Kaneko Isao
 | |
| Birth | July 15, 1939 |
|---|---|
| Associated Brand(s) | Pink House, Wonderful World |
Kaneko Isao (金子功) was born July 15, 1939 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.[1] He is best known as the founder of Pink House and Wonderful World.
History
In 1958 Kaneko Isao enrolled in Bunka Fashion College. Some of his classmates included Kenzō Takada (高田賢三) the founder of Kenzo, Masami Aramaki (Taro) (荒牧政美 (太郎)), Mitsuhiro Matsuda (松田光弘) the founder of NICOLE, and Junko Koshino (コシノジュンコ). This was followed by Setsu Mode Seminar.[2][1]
In 1961 he joined the Ad Center (formerly Japan Textile Publishing Co., Ltd). in 1964 a new weekly men's fashion magazine called Heibon Punch was launched targeting young men. Inside that magazine, the men's fashion page "PUNCH MEN'S MODE" was planned by the Ad Center with Kaneko Isao as the designer and fashion director of “PUNCH MEN'S MODE” for volumes 1-4.[2]
in 1970, Heibon Publishing, the publisher of Heibon Punch launched a new magazine called An An with Kaneko Isao as the designer and fashion director for the first 49 issues. In 1972, Kaneko Isao left An An and established his own brand: Pink House.[2]
In September 1990, he established Kaneko Isao Co., Ltd.((株)カネコイサオ) and started Kaneko Isao (カネコイサオ) as a brand.[1] The first Kaneko Isao collection was the Spring/Summer 1993 collection which was debuted in November of 1992.[1]
In January 1994, he left Pink House to concentrate on Kaneko Isao Co., Ltd.. In April of 1994, Wonderful World was announced and the first collection was the 1994/1995 Autumn/Winter Collection.[1]
In November 1997 he announced Men's Kaneko Isao (メンズ カネコイサオ) with the first collection being the Spring/Summer 1998 collection.[1]
Design Inspirations
In the April 1985 issue of An An, there was a Pink House advertisement with the title "Isao Kaneko's Red", where the designer wrote:
“I love red. I like red because it reminds me of my childhood. I have a strong attachment to red and its existence is absolute. Black, white, red! It's more important than anything else, it's nothing less than black or less than white. It's bright red. Make up bright red lipstick. Dye your nails red. I can't think of any lipstick other than bright red. It's better not to use any other color. It's much better to have a real face. I feel the strength of red when I wear it with my cheeks dyed in the setting sun. Red is an effective color. But I love it so I want to make it the main character. I think so. A red collar that peeks out at the base of the cold Yuki's collar. This much Although there is no color that works. The combination of red as the leading role is also the epitome of fashion. And I want adults to wear a lot of red. I want them to wear it proudly. The red of Imari, the red of the lacquer, the red of mizuhiki . Everyone loves the red of the banquet banners. I like it because it's not a sad color. Piling red, piling up patterns, and mixing materials.That's how red comes to life."[3]
Daily Life
In the April 1971 issue of An An Journal, Fashion editor Yuri interviewed Isao Kaneko about his work at the Ad Center, and the magazine published a day in the life feature:[4]
11:00 - Get up at the same time each morning, wash your face and put on comfortable clothes.
11:30 - Finally go to work. It's not an atelier, it's not good enough, so it's just a workplace
13:00 - Go to 'Ad Center'. This is where I work, but I have nothing to do. While thinking about what to do, I realized I had forgotten to bring the clothes I needed for work. I went back to pick them up, chatted with a helper (not an assistant) and returned to the ad center around 14:00. I ate a set meal at the employee cafeteria (the ad center has an employee cafeteria. Don't forget this). An An Editor's Note: rumor has it that Kaneko only eats once a day at night, so this is probably a lie.
Top Secret - After I arrive at the ad center, until I go home, I go in and out but I can't write anything because it's top secret. An An Editor's Note: This was a top secret thing, but it seems like they were just hanging around because they had nothing to do and didn't want to say so, not that they were afraid of industrial espionage.
17:30 - I don't have a job, so I'm going home
18:00 - Dinner at the foot of Roppongi. Two bottles of beer, sea bream and tuna sashimi, pickles, simmered vegetables, Kazunoko, Mushikorei and two bowls of rice.
19:30 - We went to see Elvis on stage. After I finished watching it around 22:00, I stopped by An An, got a new book, and had a meeting about the cover. I was thirsty after watching the movie, so I went to Nishinoki and drank two beers with some Konnyaku as a snack.
23:30 - I went home and watched TV
Midnight - Take a bath and have two beers before going to bed. Snack on Salami. I don't need anything else. I don't know what time I went to bed, but I did go to bed.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Designer's Profile". Kaneko Isao.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Kaneko data from the 1960s". Wonderful House.
- ↑ "Kaneko Isao Encyclopedia - Red". Wonderful House.
- ↑ "Ad Center". Wonderful House.
