Masaya Kuroki: Kitsuné & CLOT in Hong Kong

To mark their recent capsule release involving CLOT, we interview Masaya Kuroki, one half of the French label Kitsuné. The interview focuses on the current collaboration between Kitsuné and the Hong Kong-based brand, CLOT. Masaya discusses how the collaboration came about, the bridge between Paris and Hong Kong, the overall aesthetics of the collection, and possible future projects. It is apparent that the project was very much about the coming of two worlds, finding the in-between, and reinventing classics to fit both of their personal styles. More information from the collection to come soon.

How did the collaboration with CLOT come about?
We met Kevin Poon a year ago and he told me about the story behind CLOT. He’s got great energy and he’s kind of the key guy who opened the doors of the East for us. We’re both independent companies and we love and share the same passion for music and fashion. So why not do something together? So we thought about creating something between Paris and Hong Kong, which we don’t see often. It’s also new for us so it’s an interesting exchange.

How do you balance the creativity process with the two labels involved?
The collection is basically what we like to wear on a daily basis. Kevin is more from the street culture and we’re probably the opposite, so it was about finding the balance. We ended up mixing workwear and army elements into something that can be worn casually.

So the main aim was to find something in between?
Yeah as it’s interesting to find a crossing point, but also by reinventing classic items such as jackets and shirts, which we do best. We’re very pleased with the collection and I think we’ve created something which is very cool.

Can you describe the shapes and materials used, and the overall aesthetics of the collection?
It’s the first time we’ve manufactured something in Hong Kong and that was definitely an interesting element of the collection. The fitting of the shirts is close to what we’re doing already, it’s not too tight or too loose and the army-style jacket has an American workwear touch to it. By mixing everything up, the pieces are very wearable and can be matched with anything from formal to street styles.

And the color palette?
Very pastel-like as I think it’s missing from men’s clothes in recent seasons. I think it’s good to bring some colors into this collection because there is too much black, navy, grey and khaki in street culture, everything seems to be too heavy to look at. Why not bring a bit of color into your everyday life?

Was it an easy process to transfer the production to Hong Kong? Were there any difficulties?
It was a very interesting exchange, we also chose the fabrics in Hong Kong, so we kept most things local. The factories are very fast, which is good [laughs] and therefore I was very surprised how fast they could finish certain samples and pieces.

Are there any more collaborations to come?
We’re actually talking about doing a women’s collection with Kevin at the moment and Gildas is also thinking about doing a compilation that relates to Hong Kong. We’ll see how people react to this pop-up store and the collection, and we’ll go from there.