Kさんの紹介をする時に、
『まるでタイムマシンをにかけたかのようにVintageの風合いへと仕上げる男』
と紹介してしまいました。

タイムマシンという言い方をしてしまうと、まるでボタン一つで一気に何年も着用した風合いに勝手に仕上がる様なイメージを湧いてしまうかもと少し反省。
私が想像する以上に何工程も経て何年も着用した風合いに仕上げてくれています。

世の中には絶対音感と言って一度音を聞くと、譜面を見なくてもその音の高さを把握できる人が居ますよね。
『Kさんの凄い所は？』
と聞かれて私はこう考えました。
一度色落ちしたvintageを見せるとこの様に洗おうとかこの様に擦ろうというレシピが浮かぶ人。
絶対色感と言って良いのか分かりませんが、まるでスキャナーの様な特技が有る方です。

入り込むと時間も忘れて作業に没頭し、作業中は少年の様な表情が仕事をしてるのがとても印象的です。

後は大事な事だなと思い、完成したS40’sJKを現場に持っていき着て貰いました。
実は現場の作る人は縫製工場も織物工場も含め完成品に袖を通す機会は殆ど有りません。
早速着て貰うと自分で作っておきながら
『メチャクチャかっこいいね』
と嬉しそう。
もちろんフィードバックもあれば含めて一方通行では無く生産のサイクルが作れれば、店頭に並んでからのサイクルもスムーズなのかな？なんて思ったりします。
When I introduced Mr. K,
I described him as “a man who can give denim a vintage look as if it had gone through a time machine.”

But in hindsight, I realized that using the phrase “time machine” might give the wrong impression—
as if pressing a single button could instantly recreate years of wear and tear.

The truth is, what he does involves far more steps than I ever imagined.
He painstakingly works through many processes to recreate the look of jeans that have been worn for years.

Just like how some people have perfect pitch and can identify musical notes without a score,
I think Mr. K has something like “perfect fade sense.”

When he sees a pair of faded vintage jeans,
he immediately knows how to wash them, how to abrade them,
and what process is needed to recreate that look.
It’s like he has a built-in scanner for denim aging.

Once he starts working, he gets completely absorbed in the task—
losing track of time, focused like a boy building a model kit with pure joy.
That look on his face always leaves an impression on me.

One more thing I thought was important—
I brought the finished S40’s Jacket to his studio and had him try it on.

In reality, most people working in sewing or weaving factories hardly ever get the chance to wear the final product.
So when I handed him the jacket and he put it on,
he smiled and said,
“Wow, this looks amazing.”
Even though he made it himself.

Of course, he gave us feedback too.
If we can create a production cycle that allows voices like his to be heard—
not just one-way communication—
I believe it will lead to smoother processes, even after the garments hit the store shelves.