"They make clothes meticulously, but behave like they're messing around.
I always thought he was a really peculiar guy (laughs)." (Minami)

Tomomi Kishita (Kishita below): I'm a bit nervous…

Takayuki Minami (Minami below): Just chat as you would normally (laughs).

Kishita: Oh, yeah? (laughs)

Minami: In these conversations we always end up talking about things unrelated anyway.

―Right. I'd like to ease into it like that. But the theme is, of course, the Graphpaper × is-ness collaboration.

Minami: How long have we been doing this together now? Switching things up each time...

Kishita: (Laughs)

Minami: At first, we often made is-ness silhouettes using our (Graphpaper) fabrics.

Kishita: We did quite a lot of that.

―If I remember correctly, the first one was Spring / Summer 2021?

Minami: Yes. Graphpaper Aoyama is our multi-brand store, so we already carried is-ness normally. Then we thought, why not make something exclusive for our shop? That was the starting point.

Kishita: Right. We did that for several seasons.

―So you were working closely together from early on.

Minami: We've known each other for over 20 years. It goes back to when he had just started the brand.

Kishita: Yes. is-ness turns 25 next year, so we've known each other about that long.

Minami: We still grab meals or travel together sometimes. We don't normally talk about business.

Kishita: We really don't. I think the very first time was when you were still at CANNABIS. We had an exhibition but the schedule didn't match, so you visited our office outside the exhibition dates. That might have been the start.

―I'm sure you couldn't attend every brand's exhibition back then either. Something must have caught your attention.

Minami: If anything, I could attend less back then because I had to do sales myself. But I felt there was someone making interesting things – outerwear and shells you wouldn't normally see outside sports brands. And they were flashy.

Kishita: With beads attached and stuff (laughs).

Minami: Yes. Technically unnecessary, but that's what drew me in, so we carried it. As far as I remember, there weren't fashion brands making outdoor wear like that. The clothes were made properly, but the ideas were chaotic. I thought he was really strange (laughs).

Kishita: (Laughs) Especially 25 years ago.

Minami: We carried is-ness at CANNABIS for almost 10 years. We had a close but on-the-go relationship. Later, after Graphpaper started, I saw the pieces again at an exhibition and thought, "These are really strong," and made an order.

Kishita: You even came when you were running 1LDK. You asked, "Could you make a suit using something similar to a 3-layer material?" but the timing was tricky and we couldn't make it happen.

Minami: Right. I was asking for unreasonable things as usual.

Kishita: (Laughs)

Minami: The early days were wild. Now we've become a lot more subdued in terms of design (laughs).

―That said, I still think fans want that authenticity with the unmistakable is-ness twist.

Kishita: Yeah, our longtime customers especially. I've always liked cultural references, so it was stronger back then.

Minami: Yes, you had music as a base.

Kishita: And you understood that well about me.

―You weren't originally from the music industry, right?

Kishita: No, but I loved music, and around my late teens I started DJing, collecting records, playing in clubs.

Minami: I unknowingly went to your parties when I was young.

―You realized later?

Minami: Yes. And just the other day, he took me to a club in Shibuya – turned out the owner was someone I used to make problems for, back when I was young. It was awkward.

Kishita: (Laughs) A few DJs from Jakarta were in town and playing that night. They followed Minami on Instagram so it was a great atmosphere.

Minami: Yeah it really was, but it was a big shock seeing that club manager again. He acted mature about the whole thing and was kind to me though.

"If a little misalignment can spark
something new, that's the ideal." (Kishita)

―(Laughs) I think we've got a good sense of your relationship now, so lastly let's talk about the collaboration.

Minami: This time was unusual.

Kishita: A first for us.

Minami: There was a fabric I'd fallen in love with. A modern revival of old 80s suit fabrics. When a supplier showed it to me, I thought, "This is nuts." I'd been wanting to make something with it. When we discussed a new is-ness collaboration, I said, "How about using this fabric?" and he goes "Well, actually I'm using that fabric this season."

Kishita: Right. Exactly the same fabric.

- An archive fabric once used for 1980s tailored jackets, analyzed and revived for the present day

Minami: I was shocked. He used it in is-ness designs, but I wanted to make a classic suit like archival Armani. We talked about trying a matching jacket and pants, mixing both brand identities.

Kishita: For me, realizing we picked the same fabric among countless other options felt like a true alignment. We had to make something together.

Minami: A straight-forward revival wouldn't be interesting, but this fabric was updated. The coloring, weaving, sampling were well done.

Kishita: We used it for coats, shirts, pants – I liked its atmosphere. A tailored look but not stuffy.

Minami: In the collaboration, we went more direct, like a classic double-breasted. Based on our oversized double jacket, but instead of just recreating it, I threw the challenge to him – as always. This part opens up, see.

Kishita: Right, we added ventilation zippers at the sides. It changes the silhouette and improves pocket usability. You can unzip them when it gets warm. The pants combine Graphpaper's chef pants detail on the waist and our balloon pants design through the leg. We'd made this kind of silhouette before in another collaboration together, and thought it suited this fabric. With the jacket this time, it created a matching set.

―The details are a great mix, timed perfectly.

Minami: Back-to-back. I just threw it to them and let them work.

Kishita: (Laughs)

―But unlike hype-based collabs, this feels thoroughly constructed.

Minami: It's basically just a hobby.

Kishita: (Laughs) I like when subculture slips into the mainstream slightly. From tiny mismatches, new things can emerge.

―is-ness has done many collaborations. How do you decide whether to accept an offer?

Kishita: No specific criteria. I go forward if I feel interested. Different perspectives make the creation part enjoyable.

Minami: Sounds like he's being considerate.

Kishita: (Laughs) But really, this time was smooth.

Minami: I can imagine this zipper must've been tough for a tailoring factory. It's great they were able to finish it so well.

Kishita: Quite a hassle (laughs).

Minami: …(starts unzipping the jacket)

Kishita: It opens from the bottom, but it doesn't detach completely.

Minami: Is that right? I left that part entirely to them (laughs).

―(Laughs) Wearing this setup to go out clubbing again together would be fun.

Minami: No way, it'd be embarrassing if we matched.

Kishita: (Laughs)

Release Date
Saturday, November 16, 2024, 12:00 -
In-store and Web Store simultaneous launch

Price: ¥79,200 + tax
Color: GRAY / BLACK / BROWN
Size: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Price: ¥41,800 + tax
Color: GRAY / BLACK / BROWN
Size: 1 / 2

Tomomi Kishita
Born 1970 in Shizuoka. After fashion college and working as buyer and planner, he launched is-ness in 2001. Drawing from music and subculture, he continues to create innovative and distinctive designs.

Text: Rui Konno