A circle of friends connected by goo touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On September 11, KATSU of the fashion brand “Winiche & Co. This time, we not only talked about the socks originally developed by “Winiche & Co.” but also about why he collects empty candy boxes and spray cans as a professional collector of things, and about his sneaker collection, which now totals 1,000 pairs.
INDEX
I can’t throw away candy packages and sneakers.
Celeina (MC): We start off the week with a person recommended by the program, Mr. KATSU of Winiche & Co., a professional collector of candy boxes, spray cans, and 1,000 pairs of sneakers. Please give him a warm welcome.
KATSU: Hello, I am KATSU of Winiche & Co. Pleased to meet you.
Takano (MC): An empty candy box is what you throw away after eating, right?
KATSU: That’s right. I love the graphics of cereal packages and American candy packages, so I started collecting them, and I can’t throw them away anymore.
Takano: Oreos, for example, are cute.
Celeina: You brought a lot of them.
KATSU: I have Oreos, and I have also been collecting frozen food packages recently.
Celeina: White Castle!
KATSU: Do you recognize it?
Celeina: Yes, I do. It is an American fast food restaurant, but this is a frozen food. They are famous for their little burgers called “slider” Now that tickles my half American fancy.
Takano: They are really colorful, and a little bit already the studio is becoming like a grocery store.
Celeina: Cinnamon Toast Crunch!
Takano: What is it?
Celeina: This is a cereal that is familiar in the United States.
KATSU: Isn’t it the number one flavor for kids?
Celeina: Yes, number one. So, let me start with a brief profile of Mr. KATSU, who has been interested in street culture since he was a teenager. After working in graphic design and marketing, he started his own apparel brand, “Winiche & Co.” in 2007. Currently, the brand focuses on “Slouch socks”.
Takano: Are most of your confectionery packages also foreign packages rather than Japanese ones?
KATSU：Yes. I started getting interested in them when I was in junior high school.
Celeina: So you were interested in the design of the boxes, not the contents of the sweets?
KATSU: Yes. I was always interested in design in particular, so I naturally started collecting such things.
Celeina：And you have a huge collection of sneakers, 1,000 pairs.
KATSU: No, I just can’t throw them away.
Takano: No, no.
Celeina: It’s already a store.
Takano: It’s totally a store. What is your house like?
KATSU: It’s more of a warehouse. We do everything there, including work and the store.
Takano: You have a store, but is collecting sneakers a hobby or your life’s work?
KATSU：Yes, my hobby is to enjoy wearing them rather than collecting them. I started playing basketball when I was in junior high school, and I couldn’t throw away my basketball shoes. That’s how it all started, and as my memories grew, I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t get rid of my sneakers.
Takano: But then, don’t you have a hard time deciding which pair of sneakers to wear every morning?
KATSU: I enjoy coloring them and coordinating them with fashion, which is the fun part of sneakers.
Celeina：What kind of sneakers are you wearing today?
KATSU：Today I’m wearing the Asics NIC model.
Celeina：They are very green, white, and silver, so they are fresh but autumnal.
Takano: The coloring is cool.
KATSU: Thank you very much.
Takano: I think it will be fun to continue the excitement of what to wear and which sneakers to match every day.
