Takayuki Kono, who has worked with Yoshiokubo designer Yoshio Kubo for 14 years, took over Kubo's brand in 2016 and is currently active as the designer of UNDECORATED . Kono, who says he has spent more time with Kubo than his partner, spoke to us about Kubo, who is a designer, businessman, and mentor. (Text: Yaro Matsushita)
Kono first encountered yoshiokubo clothing at a Beams store when he was 21 and a university student. He liked the sporty-mix tailored clothing and simple yet somehow unique designs. However, until he joined the company, the only thing he had actually bought and worn was a single striped T-shirt. "At first, that was all I wore, so people knew right away," Kono laughs.
Kono's father was also a designer, so from a young age he dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, but his father persuaded him to "not just go to a four-year university," so he went to a regular four-year university instead.
She was told that after graduation she could do whatever she wanted, such as studying abroad or attending a vocational school, but she felt that learning fashion from scratch after graduation would be a waste of time. "It would also mean starting my career at a later age, so I was worried."
Kono thought that it would be difficult to work in product planning and design at a major apparel company, so he searched for a small brand that was doing wholesale business, and decided to work at yoshiokubo. Although it was a brand he liked, he also saw it as a shortcut to becoming a designer, as a cunning plan.
"The first time we met was during the interview, although Kubo did 90% of the talking," Kono said with a laugh as he recalled their first meeting 14 years ago. He wasn't even asked why he wanted to work there, but he did say that he wanted to start his own brand someday. He began working at yoshiokubo in the spring of 2008.
At the time, the company hadn't even been incorporated, and there were only three members, including Kubo. Kono was the fourth. Kubo's home and office in Yutenji became the entire office when Kono joined. Kono said he'd do anything, making sales calls from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and from the second year he was also involved in product planning and production management, always sticking close to Kubo. Since there were only four of them, there was no division of labor, and whoever was free at the time did whatever it was.
I asked him to describe Kubo Yoshio in one word. "When I'm with Kubo, I feel energy and passion." That's the complete opposite of Kono and Kubo's partner, Uchida Shinobu. Kubo speaks like a machine gun, but the other two tend to keep their emotions to a minimum and view things objectively.
- "Well, Kono-kun. Compatibility between people is like a convex and concave. Even if you have completely opposite personalities, if you get along well, that's all that matters," Kubo is said to often say. So, it seems that the two of them actually get along well.
When the products they made arrive at the company, Kubo is the first to praise them, saying, "Wow, that's amazing! It's so good!" The boss's joy raises the spirits of those around him, naturally creating a positive mood within the company.
- "(The ability to get others involved) is a skill I don't have. It's amazing how he can move people with the words he speaks." In the early days, the brand had neither name recognition nor money, but his words sometimes worked like magic, moving fabric stores and sewing factories that were reluctant to comply with Kubo's unreasonable demands. "I don't think anyone other than Kubo could have done it."
Kubo is a man of words. He uses words as a driving force for his creativity and to foster a positive atmosphere within the company. Kono shared with us a memory of a time when Kubo kept quiet.
This story goes back nearly three years ago, when Kubo and Kono were helping out at a Chinese company. They were on a 60-day contract each year, with monthly business trips. Each trip lasted five days, with daily commutes to and from the company, about a 40-minute drive from the hotel. It was a demanding business trip, handling around 300 items per season. Even Kubo, who is usually quite talkative, would close his mouth and say, "Kono, I don't have anything more to say," before plugging in his earphones and silently watching videos on a video service.
Kono says that the atmosphere in the company is different when Kubo is there and when he's not. Just having him there makes things more lively and energetic in a good way, and it brings movement to the company. He says that people from outside the company who visit the office often say, "It has a great atmosphere."
Kubo's attention to the atmosphere within the company may be due to his experience as an apprentice in New York, when he volunteered to liven up the atmosphere for foreign seamstresses from different backgrounds.
■Memories of my apprenticeship in New York
It is likely that he is consciously taking on the role of mood maker. As a designer, he not only dreams, but as a manager he also needs to constantly think about business, so "I think he is naturally behaving in a conscious way. In reality, we ourselves need to do more," says Kono.
Kubo is a bundle of energy and a passionate person, but he is not stubborn. Rather, he listens to other people's opinions and is flexible. For example, he readily handed over the brand he had been working on, "Undecorated" (then called "Undecorated Man"), to Kono. He was still active and there were probably things he wanted to express with the brand, but "he passed the baton to me, because I had said that I wanted to be a designer even if I died."
He has a side that rushes ahead and causes trouble for those around him, but he also has a thoughtful side that never forgets to show detailed consideration and gratitude. It sounds nice to say that he has both, but in reality, he runs ahead on impulse, then realizes later that he's causing trouble for those around him, and is grateful and apologizes. That's what I think he's like. Still, there are many people in this world who can't do that, so that alone is valuable.
