Why Is He the Only One Who Can Open the "Unopenable Door"? Designer Yoshio Iwamoto, the Secrets of His "Lineage" and "Dead Stock."
Here is a message from Iwamoto.
"This weekend, February 14th and 15th, the 'LOCUL MARKET' will be held at Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku (Omokado). To be honest, I, Iwamoto, will unfortunately not be able to attend the venue. However, I have sent a treasured collection, which can be called 'my alter ego,' to the venue.
Why would I entrust such an important archive to an event where I will be absent? It's because the 'place' and 'people' who created this event are the best.
Mr. Ito, who manages LOCUL, the venue, and who will be transferring in March. He has created a free and creative atmosphere that makes it hard to believe it's a commercial facility. I loved this place, 'LOCUL.' That's precisely why, at the last moment with Mr. Ito, I couldn't do anything half-hearted. This isn't a business-like exhibition; it's a 'token of trust.'
I have entrusted my 'archival collection,' which I personally gathered from factories in Sabae for design research, to Mr. Ito and the staff of TOKYO OPT. Even if I'm not there, these glasses should speak for themselves.
Normally, I would want to stand at the store and talk about the 'perverted' details of the glasses for 30 minutes with each person, but that won't be possible this time. Instead, I've put a handwritten 'Post-it' note on every box. It explains 'why this era is amazing' and 'which parts house the craftsman's soul.' They're not fancy pop-ups; just hasty scribbled notes. My handwriting is quite messy, worse than during my NYC collection days. But they are literally fragments of my research notes. In my absence, these Post-it notes will passionately speak for me. Please enjoy reading my 'monologue' while viewing the exhibits.
And there's one more 'message' I've left with the staff. Apparently, there will be a 'CLUÉL' snap contest on the day. For those who love FUDGE and CLUÉL, your styling will be even more perfect if your glasses are on point. So, this time, I've given special permission. If anyone wants to be photographed wearing these glasses during the snap shoot, please don't hesitate to ask the staff. Even if you haven't purchased them yet, I will lend out my archives for the moment of the shoot (try-ons are okay). Please capture the 'weight of old glasses,' which current shiny glasses cannot convey, in your snaps. If you're going to be photographed, I want you to look your absolute best. That is my wish.
Finally, the most important thing. I strictly instructed the staff about the pricing:
"Price them at 1/5 to 1/10 the cost of that high-end vintage store nearby."
It's common for vintage glasses to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of yen if you buy them in Omotesando or Nakameguro. Of course, they are worth that much (probably). But this time, it's a "festival." I don't want the younger generation, who are still developing their style, to timidly gaze at the display cases. I want them to "get the real thing with the feeling of buying a used T-shirt."
To be honest, with the sheer volume he can gather, he could open "Tokyo's best vintage deadstock specialty store." But he stubbornly refuses to do so. He is, after all, an eyewear designer, and these are not "inventory for sale" but "materials for creating the future" for him.
This is not a business. This is my way of offering a 'celebratory drink' to LOCUL, the best playground. Those seeking to resell are kindly asked to refrain. I sincerely hope these glasses find their way into the hands of those who truly want to wear them."
Now, let's introduce the main content!
[Why can only he acquire them?]
How can a mere designer possess "historic deadstock" that even manufacturers don't have? The answer lies in Iwamoto's "origins."
In fact, his uncle once ran an eyewear factory in Fukui City.
Iwamoto's youth was not spent in a high school classroom, but surrounded by guitars, motorcycles, hair salons, select shops, and the dusty floors of a factory. From high school, he learned to buff and assemble at his uncle's factory, growing up watching the backs of craftsmen.
[Driven by trust, not instructions]
Even now, he always visits the "site." Whether it's Japan, China, Vietnam, Korea, Jura, or Belluno.
He sits down with the craftsmen, and doesn't move from in front of the machines until he's satisfied. And he sells what the factory workers have made overseas, without considering profit or loss. The people on the ground have always seen this. The craftsmen who once taught him are now "presidents" or "factory managers" of various factories, and they open the heavy iron doors, saying, "I'll give it to you." This is because he is "family" and respects craftsmen more than anyone else.
[For use and for preservation]
Iwamoto has a mad collecting habit: if he likes something and has the money, he will always get "two or more" of the same item, including guitars and cars. "One is for research and heavy use. The other is for the future." What will be released this time is the untouchable "preservation (collection) piece" that he has kept. These are "perfect deadstock" that would not have existed without the trust from his uncle's generation and his unusual love. It makes sense why his vintage guitars, American cars, German, and French cars are highly valued for their "good condition" and sold within his circle of friends. Everything is for that one item.
