TOKYO's MODERN VINTAGE ARCHIVE: MEET OZZYSVISION
Vintage has been the buzzword of the fashion industry as of late. While rocking a pair of fresh-out-the-box Yeezy Boost 350 or Air Jordan 1s used to be the biggest flex a few years ago, a rare band Tee you found at a local flea market or your dad's closet is the new state-of-the-art style.
As evident by ever rising resale prices on online marketplaces, the demand for long forgotten apparel and footwear gems has been skyrocketing over the last few years. There’s several good reasons for this, and unsurprisingly given Japan’s nationwide culture of collecting, some of the hottest items can be found in Tokyo.
Waking up to the dire realities of “limited” footwear releases not actually being all that limited compared to possibly 1-of-1 or ultra rare Vintage items like the ‘92 Batman: The Animated Series T-shirt, more and more disillusioned fashion enthusiasts have switched sides from chasing the latest and greatest to digging out vintage heaters. Of course, a nice side-effect is the fact that the lifespan of existing apparel and footwear is prolonged, instead of said items ending up in another landfill.
At the same time, part of the excitement from tracking down Vintage lies in the fact that one has to either dig through local flea markets, monitor marketplaces over week-long periods or hit up the spider web covered attic to find some really good stuff. In other words, the effort put into the quest is in most cases directly related to the quality of your discoveries. Compared to waking up at 9am to register for an app-based sneaker release (where the cards are stacked against you anyways) quite the welcome and much needed change. After all, finally coming across the Vintage piece you’ve been tirelessly searching for everywhere feels much more rewarding than winning another pair off another raffle you’re not even sure you really wanted.
Then, there's the sheer endless supply of old garments that are currently experiencing their second hooray. From old company uniforms to all over print souvenir T-shirts, your new favorite garment might just be waiting for you in a stack of used apparel at the garage sale next door. On the other hand, the predecessors of highly popular trends such as functional or outdoor wear are also in the mix. While these specific items might be harder to find due to their rarity and obscurity, plenty of them can be found scattered across Japanese second-hand stores. Based on the island nations culture of collecting, apparel and footwear items that served as the blueprint and inspiration for today's collections regularly surface here and are scooped up in a matter of hours, if not minutes.
One of these Vintage hunters is Tokyo-based Ozzy’s Vision. Inspired by the 90’s and 00’s Hip-hop scene, Ozzy has continuously sharpened his personal style and amassed an impressive collection in the meantime. Ozzy’s wardrobe is best described as the modern Tokyo take on functional vintage, boasting items that are on countless grail lists, sportswear and fashion brands moodboards or can be found in scans of old Japanese fashion magazines. While some of his favorites include (very) early CP company, Nike Considered or Stussy Surplus, Ozzy effortlessly blends the pinnacle of Vintage Wear with more recent sneakers, creating a timeless look that is beginning to catch on with a wider community. In short, Ozzy’s taste and collection are ahead of their time. That’s why he’s been on the radar of industry insiders for some time and big moodboard pages like @organiclab.zip or outdoor pioneers like @mcsteve are frequently dropping comments on his posts.
With the Sabukaru Team being big fans of his aesthetic and curational talent, we invited the young collector, who prefers to stay anonymous, as the first magazine to let him style his favourite pieces in a sabukaru Editorial shot by Billy Fischer.
Hey Ozzy-san could you please introduce yourself?
Yo, I'm Ozzy. Nice to meet you!
I'm 21 years old and living in Tokyo, Japan.
I’m doing TEENAGE KICKS, which is the name of my shop thats selling vintage sneakers and other stuff.
What’s the story behind your IG handle @ozzysvision?
There’s 3 reasons for that.
1: When I was in the military there was a commander called Ozzy, I respect him a lot and like the sound "Ozzy"
2: I lived in Australia before. Australian is called Aussie so I picked the sound of "Ozzy"
3: It kinda loosely sounds like Original (OG)
How did you first break into the fashion/streetwear/sneaker scene?
Even before I joined the military, I loved music and was influenced a lot by Kanye West. From there, I was drawn into fashion and sneakers, and started to check out clothing & brands. My first year in the military, I didn’t have a TV or a phone, and couldn’t even leave my house in regular clothes. It wasn’t until my second year that I was able to buy my first magazine; Shoesmaster, featuring the Fragment Airmax LD-1000 on the cover. That’s what really made me get into sneakers.
What was the first pair of sneakers you consciously wanted and bought?
My very first sneaker I really wanted was the Nike Free Flyknit 3.0
Who is someone you are looking up to for inspiration?
Thats’s gotta be Chokkan-san.
From the first time we met, I felt that he was a man who could make moves. He has the most interesting topics to talk about. Chokkan-san is the reason I am who I am today.
How would you describe your own style and how did you grow into it? What were the stations on your journey to your current style?
