Giving Takahiro his own thread.
By Eugene Rabkin
"Two weeks ago I met with Takahiro Miyashita, the Japanese fashion designer of the men’s brand TAKAHIRAMIYASHITATheSoloist. Miyashita’s original brand Number (N)ine made a mark on men’s fashion during the past decade when menswear was at its height in terms of reinterpreting youth culture. Number (N)ine, along with Undercover in Japan, Raf Simons in Paris, and Cloak in New York was the punk answer to the pop-music of contemporary fashion. Miyashita drew heavy on references such as Gus Van Sant’s films and 90s alternative music to create a world of his own. The brand was a critical and commercial success, but Miyashita did not get along with his business partners and he left the label in 2009. He spent a year soul-searching before making his next move.
We met in the morning in his Paris showroom, located in a courtyard in one the back streets of Marais. Miyashita is guarded, almost shy, in a way of a man who prefers to observe rather than be observed. I have never seen him without sunglasses. He speaks softly in good English, but his replies tend to be short and he takes time to consider them, as if words are simply not up to the task of truly expressing his thoughts.
Few successful designers today have the freedom to be a true auteur. Miyashita is one of them. He called his new brand TheSoloist to underscore that very fact. “Number (N)ine was a band,” Miyashita told me. “It was a big company, and often I did not get to do what I wanted. So I thought that I need to be a completely independent designer. I wanted to be a solo singer. Just like John Lennon who quit The Beatles to be John Lennon.” Today, Miyashita designs everything by himself, without a single assistant."
Full article on SZ-MAG
By Eugene Rabkin
"Two weeks ago I met with Takahiro Miyashita, the Japanese fashion designer of the men’s brand TAKAHIRAMIYASHITATheSoloist. Miyashita’s original brand Number (N)ine made a mark on men’s fashion during the past decade when menswear was at its height in terms of reinterpreting youth culture. Number (N)ine, along with Undercover in Japan, Raf Simons in Paris, and Cloak in New York was the punk answer to the pop-music of contemporary fashion. Miyashita drew heavy on references such as Gus Van Sant’s films and 90s alternative music to create a world of his own. The brand was a critical and commercial success, but Miyashita did not get along with his business partners and he left the label in 2009. He spent a year soul-searching before making his next move.
We met in the morning in his Paris showroom, located in a courtyard in one the back streets of Marais. Miyashita is guarded, almost shy, in a way of a man who prefers to observe rather than be observed. I have never seen him without sunglasses. He speaks softly in good English, but his replies tend to be short and he takes time to consider them, as if words are simply not up to the task of truly expressing his thoughts.
Few successful designers today have the freedom to be a true auteur. Miyashita is one of them. He called his new brand TheSoloist to underscore that very fact. “Number (N)ine was a band,” Miyashita told me. “It was a big company, and often I did not get to do what I wanted. So I thought that I need to be a completely independent designer. I wanted to be a solo singer. Just like John Lennon who quit The Beatles to be John Lennon.” Today, Miyashita designs everything by himself, without a single assistant."
Full article on SZ-MAG
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