Resume of Style. Nobuhiko Kitamura #4

2025.2.10

Text： Kenichi Aono

Edit： Suzuki Yusuke

Be it fashion, music or sports, there is a style that only each person can bring out in any genre. “Style is Everything.” That’s right, someone once said that style is everything. “Style Resume” is a series of interviews with adults who literally have style. Updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the sixth installment is the story of Nobuhiko Kitamura, designer of HYSTERIC GLAMOUR, who always lives with music.

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04. I talked directly with the security guard and watched "Farewell to the Light of Youth."

I started to get interested in rock music, and in junior high and high school, I started to imitate the off-duty outfits of rock musicians I saw in magazines. At the time, I used to go to second-hand clothing stores. "Aka Fuji," "Chicago," "Santa Monica," "HELLO"... I guess "VOICE" came a little later. A lot of my favorite bands were punk, and those guys don't have much money, so they wear second-hand clothes from the 50s and 60s. So I was looking for that kind of stuff too.

I learned about mods when I was listening to The Who's "Quadrophenia" (1973). Even before that, there was psychedelia and the Beatles, and everyone was dressing in a similar style, but I didn't feel that music and fashion were related. Mods gave me that feeling. Then I found out in a magazine that "Quadrophenia" was going to be made into a movie called "Farewell to Youth" (1979), and I applied to see a public preview, but I didn't get in. But I really wanted to see it, so I skipped class with a friend and went to the preview venue, and I was able to get in by talking to the security guard. I was so captivated by the movie that on the way home on the train I decided, "Okay, I'm going to find a three-button suit and a mod parka before the movie comes out," but I couldn't find a three-button suit anywhere, and I finally found one in "HELLO." This movie spurred me on in many ways.

The extent of the influence can be seen from the Who badge attached to his mod coat.
At the high school cultural festival, they performed Rats & Star. Kitamura is second from the left and played the role of Masashi Tashiro.

Profile

Nobuhiko Kitamura (Hysteric Glamour designer)

Born in Sangenjaya, Tokyo in 1962. Joined apparel manufacturer Ozone Community in 1984, and launched HYSTERIC GLAMOUR at the age of 21. Having been involved with music for over 40 years, he has many fans not only in Japan but all over the world, and is known for having close friendships with many musicians and artists.

Instagram @nobuhikokitamura , @hystericglamour_tokyo