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.
INDEX
More than 300 pairs of Air Jordans alone, some of which are only 72 pairs in the world.
Celeina: I’ve heard that you are famous worldwide as a Jordan fanatic.
KATSU: Not so much worldwide.
Celeina: Three hundred pairs of Air Jordans alone.
KATSU: I think there are probably more than 300 pairs, but I have only counted up to that point, so I try to say 300 pairs.
Takano: You have so many that even you can’t keep track of them.
Celeina：By the way, I would like to ask you what is the rarest pair of Jordan sneakers you own.
KATSU: If I had to say the rarest pair, I would say the UNDEFEATED Jordan 4, which is a pair of Jordans that only exist in about 72 pairs.
Takano: You have one of the only 72 pairs of Jordans in the world.
KATSU: Yes.
Takano:Do you have it at home?
KATSU:Yes, I do. But it looks like it’s about to break, so in the eyes of the world, it’s trash (haha).
Celeina: So you are the type of person who wears those hard.
KATSU: I don’t wear those, but sneakers end up hydrolyzing.
Celeina: Oh no.
Takano: Sad.
KATSU: Yes, a sad end.
Celeina: If you leave them, they deteriorate little by little.
KATSU: That’s why I think collecting sneakers is like collecting trash.
Celeina: No, no.
Takano: They are treasures. I think it’s like the Jordan Museum, right? That kind of thing.
KATSU: There is a Jordan store called “World of Flight” that just opened in Harajuku, and some of my collection is displayed there.
Takano: Then we can go there.
KATSU: Yes, they have a few pairs of my rare items.
Takano: Let’s go check them out.
KATSU: Please go and see them along with Jordan.
Celeina: Since you like sneakers, do you look at the sneakers people are wearing when you walk around town?
KATSU：I look at them a lot. I’m the type of person who starts from the feet up.
Celeina： I’m getting a little nervous. Maybe I should hide my feet (haha).
Takano：My mother is a big decluttering freak. There is the usual exchange of “How many pairs of sneakers do you have?”
KATSU：There used to be a lot of opposition, but I guess people have given up on that.
Takano：So you have come this far.
KATSU: Yes. I think they feel that no matter what they say, it’s not going to work.
Takano：It’s true that if you reach 1,000 pairs, you’ve reached the end of the road. You are a professional collector in this field.
INDEX
Preserving Memories in Tangible Form
Celeina：You mentioned that since you were in junior high school, you have liked to collect packages of snacks like the one you brought today. Do you collect as many packages as you do sneakers?
KATSU：Not so much, but I tend to bring back a lot of them as memories from my trips to America.
Celeina：Memories. When I heard that you collect empty candy boxes, it reminded me of my own childhood. I used to open candy canes with scissors, fold them up, and collect them all because I thought they were memories. Among them, the ones that left the biggest impression on me were the candies I bought at Disneyland. So when KATSU told me, I agreed that I was preserving my memories.
Takano: Do you sometimes look back at your collection and remember how you felt at that time?
KATSU: Yes, I do. The other day I happened to be looking for some materials, and when I opened a book from my trip to New York, I found a receipt for Supreme that I bought at that time, and I had a great memory of how much I paid for it.
Celeina：Receipts are nice.
Takano: Yes, they are engraved with the time and other information.
KATSU: Yes, the time and date are all engraved on the receipt, so it was very emo at that time.
Takano:It changes my sense of value a little. I’m the type of person who throws things away, but I’m starting to feel like I should keep something.
Celeina: It’s a balance. If you collect everything, there is no end to it. So, you should keep one thing, like your sneakers or an empty box of candies, or a bag of candy canes like me. It might be nice to keep some memories as something tangible that you can touch.
Takano: We would like to hear more, but I would like to ask KATSU to choose a song that we all would like to listen to at this time.
KATSU: “ETA” by NewJeans.
Celeina: Oh! Why is that?
KATSU: I also love movies, and movies like Larry Clark’s “Kids” and Sofia Coppola’s movies were part of the generation I grew up with, and I was just talking to my daughter about how I really feel that world when I watch NewJeans.
