Hello.
I'm Noguchi from CASANOVA&CO.
Many people visited us at the WR/ESSE event, which ended today.
Thank you very much.
I believe you were able to experience the style that WR/ESSE is trying to pioneer.
Please look forward to what's coming next.
Today, I'd like to introduce one of the items that was recently delivered, and which I was particularly looking forward to.
As a buyer, I always think about how "I would wear this" for every piece of clothing at exhibitions, but for this particular item, I ordered it without a clear image in mind.
Since it's made by someone I have absolute trust in, I thought, "Well, I'll figure it out based on the temperature and my feeling when it arrives!" But for introducing this piece, I think this is a moment where you can feel its infinite possibilities.
YE OLDE AND NEW MAN
RANDONNEUR04 MOCK POLO SHIRT
color _ DARK OLIVE
size _ 2,3
YE OLDE AND NEW MAN is a groundbreaking brand by Fukuhara-san, who also works on OLDE HOMESTEADER, FAUVES, and MEDIUM SPORTS WEAR.
Among them is the series named RANDONNEUR.
RANDONNEUR aims to impact the spiritual aspect rather than focusing on functional aspects that arise from the expression of materials, weaving/knitting, and processing.
For example, if a water-repellent garment were made as RANDONNEUR, it wouldn't be:
"Since it's water-repellent, please wear this on rainy days!"
"And we've given it a strong chemical fiber treatment to prevent the water repellency from deteriorating!"
Instead, I believe the goal of the RANDONNEUR series is to make the suggestion:
"It's water-repellent, so why not turn rainy days into an enjoyable styling experience with this and go out?"
To achieve this, while incorporating perspectives from athletic wear and outdoor wear, it focuses on bringing out the individuality of materials, fabrics, and processing based on natural fibers.
What is brought out is not functionality or specs.
It's the freedom of the wearer that lies beyond bringing out individuality.
Therefore, I think it can be rephrased that Fukuhara-san, in YE OLDE AND NEW MAN, is proposing "clothes prepared to bring out the best flavor of the material."
Entrusting everyone who wears it to be a "chef" and "cook with other clothes."
Of course, Fukuhara-san himself probably has an idea of "how combining it this way would make a good dish," but beyond even that freedom, a position unique to RANDONNEUR emerges for each individual.
To that end, Fukuhara-san thoroughly delves into all aspects: raw materials, threads, weaving, knitting, and processing, to pry open and expand a pinpoint, like the eye of a needle, that directs the focus not towards functionality or specifications, but towards the spiritual world.
This is my interpretation of YE OLDE AND NEW MAN and RANDONNEUR.
So, what kind of garment is this MOCK POLO SHIRT?
First, you need to see the fabric.
The fabric is named Light Boa by the brand.
This fabric, composed of 90% wool and 10% nylon, indeed feels like a "light boa" and also resembles a thin fleece.
However, the reverse side, which touches the skin, is not fluffy like the front but maintains the characteristic appearance of jersey knit.
While the napped surface on the outside certainly blocks wind and makes it feel warmer, looking at the inside reveals that this garment isn't solely intended for warmth.
Light Boa, which expresses materials like boa and fleece, typically made from chemical fibers in outdoor brands, using a wool base, also retains a T-shirt-like quality to extend its applicability to transitional seasons like now.
It really has a peculiar and unique position, but if you tame it, I think it will gain an incredibly reliable supporting role.
I think you'll understand when you see it in person, so please do.
The shape is also somewhat unique.
It's a polo collar with a mock neck height, featuring two buttons at the neck and three down the chest, totaling five buttons.
There's a flap pocket on the chest.
But the hem is rounded like a shirt.
The shoulder slope is the usual style.
The cuffs are made from the same fabric without a separate cut.
While describing it in words might give the impression of a lack of coherence, achieving such a sharp balance within this ambiguity is Fukuhara's magic.
It's like a long-sleeved cut-and-sew, with a vest layered over it.
Olde H & Daughter's linen driver's vest, while dark in color, instantly adds a spring-like feel with its linen texture.
In this kind of balance, it looks good to fasten only the three buttons on the chest, giving it a polo-like feel.
I didn't instruct this myself, so it's not self-praise.
The rounded hem like a shirt is also good.
Because it doesn't just look like a cut-and-sew with a knit vest.
When wearing it like this, or by itself, because the back is not brushed, an inner layer of a tank top or short-sleeved T-shirt is fine.
The reverse side is designed to reveal 10% nylon, so it can even be worn directly against the skin.
Wool has been pre-shrunk so it can be washed if you sweat, so washing is fine.
However, this isn't meant to be aggressively washed, so reduce the frequency of washing and hand washing is recommended.
On the other hand, when paired with something jacket-like, it becomes like a mock neck high-gauge knit.
With temperatures dropping below 5 degrees Celsius in the mornings and evenings, this way of wearing it still feels very real.
After wearing wool and cashmere knits all winter, when it's already March and they feel a bit too heavy, that's when Light Boa shines.
The brushed surface might make it feel wintery, but personally, I thought of it as a fabric like "dry velour made of wool," so it truly shines in transitional seasons.
Even with all the buttons fastened, there's no constricted feeling around the neck.
Since the fabric itself has natural stretch, both the neck and cuffs are very comfortable.
I'm wearing SARTO's cotton-silk typewriter hunting jacket over it, and it's rare to find a piece that achieves this kind of balance.
Just a plain long-sleeved T-shirt under a light outerwear like this would still be cold, and wearing wool or cashmere knits that I wore heavily in winter feels like a temporary fix.
I usually end up just wearing a single brushed-back hoodie during this season, but with this kind of styling, the period when I can comfortably wear spring light outerwear seems like it will be extended.
I realized this must have been the reason why my image wasn't fully formed when I placed the order.
About 10 years ago, when I was a university student, I used to wear a lot of vintage clothes, and there was a period when I particularly liked wearing a snap pullover made of fleece from a certain P company.
I wasn't particularly fond of outdoor styles, so I often wore it with Brooks shirts, following my own rule.
That's exactly the image.
However, the fabric and shape don't fully lean into that hardcore outdoor style; there's a subtle, good kind of "ずれ" (deviation or slight misalignment) to it.
The ERL linen shirt, with its full West Coast vibe, looks like Brooks to me.
Maybe it's just me.
But,
"The elegance of pairing a shirt with a knit, and the relaxed feel that wouldn't come from just that."
In other words,
"The relaxed feel of pairing a shirt with a fleece snap pullover, and the elegance that cannot be achieved with just that."
are both successfully achieved.
Since there's no shoulder slope and the arm width is generous enough, you should be able to layer it over most shirts, unless they are extremely oversized or made of very thick fabric.
About three days ago, it was delivered, and when I realized that this Light Boa fabric and this MOCK NECK SHIRT shape fit perfectly into this style, my image finally solidified.
In my life, a role that only this Light Boa MOCK NECK SHIRT can fulfill.
While the title states "a garment that must be given a role," I believe Fukuhara-san has meticulously crafted it so that it can naturally form a role within everyone's lives and closets.
We hope you can give a role to this Light Boa MOCK NECK SHIRT.
Please experience it in store.