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February 28, 2020
A Day with Cadillac's New SUV, the XT6, Featuring a Leading Creator – Takayuki Fujii, Designer of nonnative | Cadillac
Presented by CADILLAC
Cadillac XT6 | Cadillac XT6
A Day with the Cadillac XT6, Featuring Takayuki Fujii, Designer at nonnative
“I feel the accumulation of its legacy as a luxury car.”
Introducing the Cadillac XT6, a new crossover SUV with a 6-passenger, 3-row seating configuration. This special feature highlights a day spent with the highly anticipated model, as seen through the eyes of a prominent car enthusiast and creator, dressed in the latest designs. In this first installment, we feature Takayuki Fujii, designer for the fashion brand “
nonnative.”
Text by TAKI Masahi | Photographs by SATO Yuki
With the cooperation of SOLSO FARM and Kamakura City Agricultural Cooperative Direct Sales Office
The XT6's rear gate luggage room easily accommodates three Euphorbia plants.
Takayuki Fujii, the designer for the fashion brand “
nonnative”, is also known as a car enthusiast. His current car is a premium SUV in the D-segment, so he was interested in the Cadillac XT6, which was released just this February.
“But for me, Cadillac was an image of cars appearing in Netflix or movies. Honestly, I felt I had no connection to it until I actually drove one.”
With Fujii at the wheel, the first destination for the Cadillac XT6 was “SOLSO FARM.” This is a shop, open only on weekends, run by SOLSO, professionals in plant and landscape design and construction.
It doesn’t feel like Kawasaki City’s Miyamae Ward. It’s a green and lifestyle shop that could be found in West Hollywood, alongside the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel and Fred Segal. The XT6 somehow looks incredibly fitting here.
Waiting for Fujii was Akira Masuda, who oversees SOLSO’s design department. When Fujii moved to Hayama three years ago, Masuda took care of everything from the soil preparation for his garden.
Naturally, he knows exactly what is planted where in Fujii’s home, and can offer the best advice when choosing new greenery, so Fujii values Masuda’s recommendations.
They browsed the indoor plants, cacti, and succulents, as well as gardening tools, and then chatted for a while with newly arrived potted plants in hand. Then, the two stopped in the outdoor plant section.
“Around this time, Euphorbia might be good to plant in that corner.”
“Planting two with different colored leaves side-by-side would also be nice.”
“But they’re a bit tall. Will they fit in the car?”
“I think they should fit without any problem.”
In the end, they decided to plant three Euphorbias in the garden. Opening the XT6’s rear gate, they fit easily into the luggage compartment.
“I didn’t even need to fold down the second-row seats.”
“When loaded into the Cadillac, the Euphorbias somehow look more striking. A gorgeous feel (laughs).”
Smooth, well-mannered, and remarkably quiet
Next, Fujii headed to Kamakura in the XT6. The destination, once again, was plants. This time, however, it was not ornamental plants, but vegetables.
“My image of Cadillac was a mature luxury car for someone with a strong presence.”
After navigating the Daisan Keihin and Yokohama Shindo expressways, Fujii gently pressed the accelerator as he entered the Yokohama-Yokosuka Road.
“I was expecting a rougher, richer driving experience, typical of American cars, but it was completely different when I actually drove it. Smooth, well-mannered, and remarkably quiet. That doesn’t change even when accelerating like this. …It wasn’t wrong to call it a luxury car, though (laughs).”
Exiting the Yokohama-Yokosuka Road at the Asahina IC, he headed to what is popularly known as Renbai in Kamakura. Its official name is the Kamakura City Agricultural Cooperative Direct Sales Office, where 23 farmers from Kamakura City and the neighboring Nagaocho area in Yokohama City, divided into four groups, sell the produce they grow themselves.
Located next to the Patagonia Kamakura store, just a 5-minute walk from Kamakura Station and conveniently situated along Wakamiya Oji street, it retains a rich, old-fashioned Kamakura atmosphere. It turns out that a senior from Fujii’s former BEAMS days has a stall here.
That senior is Tadayuki Kato, who currently works as a men's buyer and director of <SSZ> at BEAMS, while also growing vegetables with his parents and selling them at Renbai. He truly excels at balancing two careers.
“Kato-san’s vegetables have a rich flavor and are delicious,” says Fujii.
The sight of root vegetables, in season during winter, and leafy greens heralding spring, lined up is spectacular. Just as there are Kyoto vegetables, Kamakura vegetables are loved and cultivated by the people of Kamakura, who know the true meaning of deliciousness.
Fujii purchased a generous amount of the delicious produce carefully grown by his senior Kato, placed them in the luggage space, nestled them among the Euphorbia pots, and returned to the XT6’s driver’s seat. He decided to enjoy a drive along Route 134, with the sea to his right, on his way back to his home in Hayama.
Cadillac SUVs also possess a mature elegance
“Driving this Cadillac XT6, I was reminded anew that the concept of luxury also changes day by day. It seems I had neglected to update my image of Cadillac.”
Is this a statement with a designer’s subtle implication?
“No, I don’t think my own preferences have changed much. I’ve been the same since high school. Clothes are tools to project one’s life. Because they are tools, I am particular about their functionality.”
Cars are also a collection of functions, aren't they?
“Yes, that’s probably why I’m so drawn to them. Even so, Cadillac cars have a mature feel, don’t they? Even an all-wheel-drive SUV that can seat six has that kind of character. I sometimes feel the accumulation of its legacy as a luxury car.”
Currently, Fujii’s atelier and office are located in Nakameguro. He drives himself to and from his home in Hayama, and he cherishes that commute time.
“There seems to be a certain type of brain activity that only occurs while driving, and I often come up with ideas. When a great idea strikes, I can’t take notes, so I usually call my assistant hands-free and leave a message. It’s about an hour’s drive, but when I concentrate on driving, ideas just come to me.”
Fujii also noted the body color, named Radiant Silver Metallic.
“It’s a bit smoky, and I like how its texture changes with the sunlight. It’s a complex color, not the straightforward American car look. This again suggests that the concept of luxury cars is evolving daily.”
Would commuting between Hayama and Nakameguro in the XT6 spark wonderful ideas?
“Ah, yes. But it might be too soon for me… I truly realized that the current appeal of Cadillac is not well known.”
The XT6, loaded with Euphorbias for the garden and Kamakura vegetables in its luggage compartment as it heads to Hayama, looks incredibly stylish, especially with Fujii in the driver’s seat.
“At first, I was surprised by the current state of Cadillac, but I soon got used to it. As a car, it has surprisingly few quirks. Driving it again, I’m thinking, ‘So this is what Cadillac is like now.’ …And that’s a compliment.”
Spec
Cadillac XT6 Platinum
Cadillac XT6 Night Cruise Edition
Body Dimensions | Length 5,060 x Width 1,960 x Height 1,775mm
Vehicle Weight | 2,110kg
Engine | 3,649cc V6 DOHC
Maximum Output | 213kW (314ps) / 6,700rpm
Maximum Torque | 368Nm (37.5kgm) / 5,000rpm
Transmission | 9-speed AT
Drivetrain | 4WD
Seating Capacity | 6 people
Price | ¥8,700,000 (Night Cruise Edition ¥9,100,000)
Inquiries
GM Japan Customer Center
Tel. 0120-711-276 (9:00-18:00, open daily)
https://www.cadillacjapan.com/
