It's been a while, Miyake-san.
It's been a while since we last met in Tokyo, how have you been?

It's been a while since I last wrote to you. I've been doing well.

Could you please briefly introduce yourself?

While designing HATSKI, I also run a shop called csew in Kobe, where I am based.

Please tell us what led you to start working in the clothing industry.

I've always loved and been interested in fashion, and I used to buy the clothes I liked with the money I earned,
By chance, I had the opportunity to meet the president of the company where I used to work.
I ended up talking with the previous president from lunchtime until the last train (lol) and he asked me if I could work here that day.
I told him that.

Even with my boyfriend, we don't talk that much (laughs).
That's Fukuda from STRATO, right?

Yes, that's right.

How old were you when you started working?

I think I was around 23 or 24 years old.

Was it a completely different job before that?

I was doing a job that was completely unrelated to my work. I worked in a factory (laughs).

What was it like doing what you love as a job?

Once I was on the other side making suggestions, it was tough because I had to learn a lot more, but I grew to love clothes even more.

Fukudaism is amazing!
I had the impression that Miyake-san would soon become independent, and from the beginning I thought someday!!
Something like that?

That's right. I had that image in mind when I joined Strat.
Including that, Stratos' President Fukuda was very understanding and helped me a lot.

How long did it actually take to become independent? It felt like it was just a blink of an eye.
About three years? By the time you were 30?

No, I became independent when I was about 33 years old.
I went independent at the turning point of my 10th year with Stratocaster, so I worked surprisingly hard!!!

I see, that's right!
When we met in Nagasaki in 2016, HATSKI had already started, so I thought it had become independent.

Actually, I wasn't juggling two jobs, but I was working on HATSKI at the same time as my regular duties at Strat.
I was working really hard at that time.
Looking back, I didn't take any time off at all (laughs).

That's pretty hard work while doing your regular work (laughs).
I think you started out with denim, why did you choose denim?

The first thing I ever bought was denim.
I think that feeling (a precious memory) was also inside me.
However, denim already has an absolute presence, Moreover, the Stratos members don't wear denim very often, so there were no opinions in favor of it (laughs).
The only person who was positive was President Fukuda (laughs).

There are certainly some absolute powers out there, but it's amazing that he's been able to carve out a position for himself among them!
I'm sure you have a lot of preferences, but is there anything that stands out as a "this is it!"?

Of course, the fabric and accessories are important, but it's also the silhouette that matters most.
There are quite a few restrictions when it comes to denim, especially selvedge denim... but even so, I try to keep in mind that it will still have a beautiful silhouette when worn.

How was it when you first went independent?
I couldn't eat anything at all for two or three years, but Miyake-san seemed to be doing well from the start, so I was envious of him (laughs).

That's not the case at all. It's only been four years since I became independent, so I still feel like I'm working really hard (laughs).
I'm not at all relaxed, which is surprising, but I'm enjoying my days.

Same here! (laughs)
Actually, I've been wearing HATSKI a lot recently, not just because I have an event to attend,
I've always worn string pants or wide-fitting pants,
There's something about denim that's nice. It's kind of crisp. People often ask me, "Where's the denim from?"

That's great.
I tend to take the easy way out, but I still end up with classic styles like denim and chino slacks.
I feel like I put a lot of emotion into it, and I've recently come to realise that it's definitely my favourite style.

I was talking to Onishi-san, but both ohh! and MUYA have a fairly high ratio of female customers.
HATSKI is known for its denim, but it also has a masculine image. What do you think about that?

At one point, we had a lot more female customers, but recently it's mostly men.
My own perception of unisex has also changed a little.

What does that mean? Is it something like, "I'm going to recommend men!"?

It's not that we're promoting men's clothing, but I think it's becoming more difficult to propose unisex items, including in terms of sizing.
A while ago, big sizes may have been the main focus, but of course men and women have different bone structures and body shapes, so I think we want to make a clear distinction between them.

I believe you also wholesale overseas, but is the reaction there different from that in Japan?

I'm happy that people overseas simply look at the brand.
On the contrary, it's easy to understand: if the product is good, we will purchase it, and if it's bad, we won't purchase it.

It's great that it's not limited by brand name or popularity!

I'm really happy that people are simply looking at the brand, and that's why I want to make even better clothes.

Miyake-san also runs a shop called csew, where he also runs a cafe. How did that come about?
In my case, I originally wanted to get involved in the food, clothing and shelter business, so I run a clothing store, cafe and accommodation business.

This is a long story (laughs).
To be honest, when we opened the HATSKI flagship store in Kobe, we had a certain idea in mind, but since it was something we were doing within the company, we didn't have much freedom. That's what I thought when I went independent. There are many similarities between making clothes and working closely with the producers.

Lol. It's true that we have a lot in common, and food is something that's right in front of you, so I think that direct feeling is good.
However, as I am an amateur when it comes to restaurants, I think it would be difficult to make a living solely from food and drink.
I have a lot of respect for restaurant owners.

At first, I didn't think of it as a restaurant, but because I was blessed with great staff, I just imagined it as a place called CSew.
It just so happened that the food and beverage industry took off.

I see. Do the staff come up with the menu for the restaurant?

We all thought about the start.
We started out by thinking about the producers we currently have connections with.
But I didn't think of any impossible menu items.

That's great! That's ideal.
Do you ever work in the store, Mr. Miyake?

I was there when we first started, but recently I've been leaving it up to others.
Right now, I'm passionate about making clothes (laughs).
I feel like I'm going back to my roots and updating it as I gain experience.

Is there any kind of clothing you would like to make?

I feel the same way, but I want to be more excited and I want the people who wear it to be excited too.
It's a bit abstract, but it's clothing that you can wear with love for a long time.
It was in my closet for a while.
"If you don't wear clothes, throw them away or sell them!!"
"I'll wear this outfit again soon."
It's something like this.
There's no particular person in mind.
I no longer have the desire to be widely known through Instagram or other social media.

Is there anything you would like to do in the future?

At HATSKI, we have a lot of things in mind...
I will report back when I can.
Since I'm working in a rural area, I would like to take some kind of action.
I would like to see csew become more rooted in the local community.

Thank you, Miyake-san.
I look forward to seeing your future success.