Quadrophenia: The Store With Multiple Personalities
QUADROPHENIA, a select shop once found in the Hankyu Department Store in Osaka, was the embodiment of four distinctly japanese brands brought together by stylist and editor Tsuyoshi Noguchi, recruiting designers Jun Takahashi of UNDERCOVER, Takahiro Miyashita of NUMBER (N)INE, Daisuke Obana of N.HOOLYWOOD, and Nobuhiko Kitamura of HYSTERIC GLAMOUR for the project. QUADROPHENIA means "quadruple personality," and became the store name when Takahiro Miyashita was experiencing what seemed to be a multiple personality disorder, at the time of planning.
An interview with EYESCREAM magazine features a conversation with the collective, asking them about developing such a project and what are some of the challenges they encountered. Initially skeptical of how four extremely strong personalities would mesh under one roof, Takahashi was relieved to find that meetings and discussions went smoothly without any disputes. Saski of c:hord was brought on to the design of the space. The group praised Noguchi for being able to pull off such a feat, something they believed only he could accomplish. While each of these individuals very likely knew of each other, it was Noguchi who was the one who recruited everyone onto the project. Miyashita and Kitamura confirm this saying that they had not yet met Obana yet prior to working on the QUADROPHENIA store.
Translation of Quadrophenia Article:
Undercover, Number Nine, N.Hollywood, and Hysteric Glamour. In a way, these four brands symbolize the current Tokyo and each one has their own unique style, so they will all co-exist in one shop. The person who came up with this bold and groundbreaking plan was Noguchi Tsuyoshi, one of Tokyo's leading stylist. The space known as "Quadrophenia" (quadrophenia) was made possible because of the mutual respect they have for each other. This must also represent the unique chemical reaction between these five people.
Noguchi is the leader of Quadrophenia, or rather the proponent. How did it start?
Noguchi: "It started when Hankyu said, 'We have some space on the second floor, can we do something interesting?' So, we thought it would be good to do something that can't be done in Tokyo, since it's Osaka. And there's no other men's building like that, so as far as I could think of, these people are the only ones who can do something interesting."
Are there things that can only be done in Osaka?
Noguchi: "It's difficult in Tokyo, isn't it?"
Takahashi: "It's impossible."
Noguchi: "Everyone already had their own store. So I asked each of them, 'Can you do it?’"
Did you talk to them one by one? You said you all met at LeBaron?
Noguchi: "No, no. It wasn't a bar. We spoke formally."
Who was the first to bring up the idea?
Noguchi: "Eh?"
Obana: "The order in which we said it made everyone say things like, 'What's this?' or 'I'm the last one [to be invited]?’"
Takahashi: "That happens sometimes."
Noguchi: "But I think we all said it almost on the same day."
Kitamura: "We had four phones and were on the phone at the same time (laughs)."
Noguchi: "We're not a real estate agency."
What did you think when you first heard it, Kitamura?
Kitamura: "What the founder says is absolute true, so we said something, ‘We'll follow him.’"
Noguchi: "(laughs) That's what you say a lot. It's not like that at all."
Kitamura: "I was like, 'Let's go to Osaka!' (laughs)"
Do you all feel the same way? When you heard it, Did you get it?
Obana: "I was using polite language on the phone, but this is it!!"
Everyone: "Hahahaha"
Did you feel the enthusiasm?
Obana: "Well, I was already desperate."
Noguchi: "We don’t have much time left. (laughs)"
When did you first begin planning?
Noguchi: "Around spring last year."
Takahashi: "But they started to move in much later, right?"
Kitamura: "The (Hankyu) store was open until about October last year, you were doing that right?"
Noguchi: "That's right."
Kitamura: "So, I went to see it with Jonio once, but I couldn't imagine it."
Takahashi: "It was like Nakano Broadway."
Everyone: "Hahahaha."
Kitamura: "It was business as usual, we had occasional meetings. In order to completely start from scratch, you need to take out the walls and ceiling. Until we did that, I couldn’t see anything clearly."
So it was completely different from the situation now.
Takahashi: "Completely different. It's spacious though."
Obana: "It's spacious, but we have to arrange it well."
Kitamura: "And there's the men's collection and stuff."
Takahashi: "Everyone is busy at different times."
Noguchi: "Miyashita was [busy] before the collection."
Obana: "On the other hand, when I was in Osaka the other day, Miyashita was the most chill (laughs)."
Noguchi: "Paris Fashion Week had just finished."
Takahashi: "Yeah. He had wings (laughs)."
Miyashita: "(laughs)."
Quadrophenia is a name that sounds and means just the right thing, but when you were deciding on everything, did you start with naming it first?
Noguchi: "No, we were working on it at the same time."
Obana: "Yeah. We were asking everyone what name to use."
