Special interview Vol,3 with
【CURRENTAGE Designer│Tsukazaki Eriko】
Hirokazu Kanehara, the director of ``Crinkle Crinkle Crinkle,'' invites people who want to know more at the time to have a conversation.
This time's guest is Eriko Tsukazaki, the designer of CURRENTAGE, who has been my friend for 20 years. As creators of the same clothes, they talked about their current moods and thoughts on fashion.
Kanehara : Ever since we met as a corporate designer and a salesperson at a fabric store 20 years ago, I had always watched her create things and thought it was only natural for her to start her own brand.
Tsukazaki CURRENTAGE debuted in 2017 , so it's been 6 years already.
Kanehara : I've been looking at the collection since the first time, and it's very rich. It's rare for me to find an exhibition that excites me so much. It's not just the individual clothes, but the moment you enter the venue, you're drawn into the worldview.
The Tsukazaki 2024SS collection made me feel nervous as if it were my first time (lol). Can we really make this idea a reality? That's it.
Kanehara : No, it was amazing energy! It's not a prelude to that, but starting with the 2023-24AW collection, the way things are displayed has changed completely. Up until now, it was a clean place with a clean look, but last time it was an old warehouse with a bit of a secret club atmosphere. How did that make you feel?
Tsukazaki : I guess my feelings have changed a little since I started. Of course, my feelings toward making things haven't changed, but my mood has changed. I think it's probably because I went on a trip for the first time in a while. I used to travel two to three times a year and stock up on various things, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, I couldn't go overseas and my emotions were suppressed. I didn't realize it at the time because there are so many things that happen on a daily basis, but when I went on a trip, I realized that there was a part of me that was stuck in a rut. The pretty style from before is good in terms of getting people to look at your clothes properly, but I want to convey this feeling! When that happened, I decided to change the way I presented it.
Kanehara: I see. I'm now convinced that that's what I saw at the exhibition.
Tsukazaki : In the 1990s , when we fell in love with clothes, there was a time when it wasn't just about making pretty things look pretty, it was about making things look beautiful, it was about showing something beautiful even when it was dirty, and street and couture were all mixed together. It was an era of mixed culture. Traveling reminded me of the feeling I had always loved.
When you look at the photos posted on Kaneharazukapon 's Instagram stories, you can feel that. Mixed with the memories of the trip, there are times when something risqué that makes the viewer go, ``Wow!'' comes along. I wonder if the next collection will be like that? That's the kind of smell that catches my eye (lol).
Tsukazaki : That's right, I sort them out in Stories and organize them in my head as I watch them come to me in succession. Which is correct, which is wrong, and what is the most important thing for me right now?
Kanehara : I love your stories so much that it makes me feel like I'm actually traveling. I think that alone is a creation.
Tsukazaki : There's a lot of stimulation in Japan, but being able to take a break from work for a week or more and empty your head and input something is something you can't do unless you travel. Also, if you stay in the same place, your field of vision becomes narrower and narrower. On my last trip, I went to Paris, Switzerland, and Germany, but that was about six months after the war between Ukraine and Russia started. In Europe, there was a great sense of crisis, but in Japan, you realize that it was somehow someone else's problem and there was less reality. Especially since it was my second time in Germany, there were more things to see than when I went there when I was younger. I would say that it links to the current situation, including historical things. So, I think that what I have read and seen since returning to Japan is reflected in this collection. Fashion is beautiful, fun, and dreamy, but at the same time, it also reflects the mood of reality, right?
Kanehara : That's absolutely true. The same goes for the person who makes it, and the person who wants to wear it changes greatly depending on their feelings at the time. Indeed, as someone who lived through the 1990s , the exhibition space where the door is slightly open and you can quietly step inside gives me the feeling that that era is coming back to me like a lantern. there were. In those days, it was “only known to those in the know”, right? We also looked for the location of the store and decided it was here. I feel like I'm going in with trepidation.
Tsukazaki : Yes, it was analog in a good sense.
Tsukazaki : Come to think of it, at the exhibition venue, I was burning the incense that Mr. Kin had given me earlier.
Kanehara Astier de Villatte Incense. It was created with the theme of the scent of a French painter's atelier, so I thought it would go well with it, so I gave it to her as a gift.
Tsukazaki :When I received that incense, I was thinking about my next collection, and whenever I was thinking about it, I always burned it. I wanted to create a trippy feeling for the exhibition, so I asked them to compose music to match the moody scents and themes from overseas.