■ B&L RAY-BAN "SHOOTER" (Straight Temple / USA Made)
"My dad (uncle) used to tell me to make real tools like this." This is a professional-spec gear with a very rare "straight temple" specification, instead of the usual cable temples, designed for easy on and off while wearing a helmet. It's in perfect condition with no metal corrosion.
(By the way, Iwamoto said he "still doesn't want to release" the cable temples...)
■ RODENSTOCK "West Germany" & MARWITZ Collection
The legacy of "West Germany," which disappeared with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a news event he saw when he was nine years old.
- RODENSTOCK "Exclusiv 790" & "CLAUDETTE": Ion plating and thick gold plating using aerospace technology. TRAD by ~ also reportedly references the thick plating of that era.
- MARWITZ "Portrait": A prestigious German brand. This is a legacy entrusted to Iwamoto by craftsmen who knew the technology of the time, telling him, "You should keep this."
■ Nikon - The Industrial Precision of 80s-90s
"Eyewear from optical manufacturers is 'precise'." Nikon's proud 80s-90s archive, a testament to global excellence. Its design, a collaboration with Giugiaro, is the ultimate in functional beauty, stripped of ornamentation. This is the root of Iwamoto's "on-site philosophy."
This is a popular approach right now, a must-see for those who look up to King Gnu's Tsuneta and Masaki Suda as fashion icons.
■ The Passion of 80s Japanese Design: KANSAI, NICOLE...
"The old Sabae and Katamachi at night felt like a festival every day."
- KANSAI YAMAMOTO (KY-3031): Comes with original polarized clip-on.
- NICOLE (Model 2604 currently MATSUDA): The progenitor of steampunk. Comes with original clip-on (a rare item, almost non-existent). This is where the origin of why Iwamoto is at the forefront of clip-on technology globally lies.
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Yves Saint Laurent:
Long before the current "Saint Laurent" rebranding, this is an old archive from an era when the emperor of fashion, Yves Saint Laurent himself, was alive and his aesthetic permeated every detail. Particularly noteworthy is the elegant "forked YSL logo" on the temples. Iwamoto researched this not just as a brand logo, but as "a perfect line to make the profile of the face look beautiful." It is a unique frame that embodies the glamorous and somewhat decadent allure of 1980s Paris.
- Oliver Peoples: Oliver Peoples is now a global brand, but what Iwamoto asserts as "the origin" are the very early models produced by "Optic Japan" in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture. These masterpieces represent the starting point of the modern classic eyewear boom, "reconstructed" American vintage from the 1920s to 1930s with the world's highest technology available in Sabae at the time. Delicate engraving, intricate bridge shapes. In fact, Iwamoto says, "The answer to everything we are doing now is contained here," referring to these as textbook-like masterpieces.
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Date: Saturday, February 14th and Sunday, February 15th, 2026
- 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Location: Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku (Omokado) 5F LOCUL
- *All items are one-of-a-kind deadstock, so please understand if they sell out.
- *Try-ons for snap photography are welcome. Please ask the staff.
- *Some items may not come with cases, etc., but if not, TOKYO OPT. accessories will be provided.
- No DMs or online sales will be conducted for the products.
■ Chloe - Folding Aviator
A travel jewel that transforms into palm-sized. A playful masterpiece that achieves a folding mechanism with a delicate metal frame. This functional beauty is what captivated Iwamoto with its "interesting structure."
■ The Emperor of Mode and the Origin of Vintage: YSL, Oliver Peoples
[Boxes that even our own staff couldn't touch]
Actually, this excavation story continues. The staff organizing the list gasped when they saw "Jean Paul Gaultier." Masterpieces from the steampunk era (layered frames, gears...) during Murai's time, worth hundreds of thousands of yen on the market, and full of deadstock with original cards.
but he replied, "No, that's for next time."
There were several original TART pieces!
He said, "Next time."
...
The items are definitely in his possession. Please wait with bated breath until he says "yes."
To be honest, with the sheer volume he can gather, he could open "Tokyo's best vintage deadstock eyewear store." But he stubbornly refuses to do so. He is, after all, an eyewear designer, and these are not "inventory for sale" but "materials for creating the future" for him.
We will only be selling the finest pieces from his collection that he deemed worthy of being displayed at LOCUL. This weekend, enjoy your encounter with "history" at Omokado.
We will also continue our efforts to collect such deadstock, so please support us!
[Important Notice Regarding Product Condition]
The items released this time are genuine deadstock (vintage new items) that have been sleeping as "preservation pieces" for many years deep within Sabae factories and in Iwamoto's warehouse.
Therefore, some frames may be in an empty state, even without their original demo lenses. These will be sold "as found," without any modifications.
If you wish to have lenses fitted, please consult with the TOKYO OPT. staff at the venue or a trusted local optician. The staff on site will be happy to advise you on which lenses would best bring out the character of each frame.
[Event Info] LOCUL MARKET vol.5
