Comai, an artist who has been interested in environmental issues since he was a teenager and launched the water-related project "HYPE FREE WATER" in 2020. Comai cruises on "VCM MARKET BOOTH", which focuses on used clothes and vintages corresponding to our changing lifestyles, and "NORDISK CAMP SUPPLY STORE", which proposes an outdoor life where you can enjoy a sense of unity with nature and the earth. Sustainable options required in a new era of diversification. "To get a little closer to a sustainable society."
- Photo
- Sayo Nagase
- Hair&Make
- TORI.
- Text
- Hisako Yamazaki
- Edit
- RIDE MEDIA＆DESIGN inc.
Valuable vintage items
Leaving it as "Next Luxury" for posterity
In this era of mass production and mass destruction, Vintage Collection Mall (VCM) launched its service as an e-commerce shopping mall specializing in vintages based on the concept of adding new value to what someone loves and leaving it to the future. On February 25, 2022, the first real store "VCM MARKET BOOTH" was opened on the 4th floor of Shibuya PARCO. Participating shops are opened regularly while changing stores. Currently, there are two stores, "Hedy" and "mood Tokyo vintage", which are centered on high-brand archives, and "H&JUMPIN' JAP FLASH", "dracaena", "Gleeful", and "HOLIDAY WORKS", which have a wide selection of vintage items selected by buyers. I asked Mr. Comai, who enjoys used clothes on a daily basis, about the charm of vintage. “Like this short jacket, the design, which is hand-sewn and carefully embroidered one by one in the Velvet, is delicate that cannot be considered by modern mass-produced clothes. It seems that the paired boots were stage costumes, and it is also fun to learn about the story behind the item. There are interesting designs and textiles, and there are always new discoveries.”
＜Gleeful＞ Tops, <Gleeful> pants, <Gleeful> belt
Our goal was to “comfort that is easy to overwrite”
A space that is not planned is here
"VCM MARKET BOOTH" is the first project of SKWAT, a project that creates free spaces such as Omotesando and Harajuku as if they were "occupied", and the graphic designer Toru Kase, a project that transmits cultural content for a limited time. The interior thoroughly pursues the "lightness that is easy to overwrite" that was diluted in the spatial design of commercial facilities, and removes the enclosures and walls of conventional commercial facilities, creating a fluid and challenging interior that looks like in the middle of construction. "Don't change the space, focus on wisdom and devise it, and show it in a different place. Rather than using fixtures and resources to create spaces, they use recycled materials or make them look completely different in graphics. I thought it was very creative and interesting,” Komai said.
My old clothes and I, one-on-one relationship.
The joy of meeting is like life.
“A used clothes shop likes this dress!” If you think, you will be in the circle of people who wear it.…I think it's interesting because it's like I'm in the contact network. I feel happy because there is a narrow and strong commonality among people who like the same clothes. Also, since there is no such thing as a second-hand clothing store, is it a one-on-one relationship between clothes and yourself? No one can wear exactly the same thing that I have chosen. It's fun to meet like that, it's like life. “What are you?” I think the moment you feel is life. Everyone has the same education and growing up in the same environment.…I don't know myself at all, so sometimes I don't know myself. But if the world was full of things different from one piece to another, I wouldn't be so worried. When mass production is overflowing with things of the same standard, I sometimes feel that there is a part that people are unconsciously anxious while wearing it. Therefore, I think "old clothes" can become a kind of sense of security in living in a human society."
＜H & JUMPIN’ JAP FLASH＞ Setup, <HOLIDAY WORKS> Alf's stuffed toy 
Rather than putting it in the closet.
I want someone who needs it now to wear it more and more
“New clothes have the feeling of bringing a new ‘season’, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be new clothes. I feel that only new clothes do not bring fresh minds and trends. I like used clothes for a long time, but there are quite a lot of costumes and so on without wearing so much. That's why I buy used clothes and return them to the market with used clothes. Someone will definitely buy something so cute. I think it's better to have someone wear it more and more than just putting it in my closet. If you change the closet just with used clothes, you don't put that much burden on the global environment. So, I think it's a great attempt to get the distribution of used clothes in a shopping place like Shibuya PARCO."
- Shop name
- VCM MARKET BOOTH
- Floor
- 4F
- TEL
- 03-6416-4563
- Official SNS
- Instagram : @vcmmarketbooth
- Store Brands
- H&JUMPIN' JAP FLASH @husedvintageclothing
Hedy @hedy_japan
Gleeful @gleeful_shimokitazawa
dracaena @dracaena_kichijoji
HOLIDAY WORKS @holidayworks
mood Tokyo vintage @moodtokyo_vintage
