I Realized That Fashion Is Self-Analysis

1. Every time I choose clothes, my true self comes out.

It has been two months since I joined Osaka Bunka, now Voutrail, at the age of 41.

Recently, I have started to realize something quite troublesome.

Isn't fashion actually a form of self-analysis?

And what's more, it is a very expensive form of self-analysis.

Every time I buy clothes, what I truly desire is revealed.

What do I want to hide?

What do I want to show?

What kind of person do I want to be seen as?

What kind of place do I want to belong to?

Conversely, from what kind of place do I want to distance myself?

Those things come out every time I choose clothes.

Of course, clothes are just clothes.

A T-shirt is a T-shirt, a jacket is a jacket, and shoes are shoes.

However, in reality, people are not just buying fabric.

At least, that is what I have started to think recently.

It seems like I am buying clothes, but I am actually looking at myself.

It seems like I am thinking about whether they suit me, but in reality, I am thinking about how I want to be seen.

It seems like I am agonizing over the price, but in reality, I am being asked if I want to be the kind of person who pays that much for those clothes.

It is quite troublesome.

Clothes are convenient, beautiful, and fun.

But at the same time, they expose our inner selves quite crudely.

2. It seems like you are buying clothes, but you are looking at yourself

When people choose clothes, they are not just choosing fabric.

I want to be seen as strong.

I want to be seen as quiet.

I want to be seen as intelligent.

I want to be seen as scary.

I want to be seen as kind.

I want to be seen as normal.

I want to stand out from the norm.

I want to stand out.

But I don't want to stand out in an obvious way.

I want to be seen as expensive.

But I don't want to be seen as nouveau riche.

Desire and anxiety appear quite a bit in choosing clothes.

For example, when choosing black clothes.

It doesn't just end with simply liking black.

Black is easy to match.

Black makes dirt less noticeable.

Black makes the body look slimmer.

There is that practicality to it as well.

However, that is not all there is to it.

Black has distance.

Black has silence.

Black has rejection.

Black has protection.

At the same time, black has strength.

Therefore, when people choose black, they are not just choosing a color.

They are choosing how much distance they want to keep from the world.

Or, they are choosing which parts of themselves to hide and which parts to emphasize.

Clothes sit on the body.

But in reality, they sit not only on the body but also on one's self-perception.

That is why it is troublesome.

3. The more expensive the clothes, the less room there is for escape.

With cheap clothes, you can get away with saying you just bought them somehow.

Because they were cheap.

Because they were necessary.

Because they seemed useful for the time being.

Because they were on sale.

Because it doesn't hurt if you fail.

You can say that.

However, expensive clothes are different.

Expensive clothes demand an explanation from you.

Why are you buying it?

Why that brand?

Why that color?

Why that silhouette?

Why pay that much?

Why won't similar clothes do?

Why now?

These kinds of questions come up quite relentlessly.

That is why expensive clothes are scary.

It is not just painful for your wallet.

They break down your excuses.

With cheap clothes, if you fail, you can just say 'oh well'.

With expensive clothes, that is not the case.

You won't feel at ease unless you understand for yourself why you are drawn to those clothes.

Luxury is not simply about being expensive.

It is also a matter of how you explain yourself for paying that price.

This is where self-analysis begins.

Do you really want it?

Or do you want to be seen as the kind of person who wants it?

Do you like that brand?

Or do you like yourself wearing that brand?

Do you want clothes?

Or do you want the version of yourself that is reinforced by clothes?

These are quite unpleasant questions.

However, that is also the interesting part of fashion.

4. Yohji Yamamoto and Black

When you are drawn to the black of Yohji Yamamoto, it is not merely a preference for a color.

Of course, black is beautiful.

It makes the silhouette look strong.

It accentuates the sway of the fabric.

It blurs the contours of the body.

Its expression changes depending on how the light hits it.

However, Yohji Yamamoto's black is not just a convenient black.

It is also a way of distancing oneself from society.

Black conceals.

Black protects.

Black refuses.

Black is silent.

Black seems to blend into its surroundings, yet at the same time, it stands out strongly.

Black reduces information.

However, it does not erase one's presence.

Rather, by stripping away unnecessary information, the movement of the body and the fabric remains.

I think that being drawn to this black means that there is some kind of sense of distance within myself as well.

I don't want to be easily approachable or overly friendly.

I don't want to explain myself in a flashy way either.

But I don't want to disappear completely, either.

I want to be quiet.

However, I don't want to be seen as weak.

I am in society.

But I also want to stand just a little bit on the outside.

Black has the space to accept such contradictions.

That is why choosing black becomes a form of self-analysis.

What do I want to hide?

What do I want to protect myself from?

What do I want to refuse?

At what distance do I want to interact with others?

