e-erik: Number (N)ine “A strange little corner of old Tokyo where wood-and-tile houses and mix
e-erik: Number (N)ine “A strange little corner of old Tokyo where wood-and-tile houses and mixed occupancy buildings mingle with gigantic postmodern archi-totems like the Kokugikan Sumo Hall and the Edo-Tokyo Museum. In a top floor room cluttered to near-critical mass with “collectibles” - everything from sneakers and caps to Star Wars figurines - lives a guy who for the last four or five years has been into Nimber (N)ine. Having read a magazine interview with a designer who claimed to be “the no-contest champion in Nirvana goods,” he started thinking he ought to be a “no-contest champion” in something. He’d always been into rock and Number (N)ine clothes had a “rock feel,” so he began to buy any and all T-shirts even in the wrong size so long as he liked the print, not infrequently spending half his salary. Now that the shop has moved from Aoyama to Ebisu and there are long queues at the register, he rings up or logs on to reserve a place so he can buy on the spot. He’d liked the brand before, but now that it’s become so popular that things sell out, he has more competition for the “no-contest champion” title. “I collect even when I don’t mean to.” The undefeated just can’t go down without a fight.“ HAPPY VICTIMS -- source link