I never enjoyed being or looking the same as those around me. I always like to dig clothes and music that people don’t know about. And now here I am today. I think not wanting to be the same as others is the biggest factor
What excites you about fashion in general? Why do you choose to dress so “meaningfully” with carefully picked pieces?
I think knowing the background behind pieces, and also being able to connect pieces to music is really cool. You can tell what kind of music a person likes from the way they dress, and that can lead to many interesting conversations and stories. I also like to dress in a way that shows what kind of music I like, and shows who I am.
The vast majority of clothes and sneakers you wear were released several years ago - it seems as if you rarely wear something that was released recently. What is the reason behind this?
The biggest reason is not wanting to look the same as other people. Another reason is that older sneakers fit the older clothes I wear more. When people wear the newest sneakers with vintage clothing, it just doesn’t feel right for me. I also feel the craftsmanship for older clothes & sneakers is superior to that of today.
All the items you wear - whether sneakers or apparel - have some sort of history behind them or are simply iconic. Where and how did you amass all this knowledge?
In many ways. I read books and magazines. I go to many stores and talk to experts. I’ve always enjoyed studying, and make sure to research anything that triggers my interest. If you like something, I think it’s normal to try and learn more about it.
What excites you and what bores you about more recent releases?
Collabs. They can be both exciting or boring. Good collabs are good, but many collabs feel like they are centered around the names of the brands. On the other hand, I think there are many good releases coming from brands like Adidas Consortium and some of Nike’s more limited lines. To me, this wave of reviving old sneakers from archives is a good trend.
We see a lot of obscure low-key Nike silhouettes, especially from the Nike Considered line, on your IG feed. Where did your appreciation for these come from and why do you like them so much?
What grabbed my interest at first was the silhouettes. It was impossible to tell that they were Nikes. After doing some research, understanding the concepts behind the shoes, how environment-friendly they were really shocked me. I mean these shoes were released in 2005. These guys are geniuses. The shoes don’t tear or break at all either, which shows how much work & thought was put into them.
Being right in the middle of a pandemic, I think what we really need and what we don’t need has to be “Considered” again. The sneakers that we really need are the ones that get passed down to the next generation, and those are what I believe to be the best sneakers.
Tokyo has always been amongst the fashion capitals of the world. How would you describe the current Tokyo style, what do you see a lot of recently and what seems to be popular lately?
I think everybody is very fashionable. Everybody has their own character, traits. They are all very cool in their own way. Those in the fashion & apparel industry have knowledge, and have their own taste in music. Those people really stimulate me.
Functional fashion has also conquered Tokyo over the last years. Why do you think this trend has been so quickly and widely adapted by tastemakers and now the mainstream alike?
As I mentioned above regarding the Considered line, I think it is due to rethinking what we really need & don’t need. What we need ends up being the more functional clothing. Added to that, functional clothing is cool. There is functional beauty in each garment.
How does your personal style reflect Tokyo? How are you and your style inspired by the city, its fashion history and heritage?
I will never forget the feeling when I first moved to Tokyo. I was born and raised in a more rural area, and always looked up to Tokyo life. I didn’t have much knowledge about sneakers and fashion in general at first, but working in Tokyo and meeting new people really shaped me. There is stimulation and inspiration everywhere.
It's not uncommon to see important IG accounts like @organiclab.zip, @dreadedpath or @mcsteve (Nike ACG co-founder) comment on your posts. Has anyone ever reached out to you to source some rare or JP exclusive items? What were some of the items that were asked for?
Yeah, they do. Most of the people ask about shoes I post on Instagram. Many people also ask about made-to-order and special models that the multi-brand store I work at carries. I like to talk to people who contact me about shoes, it’s always fun.
In November 2020 you hosted a pop-up up shop together with @geekoutstore. Was this your first “retail pop-up” experience? What was that like? How did you like the “offline” retail experience?
It was a really great, fun experience. I was able to meet many new people, including Bianco-san and Natsuki. It made me re-recognize the importance of physical stores. I would love to have the opportunity to do something like this again, so if anybody would like to team up with me, shoot me a notice (laughs)!
More and more brands reach out to key IG figures for insights and collaborations - for instance organiclab x Salomon, liljupiter x K-Swiss or hidden x BBC. What do you think about this trend, would you be down to do something like this and if so, with which brand?
I think this trend is fantastic. Seeing mood boards like them with this much clout & influence is amazing, and it’s also interesting from the brand’s perspective as well. Seeing collabs like these strongly make me feel that COVID is impacting the structure of the fashion scene. I would be so down to do a collab like this. If anything I’ve said so far has sparked an interest for someone, please reach out (laughs). It’ll really help me out!
What's next for @ozzysvision? Can you share any upcoming projects with us?
I can’t say anything yet, but I am planning to do many exciting things in 2021. There are many things I want to try, so anybody out there who felt a sense of similarity to me, feel free to reach out!
Thank you so much for taking the time and all the best for the future!
Words by Natsuki Ludwig
Interview by Casey Omori and Natsuki Ludwig
Images by Billy Fischer
