COTE MER

Designer

Norio Sato / Seishi Naito

Category

Men’s / Clothing, Hats, Bags, Accessories and other

Brand information / About the designer

―What inspired you to become a fashion designer? Describe developments leading up to the brand launch.

Norio Sato (Following, Sato):During my teenage years I had the opportunity to go to California for about a month to go surfing. After that, I begn importing vintage items together with an American acquaintance; this gradually turned into a custom and became the start of the brand. The name “COTE MER” comes from the base being California’s ocean side.
Seishi Naito (Following, Naito):It’s a very simple reason. We like clothing, so we also like thinking and creating it as well.

―What is the brand’s concept? What do you want to communicate through fashion designing? What are the images of men and women you want to project?

“Conversion of values”
With our daily lives overflowing with information, at the same time that it feels like values are diversifying, on the other hand it also feels like they are being homogenized.
Also, there is also somewhat of a sense of stagnation with regards to society, sometimes ending up with almost a savage feeling.
Within that atmosphere, our hopes are to propose “something that you can’t buy with money and the sharing of time.”
We wish to express “things without form” that we experienced in the back alleys of the world through fashion and art, and to share this with everyone.

―What is your source of inspiration in creating fashion? What is your process of developing a design concept?

Sewing workshops, foundries, building sites, iron factories, landfills, painter’s studios, and research laboratories.
Ideas and motivation arise while looking at the work areas of craftsmen, filled with distress and frustration.

―Which brands, designers, styles and cultures have had the most impact on your fashion designing, and why?

Sato:Surfing, skateboarding, soccer, painters, musicians, actors, industrialists, salarymen, and so on.
Full of feelings and imagination, I am often influenced by acquaintances who make hobbies and their jobs out of these things.
Naito:Martin Margiela. He’s the reason I became interested in clothing. Regardless of genre, I sympathize with people who are having fun with their life.

―What is your source of inspiration in creating fashion? What is your process of developing a design concept?

About 2014-15 A/W collection

―Why have you chosen Tokyo (or MBFWT) as the venue for presenting your collection?

We were in serach of a place to meet people who can share their values and express their view of the world, in and out of Japan.
We would like to cherish the relationships and connections of the MBFWT network and community, and hopefully expand our horizons to overseas.

―What is the concept / image for your brand’s 2014-15 A/W season?

Although it is quite difficult to put the image into words, maybe something like “The single piece of doodle that changed life,” or “The story of designers who wanted to become artists.”

Future

―What are your brand’s future outlook and goal for 2014?

We would like to make this a year in which our relationships broaden thanks to our manufacturing and message.

About TOKYO

―What does Tokyo represent for you?

Sato:A chaotic city in which dreams, hopes, and vested interests all intersect.
Naito:Concrete jungle.

―What are your favorite / recommended shops (of any genres, e.g. fashion stores, homeware stores, food services), facilities and sites?

Sato:Azemichi, Mizuho, Teru-chan, the Wo-chan in Omoide Yokocho, Bun, and Masamoto. (Reason: The back alley aesthetics and feeling of condensation.)
Naito:Donzoko, Shinjuku Gyoen Park