Takahashi: "So when we got together, we were like, 'What should we do?' and we thought of something like ‘Land’ or something."
Miyashita: "I wasn't sold on that."
Everyone: "Hahahaha."
Takahashi: "Mainly because I don't check my emails."
So, dump it on everyone and release it with a message?
Obana: "It was like a game of catch."
Kitamura: "At first, we were talking about what was good, this was good, that was good, and then we got sidetracked and decided on it."
Noguchi: "That's right."
Kitamura: "Miyashita happened not to be there at the time, and we were talking about various things about Miyashita, and somehow it sounded like a multiple personality disorder, and we thought, 'Well, let's make it quadruple personality.'"
Obana: "Quadruple personality was a good fit, wasn't it?"
Noguchi: "That was quick. We looked up other options on the internet right away."
After the name was decided, from then until the store opened, all we had to decide on was the interior, right?
Noguchi: "The interior took a long time. Sasaki-kun was really tough."
Takahashi: "There was a guy named Sasaki-kun who was the designer of the interior."
Obana: "He came to the office at about 5am and brought the interior design, and he said, 'Obana-san, I don't know who I should focus on the most.' I told him, 'If you worry about that, it won't come together, so you should just keep on giving your opinion.'"
Kitamura: "That's when he said. 'Is it okay for me to say it to that member?'"
Obana: "Everyone says whatever they want."
You're all busy, but how many times have you met?
Kitamura: "We didn’t meet even 10 times."
Takahashi: "We didn’t meet even 10 times, but when we did, our meetings would go on for hours because we started the interior meeting at about 6pm and had meetings until 1am or midnight."
Kitamura: "Once we had dinner at about 3am and finished at 5:30am, right?"
Takahashi: "But it was hard because we were doing it in detail and with specifics."
Kitamura: "It went quickly after it was finished but then again, each of the four brands has a different color, so we can't put that in the forefront, so it's a bit tricky."
It's completely different from deciding on your own brand quickly, isn't it? How was the adjustment in that respect?
Kitamura: "It was interesting in a different way, but I couldn't do it half-heartedly, and I didn't want it to end in an instant or become boring."
Obana: "The shop name is reflected in the interior, and the four walls and fixtures are carefully designed, and I think that if you look closely, you'll notice that the attention to detail blends in naturally."
In this special feature, "MADE IN TOKYO" highlights current Tokyo creators. In other words, I think Quadrophenia is symbolic of Tokyo. I think that Tokyo from a foreigners perspective is different, but when someone like Mr. Noguchi goes abroad so often, he is labeled as a ‘creator from Tokyo’. How do you feel about that?
Noguchi: "I wonder. I think I feel that more when I'm in Tokyo. Because there are so many different artists and designers coming every month. It wasn't like that in the past, but now they come quite frequently. Also, there are a lot of Japanese people at Paris Fashion Week."
Kitamura: "I feel that when I'm in Tokyo. I wonder why so many different foreigners come. And even when they're here, they're looking forward to coming to Tokyo. So I think they're partly accepting of the Japanese temperament of Tokyo, and in a way they feel good. Japanese people are quite polite to customers, aren't they? Unlike other countries, they don't act like they have a big head like, "Where are you from?" So, in their own countries, they wouldn't be treated like that, but when they come to Tokyo, they're treated really well, and it feels really comfortable. And it's also really beautiful."
It seems like it's because they're treated so kindly.
Kitamura: At the same time, it's certain that young foreigners are becoming more interested in Japanese things. It's like Japanese people themselves were seen as suspicious. 20 years ago, it was things like the Famicom, karaoke, anime, and things like that. Now it's spread all over the world, and foreigners who have never been to Japan are saying that they want to come to Japan because of the Famicom, karaoke, or anime that I mentioned earlier. Fashion, etc…
What about Obana?
Obana: I personally love imported goods, but I don't think young people today have any desire for imported goods, so they don't have that sort of feeling of "I want this overseas product" or "It's an overseas brand!" For example, when it comes to food, clothing, and shelter, I feel good when I see something foreign, even something like detergent, but kids these days don't seem to like that. I don't think they have a sense for fashion. No matter how much they work in fashion, they always buy cheap and convenient things at Don Quijote, so they don't really enjoy going to other people's houses. When you open their closet, there are all kinds of things mixed together, and it all looks flat. It's not interesting if you can't see the parts like "This guy is particular about this". So I don't force my particularities on people who do this kind of work, but I just answer when asked. That's my way of thinking."
Kitamura: "If you think about it like that. Because nowadays, people from overseas are more active than young people in Japan."
Kitamura: "Go here and get something. Whether it's vintage or new, I feel like foreigners are more active in the otaku movement. They're not otaku on a computer screen, but people who actually take action."
