In recent years, online sales have become firmly established, and approaching businesses via the internet and social networking services is now the norm. Esmeralda Serviced Department (Esmeralda) is a used and select shop that also started selling clothes online in 2017. However, their motivation and approach are somewhat different from other shops. Esmeralda offers a flat perspective on fashion based on real relationships. “The reason we started an online shop was because we wanted to create a place where we could show the work of our co-owner and friend, the photographer. We didn’t start out to sell clothes, but we thought that by putting our exhibitions online and selling the clothes we photographed as works, we could make a profit using just our own fledgling abilities.”
At the time, they also considered web magazines and print media, but they all seemed like hollow expressions and lacked interest. Director Kanayama of Esmeralda, who had always liked secondhand clothes, focused on running the shop, buying clothes by trial and error with the help of friends and acquaintances despite the limited funds available.
“From around 2019, we started to do pop-up shops, and they were well received and did well in terms of sales. The experience of being able to sell clothes through face-to-face customer service was significant, and after that we rented our own space and held several pop-ups while solidifying our image for opening a store.”
from left: RISA wearing vintage LAPLAUD dawn jacket, dress, shoes by FERNWEH | AYANO wearing vintage MODELE DEPOSE shawl, dress and top by ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT | NONO wearing vintage top, skirt, pants by HOOKED
And so, in 2022, Esmeralda’s physical store opened. The online shop, which started out selling only secondhand clothes, had already begun interacting with a number of brands, both domestic and international, by that time.
“We currently select from around 10 brands. The product mix is a little more towards selected items than secondhand clothes, with a balance of around 6:4. However, what we value is the creation of high-quality, simple items, and we don’t really focus on whether they are secondhand or new, or whether they are men’s or women’s. Both are just different roles, but they are still good things that are close to us.”
According to Kanayama-san, secondhand clothes are a way of bringing the culture and story of the time into today’s fashion, while the select brands are a way of creating a “new image of humanity” that secondhand clothes cannot. Esmeralda’s unique worldview is supported by a neutral way of thinking that is not bound by any one thing.
“In this day and age, most brands are forced to be conscious of sustainability. There are certainly some things that are difficult to see, but we interpret what we can trust from our own perspective.”
LEFT: AYANO wearing vintage MODELE DEPOSE shawl, dress and top by ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
Creating a new global value system that combines the old and the new
The underwear brand “Baserange”, which is based in France and Denmark, is the flagship brand, and the Dutch bag brand “Pien”, the Spanish men’s shirt brand “CAMISAS MANOLO”, which uses dead stock fabric, and the Japanese brand “well”, which was launched by a friend of the designer, are just some of the brands Esmeralda handles, which are diverse in terms of country and genre. “CAMISAS MANOLO”, a Spanish brand specializing in men’s shirts that uses dead stock fabrics, and ‘well’, a Japanese brand launched by a friend of the designer, are just some of the brands Esmeralda handles, which are diverse in terms of country and genre. Furthermore, the philosophy of making high-quality, simple products is not limited to clothing, but also extends to everyday goods such as ceramic products and towels.
“Ideally, we would like to do business directly with the designers, without going through agents. This would make it easier to communicate with the designers, and we would be able to understand more about the production process, which would ultimately lead to greater trust. Some of the brands we carry are small-scale, so it can take over a year to receive an order, but we feel that there are many people, including ourselves, who share our spirit of maintaining a pace and quantity that suits our own circumstances.
The number of pop-up events and photo exhibitions based in the store has increased, and Esmeralda is functioning as a community space where people who get along well with each other can meet casually. There are also many visitors from overseas, and it seems to be a popular spot, especially among Koreans. As the shop has grown and Mr. Kanayama himself has matured, his approach to fashion has also changed, but the fundamentals remain the same. From now on, too, he wants to continue to leave the value in the margins, leaving the viewer to decide what is good.
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writer
KEISUKE HONDA
Born in 1984. After working at an apparel store that sold secondhand and imported clothes, she worked at a publishing company before becoming a freelance editor. She writes articles and conducts interviews and planning and composition in various media in the context of diverse styles and cultures.
BRAND NAME
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
エスメラルダ サービスド デパートメント
COMPANY NAME
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
エスメラルダ サービスド デパートメント
INFORMATION
2024/11/13
BRAND NAME
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
COMPANY NAME
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
ESMERALDA SERVICED DEPARTMENT
INFORMATION
2024/11/13