The black of Yohji Yamamoto is not just about clothes, but also about a way of life.

5. Entering fashion school makes things even more confusing

I thought that if I entered fashion school, I would come to understand clothes.

Of course, I learned more.

Materials.

Sewing.

Patterns.

Silhouettes.

Specifications.

History.

The body.

Usage.

Price.

The elements that make up clothing gradually become visible.

However, the more I could see, the more I became confused.

It was no longer enough to just like clothes.

Why that material?

Why that sewing method?

Why that volume?

Why that length?

Why that color?

Why that price?

Why am I drawn to that piece of clothing?

Clothes are being deconstructed more and more.

And the more clothes are deconstructed, the more my own preferences are deconstructed as well.

Why am I drawn to this shape?

Why do I find myself looking at this brand?

Why do I keep looking at similar black clothes over and over?

Why am I drawn to negative space rather than decoration?

Why am I drawn to clothes that are a bit hard to explain rather than clothes that are easy to understand?

What I feel after entering fashion school is that the more you learn about clothes, the less simple they become.

And the less simple clothes become, the less simple I become myself.

I can no longer just say I like it because I like it.

That is a bit troublesome.

But it is quite interesting.

I wrote about the reason why I entered a fashion vocational school at 41 in this article.

▶ Why I enrolled in a fashion vocational school at 41

Now, I am moving even further beyond that, toward the question of why people give so much meaning to clothes in the first place, even before making them.

6. In the AI era, just looking good is not enough

You can create any number of style images with AI.

This kind of clothing seems to suit me.

This kind of combination seems good.

With this body type, this is the way to go.

With this vibe, this is the way to go.

Such suggestions will become increasingly easy in the future.

Image generation is also possible.

Outfit suggestions are also possible.

Brand comparisons are also possible.

The act of finding clothes that seem to suit you will become quite efficient.

However, a problem remains here.

Even if you are presented with clothes that suit you, the reason for living in them is not decided.

AI can suggest clothes that seem to suit you.

However, it cannot decide what kind of time you want to live as yourself wearing those clothes.

The one who actually wears the clothes is your own body.

You walk in those clothes.

You meet people.

You work.

You eat.

You get tired.

You sweat.

It wrinkles.

It gets dirty.

Your mood changes.

Images created by AI have not yet passed through that kind of time.

That is why I believe that in the AI era, the meaning of clothing will not disappear, but rather deepen in a different direction.

The easier it becomes to suggest appearances, the more we are asked why we wear them.

Whether it suits you or not is no longer enough.

What do you believe in, what do you reject, and at what distance do you want to engage with the world?

It becomes necessary to choose clothes that include all of that.

This discussion also connects to the theory on fashion in the AI era that I wrote about previously.

▶ What will fashion create in the AI era?

Precisely because we live in an era where images and styles can be created by AI, clothing emerges not as an image, but as a matter of the body and time.

7. From consumption to editing

Previously, I looked at clothes based on whether I wanted them or not.

I want it now.

It looks cool.

It's on sale.

It seems useful.

It seems easy to coordinate.

It seems like it will lift my mood.

That was the reason I bought them.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Consumption has an immediate power.

There is also the joy of buying on a whim.

There are also chance encounters.

But lately, it has become harder to buy things just for that reason.

Do I want this piece of clothing, including the time that lies ahead?

Will I still be wearing this years from now?

Will I use it even if it needs repairs?

Will I still love how it looks after it has been worn in?

Will it truly become a part of my life?

I have started to think about things like that.

Buying clothes is close to editing your own future a little bit.

To buy something is to choose a future where that clothing exists.

It remains in the closet.

The possibility of choosing it in the morning is born.

Other clothes change to match that piece.

The places you go change, too.

The way you stand changes, too.

Your mood changes, too.

Clothes do not end the moment you buy them.

They enter into your time thereafter.

Therefore, buying clothes is an act of editing your future self a little.

Consumption is about whether you want it now.

Editing is about choosing with your future time in mind.

Since I started thinking about this difference, the way I look at clothes has changed a little.

8. Ownership and Time

Clothes are not finished once bought.

You wear them.

They get dirty.

You repair them.

They break in.

You get tired of them.

You wear them again.

You let them go.

They pass to someone else.

Clothes include that time as well.

Clothes are not just in their brand-new state.

Rather, clothes become one's own by being used.

Leather softens.

The fabric conforms to the body.

Wrinkles form.

The color fades.

It wears down.

Traces of repairs remain.

Such changes reveal the time a person has spent with that garment.

Patina is not merely deterioration.

It is time manifested on the surface.

Clothing becomes self-analysis not just at the moment of purchase.

Even while continuing to own it, one's self is revealed.

Do you cherish it?