When you and others like Takahashi do your collections in Paris, do you have the feeling that you are bringing Tokyo’s creations to the world?
Takahashi: "I don't feel like I'm showing Tokyo's creations. I just make them in Tokyo and show them there. So there is absolutely no "Look at Tokyo now" or anything like that. I didn't originally have any desire to go overseas, I just naturally had no choice but to go. If I had a desire to go overseas, I might have had some sort of "I'll carry Japan on my shoulders" kind of feeling, but that's not the case at all. I've been influenced by going overseas, but I don't really care about the place or anything like "I'll show you Japan."
Kitamura: "We don't accept everything about Tokyo either."
Takahashi: "It's pretty small, isn't it?"
Kitamura: "It's natural for us, but it's a really low percentage for the general public.
Takahashi: "That might come out naturally and some people might say it's interesting."
Miyashita-san has also done Paris Fashion Week, is that the same mindset you have?
Miyashita: "I used to think about that sort of thing, but a little bit after I started doing shows, and of course after I went to Paris, I didn't think about that at all. I'm just trying to show my perspective."
Even if that's how it is with your environment, don't you ever feel like it's a hindrance when people see you through the "Tokyo" filter?
Miyashita: "Yeah. This time especially, I was told, 'You probably know more about American clothes than Americans do.'"
Takahashi: "But that's Japanese culture, isn't it?"
Kishita: "Every time you do something completely different, people wonder where are you trying to go?"
Takahashi: "That's what Japanese people are like."
Miyashita: "That's what Japanese people are like."
Takahashi: "I think I do it a lot too (haha)."
Miyashita: "So maybe sometimes people think I'm being honest, or think I'm being over the top, and sometimes it's because I get misunderstood."
Takahashi: "Like, 'What do you want to do?'"
Everyone: "Hahahaha."
Takahashi: "Like, 'You're too big-headed.'”
Miyashita: "But I cut myself off more often now."
Takahashi: "On the other hand, Europeans, Germans, are too stoic, and there are a lot of people who do one thing all the time. Japanese people make different things every time, and the theme is different, and while some people find that interesting, others say, "What is this? I don't get it."
Miyashita: "So it's like Primal Scream."
First time: "Hahahaha."
Miyashita: "Like, 'What's with this album?' or 'But I like it.'"
Takahashi: "I think that's fine, that's what makes us Japanese, the mixed culture."
Miyashita: "It's easy to absorb things."
Kitamura: "We're an island nation, and a nation of many ethnicities."
Takahashi: "I think that's where all kinds of things come from. But even though we do something different every time, it's fine as long as there's a thread."
Noguchi: "That should be more fun for the viewers."
Miyashita: "That's why I think you did something like that (like Quadrophenia), but if something was too similar, I think it would have been better if someone else had done it instead of Sakasa."
Takahashi: "Even the four of us are completely different."
Miyashita: "I was confused when I saw them lined up in the store. I didn't understand. I was like, 'What is this?'"
Obana: "The thing that surprised me the most was, at first the jackets were with jackets but it was impossible."
Miyashita: "That's impossible."
Takahashi: "They're all different, so the customers would get confused."
Miyashita: "It would be amazing if someone could coordinate an outfit and buy it. (laughs)."
Everyone: "Hahahaha."
Miyashita: "It would be disgusting if someone made those choices.”
Takahashi: "It could work for styling, right?"
Noguchi: "I'm sure there is someone out there."
Takahashi: "You can become a buyer, a stylist, or a designer. In that sense, you can handle it."
Obana: "You can study there, like people in the stylist department in Osaka."
Kitamura: "When you think about it like that, we need one or two people like that in the color department."
Takahashi: "You've already been through four, and it's different every season. It doesn't make sense, does it?"
Noguchi: "That's why I said we should name the store something like Land."
Is there any possibility that you'll collaborate on something in the future just between the product exhibitions of each of the four brands?
Noguchi: "If we have time."
Miyashita: "If the four of us start thinking about making something, it will take about 100 years."
Everyone: "Hahahaha."
Takahashi: "It will be difficult."
Obana: I’m going to decide on a part time position and make messy clothing. I might be able to do it if it has a good theme.
Takahashi: "Also, Obana started out doing the graphics, right? It seems like we can only do graphic t-shirts, otherwise if everyone has their opinions it will loose it’s cohesion."
Noguchi: "It will become disorganized."
Takahashi: "When it comes to clothes, though."
Miyashita: "Takahashi-san makes the right sleeve, I make the left sleeve, Obana makes the collar, and Nobu-san makes the body."
Takahashi: "That sounds good."
Miyashita: "I wonder what will happen."
Noguchi: "Hahaha."
Takahashi: "We just need to decide on a theme."
