“10”: Expressing the Self through Clothing

By Rin

Many shops gathered on this fine day. Kuroshiosai, a school festival, was held at Kochi University for the first time in three years on October 29, and 30, 2022. A school festival is a festival in which all of the planning is conducted mainly by students. There are a lot of shops selling food and general goods. One of the stores was 10(TEN). They sold clothes that they had received from a secondhand clothing store they knew and they no longer wear. A man who is a shop owner of 10(TEN) talks to a person who comes to a store and they are having a lively conversation. There was a suit at the end of the two eyes.　

In April 2022, a club called 10 (TEN) was established. Rui Tashiro, who belongs to the department of education at Kochi University started the club. The name of 10 (TEN) comes from the Japanese saying “10 people, 10 colors” which emphasizes the individuality of taste. Rui thinks clothes are a form of self-expression and consumption of clothes has become a form of communication.

“Wearing clothes that you like,” he says, “is the same as telling people that what kind of person you are.”

Mr. Tashiro who established this club was interested in clothes and wanted to sell clothes and make clothes. So, he looked for a club, but he couldn’t find a club which he was looking for. Therefore, he started his own club. This club founded in April has sixteen university students. These members want to express something through their clothes. This club activities consist of buy clothes and open stores at annual festivals. Mr. Tashiro said he want the club member to experience the feeling of influencing people through clothes. He also said he want people who were originally not confident in their clothes to be able to express themselves with confidence. Why does he place so much importance on clothes? He said that his past experiences have a strong influence on this.

Originally, he had no interest in clothes. So, he mainly wore clothes that were popular. At that time, he preferred what people thought was better than what he wanted to wear. For him at that time, clothes were just clothes, not self-expression. However, it was a turning point when visiting his brother’s favorite secondhand cloth shop. He simply bought what he wanted from a garage sale. From that point on, the confidence in his clothes that he wearing good clothes directly led to his confidence. After that, he gradually became interested in clothes.

After he became interested in clothes, his confidence in himself changed. He recalled that he thought he was unconsciously concerned about his complex because he was in adolescence at that time. However, after he became interested in clothes, he became able to love himself as he is. He said that clothes is one of a tool to love himself that he could add acquired. After he was able to be who he wanted to be with his clothes, he wanted to go outside more than before. Even if he had no plans, he enjoyed going out wearing the clothes he bought.

“I express myself by wearing clothes that I like,” Mr. Tashiro strongly said.

His clothes, which he said so, were as bright a color as his smile.