Celeina：I see. You mean you feel a sense of nostalgia?
KATSU：Yes, very much so. I don’t mean to sound like what you just said, but NewJeans is very emo.
Celeina：Great. Let’s listen to it together.
INDEX
I think that decay is art, and I love sneakers.
Takano: Well, I sent you “ETA” by NewJeans. It’s great. I heard that you and your daughter are listening to it together.
Celeina: I also received a message from a listener. “I used to collect a lot of sneakers, but they have all been hydrolyzed and shattered. What are the core collectors doing about it?” You mentioned earlier that some of them have been hydrolyzed.
KATSU: I believe that hydrolysis will definitely occur, so I have not taken any measures.
Takano: So, you are not going to fight against degradation over time?
KATSU: Yes. I love sneakers because I consider decay to be an art form.
Celeina: Deep.
Takano: You brought your sneakers to the studio today.
KATSU: They are the Nike Mag sneakers worn in “Back to the Future 2,” the model that made me fall in love with sneakers in the first place.
Takano: They are so cool. I remember these.
KATSU: You wore these shoes and rode on a flying board.
Takano: When I pressed the button, it lit up.
Celeina: It’s amazing how it glows.
Takano: It’s cool.
Celeina:Does it run on batteries?
KATSU: It is rechargeable.
Celeina: It’s rechargeable? Super high-tech. Are you going to wear these too, KATSU?
KATSU: I wore these when I dressed up as Marty McFly for Halloween.
Takano: They are great. I don’t think I’ll be able to wear them, though.
Celeina: Thank you for bringing these precious things.
Takano: I’d like to give you a picture or something later.
KATSU: Yes, I should have brought my hoverboard with me.
Celeina: You have it.
KATSU: It’s a repro, but it doesn’t float (haha).
Takano: If it floats, your technique is amazing.
Celeina: We’re going to start another interview (haha). As I mentioned at the beginning of this interview, socks are an item that you are interested in right now, and “Winiche & Co.” also sells “Slouch socks,” which were originally developed by you, right?
KATSU: That’s right.
Celeina：You have brought these socks to the studio, but what are the features of these socks?
KATSU: The toes are designed to have compression like sports socks.
Celeina：They are a bit tight around the toes.
KATSU: That’s right. But the ribbed part is knit very loosely, so there is no pressure at all.
Celeina：How did you come up with this design?
KATSU: Tube socks become synonymous with street socks, but then the more you wear them, the more the heel of the sock comes toward the toe in the sneaker.
Celeina：I know what you mean!
Takano: I totally understand.
KATSU: I started making these socks to solve that problem.
Celeina：This is a must buy.
Takano: Hey, I’ll buy them. I really think that this is a problem for all human beings. With these, they are long to begin with, and the instep here is also cushioned.
KATSU: It’s pressurized.
Takano: It fits securely and does not slip off.
Celeina: It means that you can enjoy fashion with this loose socks part while still having the functionality of not slipping off.
KATSU: That’s right. I’m also experimenting with coloring and colors to match with sneakers.
Takano: The function and design are both excellent. I will definitely buy these.
Celeina: We can find this on the official Winiche & Co. website.
KATSU: Yes, it is on sale to rave reviews.
Celeina: I hope listeners will check it out. We are asking you to introduce your friends to us through “FIST BUMP,” a circle of friends connected by the goo touch.
KATSU：This is photographer RK.
Celeina：What is your relationship with him?
KATSU: We were originally on the same running team, and I started asking him for work. Also, I was the one who told him to quit his job and become a professional, so I wanted to introduce him to the company at a time like this.
Takano: I gave him a turning point in his life.
Celeina: In a word, what kind of person are you?
KATSU: An idiot.
Celeina：No, no (haha).
KATSU: He is an idiot in a good way and a bad way. I would be very happy if you could hear what RK has to say tomorrow.
Takano: Tomorrow we will welcome photographer RK.
Celeina: “FIST BUMP”, today we welcome Mr. KATSU of the apparel brand “Winiche & Co.”, a professional collector of things. Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