Do you treat it carelessly?

Do you repair it?

Do you let it go quickly?

Do you keep it even after you grow tired of it?

Do you replace it with something new?

What kind of clothes do you keep, and what kind do you let go?

Your values are revealed there as well.

What I am thinking about at Byakuya is also connected to this.

Do not view ownership only as the moment of purchase.

Think not only about who bought it, but how it was used, how it was repaired, and how it was passed down.

Ownership is not just a right, but an accumulation of time.

▶ Why I thought Byakuya was necessary

Perhaps clothing is a long-term contract with oneself before it is self-expression.

It remains not only for the self at the time of purchase, but also for the future self.

That is what is scary.

And, it is interesting.

9. Clothing determines the distance between yourself and the world

Fashion is said to be self-expression.

That is not wrong.

However, lately I feel that the term self-expression alone is not quite enough.

Clothing is not just for expressing oneself.

It is also for protection.

It is also for concealment.

It is also for getting closer.

It is also for keeping distance.

Uniforms place an individual within a role.

Suits connect the body to society.

Luxury makes class and desire visible.

Black clothing reduces information while intensifying presence.

Streetwear signifies affiliation or rebellion.

Clothing is a layer that adjusts the distance between you and the world.

There are clothes for when you want to get closer.

There are clothes for when you want to hide.

There are clothes for when you want to look strong.

There are clothes for when you want to look like nobody in particular.

There are clothes that only need to be understood by those who know.

There are clothes that you don't want to explain to anyone.

Your true self emerges in this sense of distance.

How much do you want to show?

Where do you want to draw the line and hide?

Who do you want to understand you?

Who do you not want to understand you?

Clothing reveals these things quite honestly.

I previously wrote about how clothes, despite being just fabric, exert too much control over humans.

▶ I entered Osaka Bunka Fashion College at 41, but lately I've been thinking, 'Clothes are just fabric, yet they control humans way too much.'

This story is a continuation of that.

Clothing controls humans.

However, that control doesn't just come from the outside.

The desires and anxieties within you take shape through your clothes.

That is why clothes are scary.

10. Human-ness remains outside of efficiency

The act of choosing clothes is quite inefficient.

Worrying about whether it suits you.

Hesitating over the size.

Hesitating over the price.

Hesitating over the brand.

Losing track of whether you actually need it.

Trying it on and deciding it's not right.

Buying it and making a mistake.

Getting rid of it and looking for something similar again.

It is quite a hassle.

If AI and recommendation systems advance, this hassle might decrease to some extent.

However, I feel that if the hassle disappears completely, something will also be lost.

Humans do not choose clothes based solely on efficiency.

Hesitating.

Touching.

Trying on.

Feeling a sense of discomfort.

Continuing to look at something without knowing why you are drawn to it.

The meaning of something changing within you after you have bought it.

In that inefficient process, the contours of who I am gradually come into view.

I was thinking about something similar when I wrote about the discomfort I feel with mobile ordering.

It is the idea that the more things are streamlined, the more people might actually seek out traces of relationships and human margins.

▶ The discomfort I feel with mobile ordering

Clothes are the same.

Being presented with the clothes that suit you in the shortest amount of time is different from arriving at those clothes yourself.

Efficiently producing the correct answer is different from living that answer as your own.

The fun of fashion probably lies in that inefficiency.

11. Fashion is self-analysis

Fashion is self-analysis.

However, this is a little different from mental-type self-analysis.

It is not about taking a personality test.

It is not about finding your strengths either.

It is a more physical, consumer-oriented, realistic, and sometimes quite painful form of self-analysis.

You pay money.

You put it on your body.

You are seen by others.

You incorporate it into your life.

You let time pass through it.

In that process, you begin to see what you choose, what you reject, what you cannot tolerate, and what you want to keep.

Choosing clothes is not the act of searching for clothes that suit you.

If that were all it was, diagnostics and AI could handle it quite well.

What is truly tricky is what comes after that.

What do you want to believe in?

What do you want to reject?

At what distance do you want to engage with the world?

What kind of time do you want to live in?

What kind of self would you be able to accept, even just a little?

Fashion is, in the end, too much of a question of how you want to live.

That is exactly why it is interesting.

Clothes are light.

But they are not light.

They are just fabric, after all.

But every time you choose that fabric, your desires, anxieties, sense of distance, aesthetic sense, and how you spend your time are revealed.

Fashion is not the act of searching for clothes that suit you, but the act of exploring what you believe in, what you reject, and what kind of time you want to live in.

It seems like you are buying clothes, but you are looking at yourself.

It seems like you are choosing clothes, but you are gradually choosing the contours of your way of life.

Thinking about it that way, fashion is scary.

And, as expected, it is interesting.

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