Obana: "But it would be weird if it sold like crazy."
Takahashi: "But will it look cool?"
Miyashita: "It's a bit tricky. It's worth trying."
Kitamura: "If we put it out at the same time, we might end up saying, 'Oh, it doesn't fit at all.'"
Takahashi: "If we get into the details of sizing and stuff, then someone has to redraw the pattern at the end."
Obana: "Let's decide on Tsuyoshi-san's body type and make it fit that."
Takahashi: "I think it would be cool if we decided on black leather or something. I think it's better to narrow it down a bit so that the unevenness doesn't stand out."
Obana: "If we go that far, we can make proper clothes (laughs)."
Takahashi: "That might be good. Want to try?"
Noguchi: "That would be interesting."
Speaking of collaborations, I've heard that collaborations are rare with foreign brands.
Takahashi: "I don't think there are any collaborations between brands."
Kitamura: "There might be collaborations between artists and brands, like Louis Vuitton but there aren't many brands collaborating with other brands... That's one of the good things about Tokyo."
Takahashi: "That's right."
Kitamura: "So, for example, if someone has an anniversary and they're having a party, everyone goes and celebrates. Next time it's your turn, everyone will come. That's a good way to have a good local community.”
Do companies have different structures when it comes to a decent brand and others?
Takahashi: "Because it's a corporate thing, I can't make small moves.”
Kitamura: "You can't do anything on your own. After all, overseas, designers are just employed."
Takahashi: "They probably don't have the corporate culture where you can quickly turn your ideas into something concrete like we do."
It's because we're in Tokyo, but it's also because of our generation. Have you ever experienced that?
Obana: "In terms of generations, I'm from a different generation than Shin-san.”
Takahashi: "But we don't fight. Well, I don't think we'll fight (laughs). In that sense, I think (these four) get along really well."
Noguchi-san had anticipated that to some extent.
Noguchi: "I thought so. It's hard to have someone to fight with. Because even if you were to ask who else there is (besides these four), there isn't."
Takahashi: "But I'd never met Obana.
Kitamura: "I me neither"
Obana: "I was pretty nervous."
Noguchi: "I was wondering if it would be okay because he's a pervert."
Everyone: "Hahaha."
Miyashita: "It's been a while since I've heard the word pervert."
Takahashi: "But he is a pervert."
Obana: "Is that a compliment?"
Takahashi: "It's a bit tricky."
Obana: "It's a bit on the borderline, isn't it?"
Takahashi: "It's a bit on the borderline, isn't it?"
They call something that is on the borderline tricky. I think it's good. It's funny."
Noguchi: "Funny."
Kitamura: "I'm looking forward to going out to eat with everyone."
Takahashi: "I hope you’re thinking about where we can eat afterwards."
End of Conversation.
Unfortunately, the store no longer exists with any record of it fading into obscurity through the passage of time. Despite being from different generations of Tokyo’s fashion scene, paired with the challenge of grappling four very distinct brands into one store space, the group got along very well, embracing the challenge of creating something not possible in a place like Tokyo. Today, the Hankyu Department Store is home to two Undercover stores instead. One for menswear, and one for womenswear. While this ambitious concept was short lived, it represented the important legacy of Ura-Hara to Japanese fashion and how there are still many stories out there to be rediscovered.
Leftover Info:
According to Jun Takahashi’s Blog:
QUADROHENIA means Quadruple personality.
The project "QUADROHENIA", has been under development since last year [2007], and is ready to be unveiled.
First, let me explain what "QUADROHENIA" is.
It is a mixed-use [select shop] shop of four brands brought together by Tsuyoshi Noguchi [stylist and fashion editor].
As some of you may already know, the four brands are UNDERCOVER, HYSTERIC GLAMOUR, NUNBER NINE, and N.HOLLYWOOD.
"QUADROHENIA" will open on the 2nd floor of the Hankyu Men's Building in Umeda, Osaka, on Feburary 1st.
We have been holding meetings about this store since last year, an it will finally open this Friday, 2/1.
Everything, from the name to the interior of the store, the carrier bags, hangers, wrapping paper, and direct mailings are the embodiment of work between the four designers and the powerful tag team of sales associates.
At first, I wondered what would happen if four extremely assertive people came together, but surprisingly, things went smoothly without any disputes. I think the four of us get along really well.
Of course, it's also amazing that Tsuyoshi-kun is in charge of bringing everyone together. Hats off to the efforts of the two young up-and-comers, Obana from N.HOLLYWOOD and Sasaki from C:hord who was in charge of designing the interior. It's been a while since I've seen such talented young people. It's very encouraging.
"QUADROHENIA", the fruit of everyone's efforts, will open on February 1st at 10:00.
There will also be lots of commemorative opening products, so be sure to check them out.