Even Kono, who had a strong independent spirit, says he was surprised that he spent so much time working under Kubo. This is probably because Kubo is such an interesting person and he respects him as a boss. Kubo considers Kono, who has been with Kubo for a long time as the fourth member of the company, to be a valuable partner and has allowed him to do what he wants. He handed over the brand baton to Kono not only as a sign of keeping his promise, but also because he trusts Kono. They are polar opposites in terms of mentor and disciple, and their relationship is a perfect fit. (Titles omitted)
Kono first encountered yoshiokubo clothing at a Beams store when he was 21 and a university student. He liked the sporty-mix tailored clothing and simple yet somehow unique designs. However, until he joined the company, the only thing he had actually bought and worn was a single striped T-shirt. "At first, that was all I wore, so people knew right away," Kono laughs.
Kono's father was also a designer, so from a young age he dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, but his father persuaded him to "not just go to a four-year university," so he went to a regular four-year university instead.
She was told that after graduation she could do whatever she wanted, such as studying abroad or attending a vocational school, but she felt that learning fashion from scratch after graduation would be a waste of time. "It would also mean starting my career at a later age, so I was worried."
Kono thought that it would be difficult to work in product planning and design at a major apparel company, so he searched for a small brand that was doing wholesale business, and decided to work at yoshiokubo. Although it was a brand he liked, he also saw it as a shortcut to becoming a designer, as a cunning plan.
"The first time we met was during the interview, although Kubo did 90% of the talking," Kono said with a laugh as he recalled their first meeting 14 years ago. He wasn't even asked why he wanted to work there, but he did say that he wanted to start his own brand someday. He began working at yoshiokubo in the spring of 2008.
At the time, the company hadn't even been incorporated, and there were only three members, including Kubo. Kono was the fourth. Kubo's home and office in Yutenji became the entire office when Kono joined. Kono said he'd do anything, making sales calls from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and from the second year he was also involved in product planning and production management, always sticking close to Kubo. Since there were only four of them, there was no division of labor, and whoever was free at the time did whatever it was.
I asked him to describe Kubo Yoshio in one word. "When I'm with Kubo, I feel energy and passion." That's the complete opposite of Kono and Kubo's partner, Uchida Shinobu. Kubo speaks like a machine gun, but the other two tend to keep their emotions to a minimum and view things objectively.
- "Well, Kono-kun. Compatibility between people is like a convex and concave. Even if you have completely opposite personalities, if you get along well, that's all that matters," Kubo is said to often say. So, it seems that the two of them actually get along well.
When the products they made arrive at the company, Kubo is the first to praise them, saying, "Wow, that's amazing! It's so good!" The boss's joy raises the spirits of those around him, naturally creating a positive mood within the company.
- "(The ability to get others involved) is a skill I don't have. It's amazing how he can move people with the words he speaks." In the early days, the brand had neither name recognition nor money, but his words sometimes worked like magic, moving fabric stores and sewing factories that were reluctant to comply with Kubo's unreasonable demands. "I don't think anyone other than Kubo could have done it."
Kubo is a man of words. He uses words as a driving force for his creativity and to foster a positive atmosphere within the company. Kono shared with us a memory of a time when Kubo kept quiet.
This story goes back nearly three years ago, when Kubo and Kono were helping out at a Chinese company. They were on a 60-day contract each year, with monthly business trips. Each trip lasted five days, with daily commutes to and from the company, about a 40-minute drive from the hotel. It was a demanding business trip, handling around 300 items per season. Even Kubo, who is usually quite talkative, would close his mouth and say, "Kono, I don't have anything more to say," before plugging in his earphones and silently watching videos on a video service.
Kono says that the atmosphere in the company is different when Kubo is there and when he's not. Just having him there makes things more lively and energetic in a good way, and it brings movement to the company. He says that people from outside the company who visit the office often say, "It has a great atmosphere."
Kubo's attention to the atmosphere within the company may be due to his experience as an apprentice in New York, when he volunteered to liven up the atmosphere for foreign seamstresses from different backgrounds.
■Memories of my apprenticeship in New York
It is likely that he is consciously taking on the role of mood maker. As a designer, he not only dreams, but as a manager he also needs to constantly think about business, so "I think he is naturally behaving in a conscious way. In reality, we ourselves need to do more," says Kono.
Kubo is a bundle of energy and a passionate person, but he is not stubborn. Rather, he listens to other people's opinions and is flexible. For example, he readily handed over the brand he had been working on, "Undecorated" (then called "Undecorated Man"), to Kono. He was still active and there were probably things he wanted to express with the brand, but "he passed the baton to me, because I had said that I wanted to be a designer even if I died."
He has a side that rushes ahead and causes trouble for those around him, but he also has a thoughtful side that never forgets to show detailed consideration and gratitude. It sounds nice to say that he has both, but in reality, he runs ahead on impulse, then realizes later that he's causing trouble for those around him, and is grateful and apologizes. That's what I think he's like. Still, there are many people in this world who can't do that, so that alone is valuable.
Even Kono, who had a strong independent spirit, says he was surprised that he spent so much time working under Kubo. This is probably because Kubo is such an interesting person and he respects him as a boss. Kubo considers Kono, who has been with Kubo for a long time as the fourth member of the company, to be a valuable partner and has allowed him to do what he wants. He handed over the brand baton to Kono not only as a sign of keeping his promise, but also because he trusts Kono. They are polar opposites in terms of mentor and disciple, and their relationship is a perfect fit. (Titles omitted)