S OOT
C
PULSE
the
7 1
6 1
IN THE MOOD
TALK SHOP
MasakazuFukuyama
craftsmanship can
be found on an array
of outerwear, knits
and pants.
Fukuyama
explains that
to focus on
quality, all of their
collections are being
manufactured in
Japan. “It’s highly
important that
we are able to
communicate what
we want with the
manufacturers,”
he asserts. He
points out that the
label’s jeans are produced in the fabric mills of
Okayama using Japanese selvedge – the finest
denim in today’s market.
Usually for a major brand, one might find
an army of designers, but Noguchi designs
everything that’s seen on the rack. This is a key
facet of MofM’s modus operandi – keeping
their approach close and decidedly focused.
Fukuyama explains that the label’s nature
is birthed from the likeness of extreme-sport
gamers. “You are alone out there, a minority
attempting to reach your personal superiority,”
he says. It’s no surprise, then, that MofM
resonates with the fearless individual.
MEANWHILE,
IN SYDNEY…
IN THE MOOD WORDS
ZUL ANDRA
ONE HALF
OF JAPAN’S
contemporary
menswear label,
Man of Moods
(
MofM), the
former professional
snowboarder tells
us how a sense of
superiority from
being a minority
in the extreme-
sports landscape is
reflected in his line.
Acclaimed street-
culture website
Highsnobiety
calls on MofM’s
meticulous attention to detail as its standout
feature. Another website of the same calibre,
Hypebeast, pointed out the label’s rock star-
esque, Hitchcock-inspired designs as its chief
calling card.
In part, this is due to label director Masakazu
Fukuyama’s decade-long professional
snowboarding career, as well as his partner,
designer Yuya Noguchi’s experience as a
pattern maker for top Japanese fashion label
Comme des Garçons. “We started the label in
2003
with a very clear direction of blending
fashion and sports,” Fukuyama says. The
brand’s signature monochromatic palette,
slim-fitting silhouettes and accentuated
“
Follow the heart, not expensive labels!” That’s the advice of Taiwanese-born, New Zealand-
based fashion designer Cecilia Tuan. With her label MYNE, Tuan pays attention to the needs of
contemporary women without sacrificing style or bankrupting them. With tops priced no higher
than US$100, it’s a field day for shopaholics looking to fill their wardrobes with one-of-a-kind threads for both work and play.
LOVE THIS LABEL
THE HARBOURSIDE SUBURB
in eastern
Sydney, Elizabeth Bay has a handful of
boutiques pushing forward-thinking threads,
and Meanwhile fits nicely into that category.
The eye-pleasing two-storey menswear
store stocks an eclectic mix of local and
international labels like Vanishing Elephant,
Rittenhouse and Our Legacy. Owners
Dion Kovac and Tim Leckie make looking
sophisticated easy with a beautiful store to
boot.
