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PARADI
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Don't Lose the Suited Searchlight
Behind me a quiet neighborhood high school was enjoying its final days of summer convalescence. In front an indiscrete white building on a narrow backstreet of Aoyama. i was stood on the corner of a labyrinth, wondering just a little how I got here.
Pause. 1.29 Looking at my watch I couldn't help but think of those before it. Gold tone bracelets outdated by brown bamboo dangles. Sweet silver dials turned elegant ivory. Digital rewound to analogue. And yet the hands would always wave the same lackluster farewell to our stories of glory.
(Time wore away)
The sun set forward. I let out a breath of disorientation. The white door of the white house opened and so began a trip into the offbeat parallels of Paradi.
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A Historical Friendship
Firmly in it's second season, Paradi's major support has come from fellow Aoyama store, Laila Vintage Collection. Here, three piece suits from the Jazz Age mingle with French 60's chic and King's Road punk producing arguably one of the finest vintage stores throughout the world. Testified when Nicolas Gesquiere, designer of Balenciaga, left the store almost bare following his famous visit.
The Truth Stinks
Paradi is the independent line born of Laila Vintage Collection. Synonymous with shirts, many of which have been featured in popular men's magazines such as Men's Non-No, designer Daisuke Kojo tells me that above all he is devoted to the unconventional.
Showing a genuine dislike for the word "cool", he searches for the "bad look" as "this is the taste and smell of the truth". This explains his daring choice of "unpopular" colors for some of the garments. He smiles, "These shades are meant to test you, so I'll be happy if someone else appreciates that".
A Vintage Puzzle
As Mr Kojo guides me through the luxurious fabrics of his work, the marvels of the past are a clear influence in his craft. 'A 50's novel was the inspiration for the button on this jacket's lapel and this fabric on the front is normally used only for the inner giving it a jigsaw-like quality.' The radiance with which he speaks of his clothes made the entire room curious about the piece.
After an hour or so of relaxed chatting, he finally modestly informs me that he is not a true creator. "I just combine various elements like a puzzle... As a result, if something wonderful is completed then I'm happy".
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Revival
I returned to the world feeling as though I had met someone with true passion, surpassing perhaps those of the "creators".
Looking to my watch again, I realized the charms of the past weren't completely lost. They are revived with care by Mr Kojo and sewn affectionately into silhouettes of the present in Paradi.
Jamie Wilfong
Japan-Fashion.com
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