MARGARET HOWELL BLAZER STYLE 2009 | Interview with Yataro Matsuura

MARGARET HOWELL

Yataro Matsuura x Margaret Howell

I want to create a magazine that would please this person.

Yataro Matsuura, editor-in-chief of the lifestyle magazine "Kurashi no Techo," founded in 1948, and representative of the bookstore "COW BOOKS" in Nakameguro.
When he became editor-in-chief of "Kurashi no Techo" in 2006 and decided to significantly change the readership, he thought of Margaret Howell.

Compiled by OPENERSPhotos by Masahiko Nakamura

Choosing clothes at a Margaret Howell shop feels like visiting someone.

—Let's start with how you first encountered Margaret Howell's clothes...

When I was 23 or 24, a woman I was dating gave me a white shirt from Margaret Howell. That's how I first learned about the brand, and I was deeply impressed by its quality, its classic yet new feel. It was as if she taught me the essence of Margaret Howell.

—Where do you feel that quality and classicism?

In October 2006, I became editor-in-chief of "Kurashi no Techo." The magazine had become geared towards an older readership due to the changing times, and I aimed to renew it and change its image.
Specifically, my job is to create a magazine that can be enjoyed by the 30s and 40s age group, who are now at the center of daily life, and to steer that direction.

The more I learned about the clothes Margaret Howell creates and her lifestyle, the more I felt that what is just right for her is also high-quality and classic. Her very existence exuded a sophisticated way of living.

When I thought about what that feeling was, it was Howell herself, the creator. She values her life as much as her creative work, so when you choose clothes at her shop, you feel something. It's like visiting a person.

—I see.

Margaret is one of the people I think about when I consider who I want to please with "Kurashi no Techo" – "I want to create something that would make this person happy."

In "Kurashi no Techo," we featured not just clothes, but her daily life and the small efforts she makes, in the opening pages. It was the first issue to sell out since I became editor-in-chief, and it remains an unforgettable edition.

Kurashi no Techo: Margaret Howell Feature

—Where do you feel that newness?

It's probably in the way she grows while her fundamentals remain unchanged. In a sense, she strives to change in order to remain the same, which I believe is very right, and that's where the newness lies.

Furthermore, I learn flexibility from her. While working on "Kurashi no Techo," I learn a great deal from Margaret's activities and her way of thinking.

Comfortable to wear, and new. If it's not new, I don't want it.

—We'd like to hear about your personal fashion philosophy.

When I was younger, I loved clothes and wore all sorts of things. In particular, I discovered vintage clothing in my late teens and realized I could express my individuality through it.

I think the sense of self I found through wearing vintage clothes, and the quality of classic items I felt firsthand, form the basis of my current fashion sense.

—Are there any particular items you favor?

White shirts, definitely. They are always my go-to for comfort. For jeans, Levi's 501s are my standard, and when I buy clothes, I choose them based on whether they will go with my 501s.

I've always chosen and worn classic, high-quality items in my own way, but since I'm living in the present, I need to engage with what's newest right now.

Comfortable to wear, and new. If it's not new, I don't want it.

—That sounds exactly like "Kurashi no Techo."

Perhaps becoming someone who looks good in Margaret Howell clothes is one of life's measures for me.

To achieve that, I believe one must cherish their own life, and growth in relationships with family and society—in other words, social maturity—is what leads to a high-quality life.

—Thank you very much.

COW BOOKS is a bookstore where representative Yataro Matsuura stocks books he finds interesting. It's enjoyable to feel like you're peeking into his personal study.

COW BOOKS Nakameguro
1-14-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5459-1747
13:00–21:00 Closed Mondays
http://www.cowbooks.jp/

Yataro Matsuura
Born in Tokyo in 1965.
Editor-in-chief of "Kurashi no Techo," representative of COW BOOKS, writer.
In 1992, he started m&co. booksellers, specializing in old magazines, and in 2000, the mobile bookstore m&co.traveling booksellers.
In 2002, he opened COW BOOKS in Nakameguro, a bookstore themed around "freedom."
In 2006, he became editor-in-chief of "Kurashi no Techo." In addition to bookselling, he is active in editing, translation, and writing.