Special interview Vol.5 with
[swell vintage owner｜Megumi Yamamoto]
"crinkle crinkle crinkle × swell vintage OSAKA POP UP STORE" will be held for three days from Friday, May 10th to Sunday, May 12th at IMAGINE & DESIGN Salon in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.
Hirokazu Kanehara, director of crincle crinkle crinkle, and his friend Megumi Yamamoto, owner of swell vintage, who will also be opening a shop at the pop-up, talk about their relationship and the highlights of the pop-up.
I met Megu Kanehara about two years ago. We had both been frequenting MAIDENS SHOP WOMEN in Sendagaya for a while, and we had known each other through social media.
Yamamoto : We first met and talked at the third anniversary event of MAIDENS. I remember seeing Kin-chan on the second anniversary and wondering "Who is that person?" because of his fashionable clothes. A friend told me about his SNS and when I looked back at his posts, I thought we would get along well, and I became more and more interested in him.
Kanehara: Several years have passed without us being able to meet face to face, but once we did, it was quick. Three days later, we went to lunch together. Megu-chan is an interesting person who can talk about a variety of things, not just fashion.
My first impression of Yamamoto Kinchan was that she was a very cheerful person, but in reality she is a very sensitive and thoughtful person. I love that contrast.
Kanehara: Also, when you have an idea, you have incredible ability to act. For example, you started out as an office worker, but started making leather bags even though you had no experience.
At the time, I was thinking of returning to the company after my maternity leave, but I couldn't return because there were no vacancies in the nursery school, so I thought I'd try my hand at fashion. However, I didn't know how to make clothes, so I started by making bags, and before I knew it, I had opened a second-hand clothing store. It's really strange to me.
Even in Kanehara , the pace of these spontaneous ideas hasn't changed. We always talk about these things at the izakaya.
Yamamoto: Basically, even if people have things they're not good at, I believe there's nothing they can't do. If there are leather craftsmen, they can make leather, and if there are people who do embroidery, they can do embroidery. I always think that I could do it too.
Kanehara : Also, she has a good eye for people and connects the right people at the right time. I think she has an excellent producer-like sense of connecting people who are likely to have a good chemistry. There are many customers in the Kansai area who are fans of Megu-chan, so when the idea of this pop-up came up, I thought it would be fun to work together and reached out to her.
Yamamoto : We'd always talked about wanting to work together.
Kanehara : Exactly. Since it was just the two of us and we chose a venue that was not a department store or the like, but rather a more homey space, I wanted customers to enjoy my personal worldview rather than cool branding for Crinkle.
At the Yamamoto pop-up, I'm thinking of bringing vintage items, mainly bottoms that go well with crinkle items.
Kanehara crinkle will be selling the new "INDIGO" series that Megu-chan is wearing today before it goes on sale online. The idea to make an indigo version of a popular item actually came from a conversation with Megu-chan. We were having dinner and we were saying, "I think it would be cute if you had denim at your place too." We both love denim, and I'm happy to be able to unveil it at this event with Megu-chan, based on that episode.
I personally love American vintage and I'm currently feeling like incorporating it into fashion in my own unique way, so I thought that swell vintage was essential in order to strongly express that personal sensibility.
Yamamoto: This time, embroidery artists will also be participating, so we'll be able to have each other's products embroidered on the spot, right?
Kanehara: There are many items with handmade embroidery in vintage clothing from Europe and America, and Megu-chan often does this too, but I think it's great that you can give a new look to even slightly stained items by quickly embroidering them. At crinkle, we haven't had archive sales before, but we thought it would be great if we could make these small actions into special items, so we decided to try it. Right now, I'm having a friend of mine create designs for embroidery.
Yamamoto : We are also thinking about collaborating with Kane-chan on some items, but we are still in the preparation stages... so please look forward to it.
I have the impression that the people in Kanehara Osaka are very passionate, so I hope we can all have fun together and not lose out.
Yamamoto : I also want to be more enthusiastic than usual . This time I'll be with Kane-chan, so I'm looking forward to messing around with the audience and being teased by them.
Kanehara : It's like everyone chatting away and hugging each other at the end. I'm looking forward to that kind of happy feeling.
Information
crinkle crinkle crinkle × swell vintage
OSAKA POP UP STORE
■Period: May 10th (Friday) to May 12th (Sunday), 2024
■ Business hours: 11:00-18:00
■ Location: IMAGINE & DESIGN Salon
■Address: 2-6-12 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka
In addition to the new 24SS products, "crinkle crinkle crinkle" will be releasing the INDIGO series, a reconstruction of the brand's iconic model. In addition, archive items from 23SS-23AW will be available for the first time as a brand. "swell vintage" will be selling vintage items. There will also be an embroidery customization event at the venue.
-Owner of "swell vintage"
Megumi Yamamoto
She started her career as an office lady with no prior experience in apparel, teaching herself how to make leather bags. In 2013, she opened the online store "Swell Vintage", and in 2020, she opened a brick-and-mortar store in Harajuku. In addition to selling vintage clothing, she is also involved in a wide range of activities, including collaborations with major brands, pop-ups, and the design and sale of original products.
Instagram: @meg_swellvtg
swell vintage
Jingumae AK Building B1F, 3-36-17 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Instagram: @swellvtgshop
-『crinkle crinkle crinkle』Brand director
Hirokazu Kinbara
After working for many years in planning and sales at a textile design company, she was in charge of collections, maison brands and select shops. Currently, she manages a textile design team at an apparel company, while also forecasting trends and acting as a brand director and designer.
Instagram: @kin.summer.summer.
