UNDECORATED From the Inside
The brand name "UNDECORATED" itself embodies the concept of "unadorned." Currently, Takayuki Kono, who previously worked as an assistant to Yoshio Kubo, the representative director of the company and the creator of "yoshiokubo," serves as the designer. Kono himself proposed the rebranding to Kubo and took over the brand in 2016 through a change of designer. In a series of articles, we will explore what "UNDECORATED" looks like from an insider's perspective.
――First, let's talk about your career, Mr. Kono. You're about to cross the five-year mark since taking over "UNDECORATED," but were you originally aspiring to be a designer?
Kono: Yes, I was. My father was also a designer, and ever since I was little, I had a strong desire to become a designer. However, my father persuaded me, saying, "You should at least go to a four-year university, even if you think of it as a summer vacation for life. After that, you can do whatever you want!" So, I studied business administration at a four-year university. It might be a bit unusual since the vast majority of designers graduate from fashion design schools.
Around the time I was graduating from university, I often thought, "Should I go to a vocational school after all, or even study abroad? Which path should I take?" I was 22, a university graduate. I personally wanted to become an independent designer as soon as possible, so I couldn't afford to hesitate. That's when I decided to give up on vocational school and studying abroad and instead find a job.
――So, because your future was clear, you wanted to get closer to your dream by taking the shortest route. But there are many brands in Japan. Why did you choose "yoshiokubo"?
Kono: Even if I could get into a major apparel company, I, with no experience, would probably have to start by working as a sales associate. To be involved in clothing production from the beginning, I diligently searched for brands without their own stores. At that time, not many brands had official websites, so my sources of information were select shops and fashion magazines. I would search for brands and call them to inquire about whether they had stores or not. I found a brand at BEAMS that I had always thought had interesting mixed materials and cutting. That was "yoshiokubo."
I recently had an opportunity to talk about Kubo, and as I mentioned in that article (Yoshio Kubo is a "Ball of Energy"), I made sure to convey only one thing during the interview: "Someday, I want to have my own brand." And so, in 2008, I ended up working for "yoshiokubo."
――What were your days like after joining the company?
Kono: There were only four of us, including myself. That was fewer staff than I had imagined before joining. (laughs) We worked until late every night at Kubo-san's home-office. Because there were so few of us, I got to be involved in the entire process from miscellaneous tasks to production, sales, and shipping, all the way until the clothes were finished and delivered to stores. It was a daily learning experience.
Looking back now, I think this was when I truly learned "clothing production." No matter how wonderful a design concept is, it's meaningless if you can't actually tailor it into "good clothes." That's why I believe designers need to meticulously know everything as knowledge—about materials, specifications, the balance between design and material, and the process by which clothes are made. I learned the fundamental roots of clothing production during that time.
――So that's how you became a designer. So, when did you become the designer for "UNDECORATED"?
Kono: About three years before I took over the brand, I became fully involved in the planning for both "yoshiokubo" and "UNDECORATED MAN," and I was proposing designs to Kubo.
Looking back, I think I drew over 300 designs each season, including those I didn't show to Kubo. Even now, I go through about one notebook per season.
Looking back now, I think at that time I had a strong desire to be recognized by Kubo, and I tended to propose designs that he would likely like or designs that would sell well. Of course, after many revisions, they eventually became something I was fully satisfied with when they were released to the world.
――Were you nervous the first time you proposed a design?
Kono: I wasn't afraid. (laughs) From the time I started getting involved in planning, Kubo repeatedly told me, "The moment you become a designer, you must have the mindset that you're competing on the same playing field as every other brand in the world." So, I guess that's why I wasn't afraid.
And so, Kono took over "UNDECORATED" starting with the Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.
Next time, we will talk about the background of the rebranding, the concept creation, the philosophy of clothing production, and the meaning and thoughts behind "unadorned."
――First, let's talk about your career, Mr. Kono. You're about to cross the five-year mark since taking over "UNDECORATED," but were you originally aspiring to be a designer?
Kono: Yes, I was. My father was also a designer, and ever since I was little, I had a strong desire to become a designer. However, my father persuaded me, saying, "You should at least go to a four-year university, even if you think of it as a summer vacation for life. After that, you can do whatever you want!" So, I studied business administration at a four-year university. It might be a bit unusual since the vast majority of designers graduate from fashion design schools.
Around the time I was graduating from university, I often thought, "Should I go to a vocational school after all, or even study abroad? Which path should I take?" I was 22, a university graduate. I personally wanted to become an independent designer as soon as possible, so I couldn't afford to hesitate. That's when I decided to give up on vocational school and studying abroad and instead find a job.
――So, because your future was clear, you wanted to get closer to your dream by taking the shortest route. But there are many brands in Japan. Why did you choose "yoshiokubo"?
Kono: Even if I could get into a major apparel company, I, with no experience, would probably have to start by working as a sales associate. To be involved in clothing production from the beginning, I diligently searched for brands without their own stores. At that time, not many brands had official websites, so my sources of information were select shops and fashion magazines. I would search for brands and call them to inquire about whether they had stores or not. I found a brand at BEAMS that I had always thought had interesting mixed materials and cutting. That was "yoshiokubo."
I recently had an opportunity to talk about Kubo, and as I mentioned in that article (Yoshio Kubo is a "Ball of Energy"), I made sure to convey only one thing during the interview: "Someday, I want to have my own brand." And so, in 2008, I ended up working for "yoshiokubo."
――What were your days like after joining the company?
Kono: There were only four of us, including myself. That was fewer staff than I had imagined before joining. (laughs) We worked until late every night at Kubo-san's home-office. Because there were so few of us, I got to be involved in the entire process from miscellaneous tasks to production, sales, and shipping, all the way until the clothes were finished and delivered to stores. It was a daily learning experience.
Looking back now, I think this was when I truly learned "clothing production." No matter how wonderful a design concept is, it's meaningless if you can't actually tailor it into "good clothes." That's why I believe designers need to meticulously know everything as knowledge—about materials, specifications, the balance between design and material, and the process by which clothes are made. I learned the fundamental roots of clothing production during that time.
――So that's how you became a designer. So, when did you become the designer for "UNDECORATED"?
Kono: About three years before I took over the brand, I became fully involved in the planning for both "yoshiokubo" and "UNDECORATED MAN," and I was proposing designs to Kubo.
Looking back, I think I drew over 300 designs each season, including those I didn't show to Kubo. Even now, I go through about one notebook per season.
↑ Notebooks filled with designs
Looking back now, I think at that time I had a strong desire to be recognized by Kubo, and I tended to propose designs that he would likely like or designs that would sell well. Of course, after many revisions, they eventually became something I was fully satisfied with when they were released to the world.
↑ Designs are drawn in the order of the human body (left: pencil) → clothing rough sketch (middle: Muji mechanical pencil) → clothing finishing (right: ballpoint pen).
――Were you nervous the first time you proposed a design?
Kono: I wasn't afraid. (laughs) From the time I started getting involved in planning, Kubo repeatedly told me, "The moment you become a designer, you must have the mindset that you're competing on the same playing field as every other brand in the world." So, I guess that's why I wasn't afraid.
And so, Kono took over "UNDECORATED" starting with the Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.
Next time, we will talk about the background of the rebranding, the concept creation, the philosophy of clothing production, and the meaning and thoughts behind "unadorned."
