A Man of VETEMENTS Jacket - Yutaro Saito’s Fashion Diary #2
A monthly street fashion column by Yutaro Saito
February 12, 2022. Saturday. Monzen-Nakacho, Tokyo.
I had been wandering around areas like Kiyosumi-Shirakawa and Monzen-Nakacho, drawn to their refined yet lively downtown atmosphere. People around here tend to dress with a certain understated elegance, despite the everyday feel of the neighborhood.
After about thirty minutes of walking, I ended up deep in a residential area with almost no foot traffic.
Koto Ward is unique: even in residential areas, multiple rivers—branches of the Sumida River—flow through the neighborhoods, blending nature and concrete in a way that creates a surprisingly open, relaxed atmosphere, quite unlike the claustrophobic image people often associate with Tokyo.
Personally, I also like the chaotic vibe of places like Suginami and Nakano, but if I had to live somewhere, I’d probably pick a neighborhood like this. As I was thinking that, someone caught my eye—a grandfather whose chaotic fashion felt completely out of place here in Koto Ward.
He looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies. Wearing a hat like an Eskimo, and a MA-1 bomber jacket in a wildly toxic-looking color I’d never seen before. He was the kind of man you might encounter only once every six months: a masterclass in natural, hardcore street style.
Yutaro(YT): "Um, excuse me... I'm a photographer, and I've been shooting fashion with older people as a theme. I thought your jacket looked amazing, so I just had to ask..."
Ojiichan(OJ): "Oh, the jacket? Nice, right? This thing."
To my relief, he turned out to be very friendly, with a great reaction.
YT: "It's super cool! Where did you get it?"
OJ: "Someone gave it to me—one of my clients at work. It's still perfectly wearable, too. Would've been a waste to throw it out."
YT: "No way, it’s a gift!?"
Apparently, this MA-1, with coloring that wouldn’t look out of place in a VETEMENTS collection, had been gifted to him.
Maybe the original owner found the flashy color hard to wear. But the glossy purple perfectly balanced luxury with street ruggedness—it felt completely in tune with today's mood.
YT: "What do you do for work?"
OJ: "I do cleaning! Actually, I'm just coming back from a job. This jacket was a gift from someone at one of my clients. People are always offering me stuff they don't want anymore."
It turns out he works in cleaning. Given that he often gets gifted items, maybe he’s involved in some kind of recycling or junk removal work? Still, he was carrying a small attaché case like a technician, not the typical tools of a cleaner. His hand, gripping the case, was gloved in thick nylon gloves, like ski gloves. His shoes looked like waterproof kitchen clogs. Judging from his gloves and shoes, maybe he does some specialized cleaning work that involves water.
Peeking out from under his MA-1, I could see hints of a fluorescent-colored uniform jacket that looked like something a cleaner would wear.
YT: "That's amazing. It still looks like it has plenty of life left in it."
OJ: "Right? Even this hat was a gift from a client! Still good as new. It's one of my favorites."
The "Eskimo hat" was also a gift, apparently. It had fluffy faux fur and attached goggles, looking warm and practical.
The way it clashed with his silver, salaryman-style glasses was a combination I would have never thought of—but it looked brilliant. This kind of unexpected styling is exactly what makes grandpa fashion so fascinating.
YT: "Okay, then, would it be alright if I take a quick photo?"
OJ: "Right here? Sure."
YT: "Yes! If you could stand with the street behind you."
Click.
YT: "Perfect! Thank you so much!"
I've always had a fondness for the uniforms worn by delivery workers and cleaners. They wear every item not for others, but purely for themselves. A building security guard wears a carabiner at his waist to manage dozens of keys. A cleaner working around water wears tall rubber boots to keep his feet dry.
No matter how fresh and stylish Kanye’s rubber boot styling looks, at the end of the day, it’s still a choice aimed at differentiation, admiration for Demna's creation—it's a choice pointed outward, toward others. It could never match the sheer integrity of a cleaner’s rubber sandals, born from pure self-preservation.
We subconsciously recognize this absolute lack of "other-consciousness" in workers’ uniforms. Maybe that's why, in fleeting moments, a carabiner hanging from a belt, a pair of rubber gloves, or the slightly sagging pants of a cleaner can suddenly seem incredibly cool to us.
Moreover, the fact that both the hat and the jacket were gifts further strengthens his sense of self-identity through his fashion. Not only were they hand-me-downs, but they were gifts from clients he met through his cleaning work, not from private acquaintances. This detail allows us to sense aspects of his human character—how he interacted with clients, the relationships he built through his job. The story behind hand-me-downs brings human feelings to otherwise functional uniforms.
A uniform plus a gifted item — the ultimate form of NOT PLASTIC FASHION.
Knowing the story behind his outfit, that metallic MA-1 jacket shimmered even more brightly and looked cooler than ever.
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