私とXX DEVELOPMENTの太一君が出会ったのは2003年、23歳の頃。共通の友人に「絶対合うから！」と紹介され、彼はすでに起業していて、その姿勢に強く刺激を受けました。TCBの名前を付けてくれたのも彼で、もし出会っていなければTCBは存在しなかったかもしれません。
今日は、そんな私たちが社会人として青春を過ごしていた2002年に生まれた二人、バンビ君と溝口君を紹介します。高校から服飾学校まで6年間を共にし、今はバンビ君がXX DEVELOPMENT、溝口君がTCBで働いています。
まさか23歳の頃には想像していなかった世界——彼が作ったTシャツを私が別注して販売し、それを世界中の人たちが着てくれている。そして、そんな姿を見て憧れ、お互いの会社に就職してくれる若者がいる。
これからも、この枝葉を少しずつ増やしながら、大きな大樹に育てていきたい。
そんな出会いから生まれた企画のひとつが、5年前にRyo君と訪れたベルリンで見たグラフィティ『CATURDAY』です。猫のように自由で、どんな瞬間も自分らしく楽しむ一日を、私たちはCATURDAYと呼びたい。リラックスして、ご飯を食べても、猫を抱いても、それはCATURDAY。
そんな思いを込めたCATURDAY Tシャツ、Blackも販売中です。夏の終わりですが、ぜひ手に取ってみてください。
I first met Taichi, the president of XX DEVELOPMENT, back in 2003 when we were both 23. A mutual friend told me, “You two will definitely get along!” and introduced us. He had already started his own company, and I remember being deeply inspired by his drive and ambition. In fact, he’s the one who came up with the name TCB—if I hadn’t met him, TCB might not even exist.
Today, I’d like to introduce two young guys who were born in 2002, when we were just starting out in our careers: Bambi and Mizoguchi. They’ve been friends since high school and studied together for six years at fashion school. Now, Bambi works at XX DEVELOPMENT and Mizoguchi is part of the TCB team.
Back when I was 23, I could never have imagined this world—Taichi designing T-shirts that I would custom-order and sell, with people around the globe wearing them. And now, seeing young people inspired by our work and joining our companies—it’s something really special.
My hope is to keep growing those branches, little by little, until they become a great big tree.
One of the projects born from that connection came from a trip five years ago, when Ryo and I visited Berlin. There, on a street corner, we saw graffiti that read “CATURDAY.” The idea stuck with me—living freely like a cat, making every moment your own. Whether you’re relaxing, eating a good meal, or holding your favorite cat, that’s a CATURDAY.
We poured that feeling into our CATURDAY T-shirt, now available in Black as well. Summer may be coming to an end, but don’t miss out—grab one while you can.