Q: Can you tell us about your overall experience in Japan? What was the trip like from start to finish?
A: (Lucas) Honestly, we went into the experience blind. We really didn't have a set game plan, just that we were bringing a lot of vintage to sell and needed to return home with full suitcases. As soon as we landed, it was an instant culture shock, just realizing exactly how big these cities are--people are always just out and about, it's not like Des Moines. I quickly noticed that everyone seemed to have their own little theme or aesthetic they were fully committed to. By the end of the trip, I felt like we were pretty comfortable navigating our way around and learned quickly that American vintage was much more expensive to source here in Japan--so we mostly stuck to streetwear and vintage designer as far as sourcing goes.
(Red) It was helpful that the area we were staying in was kind of like the Mecca for all the secondhand stores. I'd say probably 75% of the businesses there were vintage and secondhand streetwear stores. About 30 stores just in our immediate neighborhood where we stayed. The buses took a while to figure out, and we didn't become necessarily proficient at using them until the end of the trip. Other than that, the food was great, and all the clothes were super cool.
Q: What's one thing you'll take away from this trip that will change how you run your store or approach your business?
A: (Red) For me, personally, it was seeing how much they were able to do with the limited space they had. A lot of the businesses there were, I'd say, a quarter of the size of Goldeneye but with almost the same amount of clothes. Moving forward, we are going to prioritize utilizing as much floor space in Goldeneye as possible.
(Lucas) I'd say, that yeah, that's definitely the biggest thing we took away from seeing all the other stores. Honestly, curation as well but mostly the way stores used vertical space made a lot of sense to us.
Q: What specific areas and neighborhoods did you visit for vintage and streetwear? Any hidden gems or stores that stood out?
A: (Red) So the area we were staying in, Shimokitazawa, was really great. We had plenty of vintage and secondhand streetwear stores to chose from. There were a lot of specifically American vintage stores, which we didn't grab too much from, but then there were a lot of used designer and streetwear stores, which were huge for us. We also went to Harajuku, which was a lot more streetwear heavy and saw skate shops and some bigger stores in that area, too, like Bape and Chrome Hearts. So, yeah, I'd say mostly Shimokitazawa or Harajuku for shopping.
(Lucas) I'd agree with that.
Q: What kinds of vintage or streetwear items were you primarily looking for on this trip? Any particular trends you were focusing on?
A: (Lucas) I'd say the biggest brand we were keeping our eyes out for was Bape. It's kind of like the iconic Japanese streetwear brand. I'd compare it to almost Polo here. We were also kind of keeping the mindset that we wanted to revamp our women's section. So, we grabbed brands like Hysteric Glamour and Comme Des Garçon. We didn't grab as much as we ideally wanted, but we're still bringing back some cool women's pieces that I think will raise the bar for our women's rack and hopefully just keep building on top of that.
(Red): For sure. We also picked up quite a bit of Kapital, and at the secondhand stores, we were able to find a lot of brands that don't necessarily have flagship locations. Overall, we picked up just about everything that we were looking for.
Q: Were there any standout fashion trends you noticed in Japan right now?
A: (Lucas) Yeah, definitely, Carhartt was huge; Detroit jackets were going for over double what they go for here in the States. When Red wore his green Detroit (J97MOS), he got a LOT of stares on the streets. I think Carhartt is considered a luxury item in Japan, so that's something that we're really blessed to have--plenty of Carhartt here in the Midwest. But, yeah, after seeing the popularity of Carhartt in Japan, I think it's gonna stay on the rise for at least the next one to two years.
Q: Did you see any particular Japanese designers or brands that are gaining momentum or that you think will blow up internationally?
A: (Lucas) We didn't see any particular Japanese brands we thought were gaining momentum at this point in time, but we did see a brand close to our hearts within the first 30 minutes of us being in Tokyo, that kinda solidified that we were meant to be here! (As many of you know, Goldeneye was lucky enough this past year to start retailing Brigade, an independent streetwear brand based out of Brooklyn, New York.) The particular Brigade item we saw is a personal favorite, the Lightning Puffer Jacket from FW24. Red and I immediately snapped a picture and sent it to the creator of Brigade, with whom we have a close-knit relationship. Watching Brigade gain so much momentum and seeing one of their pieces in arguably the most fashionable city in the world--you just can't beat that, and it really sums up our whole trip.
Red: I agree.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.