1989 with a PhD in Men's Fashion Design. His graduation collection caught the attention of Gucci, and he became the company's senior men's designer that same year. He has spent five years at Gucci. During this time, he also gained experience with Tom Ford's men's design team. In 1994, he moved from Gucci to Prada. He was the design director for the menswear collection for four years. The men's collections of both Gucci and Prada brands were connected to the exciting times that were about to come. His debut collection at Samsonite was a hot topic among buyers and journalists around the world, although his name was not announced publicly. I wanted those clothes too.

The following year, at the 1999 Milan Collection, he finally made his full-fledged debut under his own name, ``Neil Barrett.'' Since he had already received a lot of attention, there was a lot of talk within the industry about what kind of clothes his collection would include. When I looked at the collection, I saw jackets and vests connected by zips, and pants made of high-tech materials that looked like snowboarding pants, making it look like a combination of Nike and Prada.
Most of the colors were navy or black, giving off an urban atmosphere. The clothes were quite unique, like a puzzle, with large pockets and zips connecting items, but thanks to the collaboration with the long-established factory Allegri, the clothes were of high quality. The industry was abuzz with the debut of a newcomer whose perfection was unbecoming of a brand.

At the time, I was helping with buying at a select shop, and I wanted to buy ``Neil Barrett.'' I was trying to get an appointment with Neil Barrett's sales staff, but there were so many requests from Japanese buyers that I couldn't get a deal. Now that I think about it, I'm like, ``What the heck?'' But at that time, the Neil Barrett whirlwind was raging in Milan.
At the time, big fashion houses such as Gucci and Prada were in the midst of a boom, but industry figures not only in Tokyo but also in Paris, New York, and London were eagerly awaiting talented young designer brands.

Neil Barrett's appeal lies in the fact that while he inherited the blood of a British tailor, he trained at big houses in Milan, Gucci and Prada. I had many opportunities to speak with Neil Barrett himself between 2000 and 2006. He was very cooperative with our interviews and even acted as our guide when we covered London for GULLIVER magazine in 2002. When he came to Tokyo in 2005, we drank until the morning. The following year, he showed me around Milan at night. I had the impression that Milan's club culture, both in terms of music and customers, was not as cool as in London, New York, Paris, or Berlin, but it was a rare and enjoyable experience for me to be able to tour some crazy gay clubs with my boyfriend and see intense gay play. How has things been developing recently?

Come to think of it, Hidetoshi Nakata (hereinafter referred to as Hide) and Neil are good friends. I introduced them in the first place, but Neil once held a birthday party for both of us in Milan in January. I think it was in 2000, and Hide's birthday was January 22nd. Since I was there on January 25th, they reserved a corner of the restaurant for me during the Milan Collection. It was a lot of fun, but I ended up missing some of the fashion shows in Paris because my trip to Paris was delayed by a day. The more Neil visited Japan, the more he fell in love with Tokyo. I am a designer.

When I look at the current boom in tourist cities, I am reminded of how designers and creators I have had close friendships with in the past grow to love Tokyo and Japan every time they visit Japan. From my experience, I think that the charm of Japan is that it is ``decent.'' Being punctual, being organized, being kind, and being polite are all things that should be taken for granted, but I think that's because Japan and Japanese people are unusually thorough when you think about it by world standards. This is an ideal image for Japanese people, but it is a shame that globalization is weakening it. I also tend to be swayed by the loose side, so I want to be careful not to do that.

Perhaps out of his rebellious spirit as a third-generation tailor, when explaining his collection, Neil would not talk about tailored items such as jackets, but would often recommend casual blousons and leather items. I think the long leather coat I'm introducing today was from the 2010 collection, and it was one of my top picks at the time. When I was trying it on, I said to him, ``It looks like The Matrix,'' and he responded, ``Oh yeah, Keanu, Keanu.'' Not long after, I saw Laurence Fishburne at the restaurant BICE where I went to eat. “ It was Milan like the Matrix.

During the collection shows in Milan and Paris, there are many opportunities to see Hollywood stars outside of the show venues. I think many of you have come to Milan or Paris as part of an invitation from a certain brand, but because it's your private time, the clothes you wear and the people around you stand out somehow. There are cases where it is very sophisticated, and unfortunately there are cases where it is the other way around. The moment you see something like this becomes engraved in your memory, and your subsequent impressions tend to be influenced by it as well. Stars and the people around them have to put a lot of energy into building their image, even in their private lives, because it affects their image even more than how they look at work. I think it's difficult.

■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.

THINGS I LOVE vol.18

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