Kanehara : It's possible to create a space that looks like that, but it's not. That's what makes me feel like it came from within me. The collection was created in this way, but are there any items that you found quite difficult?
Tsukazaki : That tweed skirt she's wearing right now (lol)! Since we make tweed from fabric and then print on top of it, the patterns sometimes cross each other, and the factory says, ``How do you make something like this?'' and we go through trial and error.
There is a Kanehara fabric store! Generally speaking, this person's work always involves people getting into trouble about things like that (lol). It was also difficult when I was working with him as a fabric shop.
Kane Tsukazaki has been fashionable since then. The fabric shop was one person who stood out among the many people who were fabric enthusiasts but didn't understand fashion. I also want to be complimented by people like that, so when I meet them, I wear my favorite old clothes that I've found, and I'm happy when they say, ``That pattern is great.''
Kanehara: Did you say that? I haven't changed (lol). At the time, she was a newcomer, and even though she didn't have any experience, I was immediately drawn to her because she had great taste. I had a very personable personality, so even the craftsmen loved me. That's actually important; if the craftsman says no , they won't be able to make the fabric, and in order to make something better than what they have now, they have to have feelings and love for the other person. If you take business seriously, you won't get anything beyond the price you pay for it, but I think there's something good in the margins where that isn't the case.
Tsukazaki : ``I used to make them, but no one has done anything like this recently.It looks interesting, would you like to give it a try?''There were craftsmen who wanted to take on a challenge in a different area than profitability. I seem to have a good ability to sniff out people like that (lol).
Kanehara : Considering what happened back then, it's really strange that we're both designers now, and that we're having this conversation. I'm glad we were able to talk more and more.
Kane Tsukazaki is an inspirational person. A small conversation often leads to an answer to what I was vaguely thinking about as we talk. That's how you wear fashion itself! It gives me new discoveries.
Kanehara : Although I think like a woman, I have the appearance and body of a man, so designers might find it interesting if I wear women's clothes based on that mindset. That's the fun of my life.
Tsukazaki: Me too. I'm happy when someone wears my clothes in a different way than I expected. It might also be a 90 's influence, but I don't like wearing the same brand all over myself, and it's fun to think about how to wear it in my own way.
At Kanehara Crinkle 's 2023AW exhibition, there were items that everyone was looking forward to wearing, and I was happy because Tsukapon had chosen them at Donzuba.
Tsukazaki : Right before I left on my trip, I slipped into the exhibition on the first day. I had heard beforehand that the theme was " BLACK FANTASY " and had talked about it, so I had an idea in mind. When I went there, I had no hesitation at all and thought, ``I like this! I want this too!''
Kanehara : That's right, this season's crinkle theme is " BLACK FANTASY, " and as the name suggests, the collection features black. Using velvet as the main material, I wanted to express the light that comes from the shadows while quilting and embroidering. I've come to terms with color a lot, but black is an eternal color. Nowadays, in this "individual" world where everything is up to you, I wonder how people will wear black once we go back to it. I was interested.
TsukazakiThis skirt today was also inspired by “ BLACK FANTASY ”. It was hand-embroidered in India from scraps I found at a flea market while I was traveling, and I thought it had a bit of a fantasy element to it. And these pants. They both chose the material velvet, and their moods are linked.
Kanehara : It's really interesting right now because people who have similar feelings towards fashion are naturally gathering around us.
Tsukazaki Un. And everyone is kind and PEACE . There is love.
Kanehara: That's right. People who have experienced various experiences, lost their protruding parts, and aged well are about to stand on the front lines again. I think I would be happy if we all had more love for fashion and were excited to have fun together.
- 『 CURRENTAGE 』 Designer
Eriko Tsukazaki
Born February 20 , 1980 in Fukuoka Prefecture. After graduating from ESMODE JAPON Tokyo School, he gained 13 years of experience as a designer at a major apparel manufacturer. In 2017 , he started his own brand “ CURRENTAGE ”.
Instagram: @saterico
CURRENTAGE: @currentage_
- 『 crinkle crinkle crinkle 』 Brand director
Hirokazu Kinbara
Engaged in planning and sales at a textile design company for many years, in charge of collections, maison brands, and select shops. Currently, she is running a textile design team at an apparel company while also forecasting trends and serving as a brand director and designer.
Instagram: @kin.summer.summer.
crinkle crinkle crinkle : @crinkle.official
