enya FASHION QUEEN

Text by Annie Lu | Translation by Sherry Chen

春日午後的一場雨，讓古老卻又充滿生命力的迪化街上，瀰漫著一股濕潤的氣息。而座落於此的新複合式空間「裏Ura.219」，在這氛圍下顯得格外醒目，特別是古樸又神秘的店面外觀，令人不禁想入內一探。當踏入這個空間時，旋即能感受每處角落都充滿著驚喜，「裏Ura.219」不僅將時尚服飾、植物盆栽、咖啡、茶等元素交織在一起，也展現出新舊融合的深刻魅力……

On a drizzling spring afternoon, the archaic yet bustling Dihua street is filled with humid air. Amidst the ambience stands the captivating new concept store, Ura.219. The quaint and mysterious storefront tempts for exploration. Every corner of the interior beckons curiosity. Ura.219 intertwines elements of fashion apparel with potted plants, coffee, and tea, exuding profound allure in the transcendence of time…

重構古宅

「因為這裡是迪化街219號，而裏，代表的是古厝裏、街巷裏、裏山的裏、服裝的內裏……」主理人沈映仁向我們談及整個空間命名的由來，也提到當初裏Ura.219之所以會落腳於大稻埕，是因為沈映仁在因緣際會下發現自己與時裝品牌Professor.E的主理人Ken擁有相同的理念。加上兩人都喜歡古物、造景跟植栽，便決定保留一進（古厝的第一組建築）的時裝Showroom，並將後方的古宅天井、二進處（古厝的第二組建築）打造成融合裏山日本植栽與咖啡廳的空間，其中也包含了陶藝品牌 Objectby1218以及塊根植物品牌0343 Conservatory。

Reconstructing Antique Residence

Ying Jen, Shen, the proprietor of Ura.219 shared, “because we are located at 219 Dihua Street, and “Ura” represents the interiors of the traditional house, the alleyways, the main Urayama store, and of the clothes linings…” He also mentioned the reason Ura.219 settled in Dadaocheng was because he coincidentally discovered that he and the proprietor of the fashion brand, Professor.E, shared the same values. Both of them are fond of antiques, landscape designs, and plant displays. They decided to preserve the main entrance structure of the courtyard house as the fashion showroom, and restructure the yard and the second structure as a concept space that showcases Japanese planting from Urayama, the coffee shop, the pottery brand Objectby1218, and the caudex plant brand 0343 Conservatory.

世外桃源

「裏Ura.219」在空間的設計上，無論是硬體或是軟裝的靈感來源，就如其所在地大稻埕於歷史上作為匯聚各國貨物的樞紐般多樣化。不僅融合日本禪意、台灣人文，也利用些許歐洲風格的老物件來做整體的建構，尤其是裏山的植栽、老物件都是以日本進口為大宗，另外也會使用一些台灣原生種，當搭配上歷史底蘊濃厚的古宅天井，立刻就營造出世外桃源般寫意又自在的氛圍。對此，主理人沈映仁也笑著提到：「其實我跟Ken討論過，簡單來說，這裡就是我們把喜愛的事物集結在一起，並分享給大家的場域，像是我們愛古物，這裡就會有許多新奇的古物，而Ken每天都要喝咖啡，所以店裡就一定要有咖啡！」

Utopia

The space design of Ura.219, whether tangible or intangible designs, are inspired by its location inside the historical site of Dadaocheng, the former trading port of Taiwan. It embraces Japanese Zen aesthetics, Taiwanese culture, and European antiques for its interior furnishings. Plant displays in particular, were vase sourced from Japan, and sometimes paired with native Taiwanese plant species. Strolling down the traditional courtyard house, the space is a timeless and secluded utopia. “Ken and I have actually discussed this. Simply put, Ura.219 is a space where we collect and share our favorite things.” Ura.219’s proprietor  Ying Jen, Shen chuckles, “if we like antiques, you will see a collection of fascinating antiques. Since Ken drinks coffee everyday, the store must have coffee!”   

植栽風潮

相較於在陽明山的「裏山」，沈映仁認為「裏Ura.219」會更著重於盆栽、植栽的展現，同時他也表示景觀設計目前在台灣算是一片藍海，還有許多可能性待大家探索開發，期待未來有更多新血注入這片領域。而過去景觀設計、植栽這類的嗜好在大家印象中，或許是較深受老一輩喜愛的。不過近年來潮流圈的年輕人也關注起塊根植物、植栽，因為這些就像有生命的雕塑品，非常適合入手把玩，另外承載植栽的器皿也是大家聚焦的對象之一，所以針對這點「裏Ura.219」就提供了展示和體驗空間，讓人們可以更深入地了解、並欣賞植栽為生活所帶來的美好。

Planting Trend

Compared to “Ura” in Yangmingshan, Ying Jen, Shen believes Ura.219 emphasizes more on plant displays and presentations of the plants. He also recognizes that landscape design in Taiwan is a blue ocean market, there are ample possibilities expected for new generations to explore. Landscape design and planting hobbies were favored by older generations in the past. In recent years, younger generations in trend have begun to show interest in succulent planting. The vessel for planting is also the center of attention, and succulent planting is like living sculptures that are suitable for hands-on exploration. With this notion in mind, Ura.219 provided customers with a showroom to explore and appreciate the beauty of planting.

Professor.E 核心概念

除了植栽以外，大家不難發現陳列在「裏Ura.219」一進的時裝品牌Professor.E，隱約散發著低調又洗鍊的態度。Professor.E 服飾的視覺雖然大量由黑色構建而成，但內裏卻藏著精彩的印花與老布，而這背後其實也蘊含著獨有的歷史脈絡，可以說是工藝與文化的完美結合，值得大家更進一步探究。當被問及Professor.E 的核心理念，兩位店長Fly與C.K. Wu表示：「Professor.E 想呈現出收藏庫的形象，藉此將品牌使用各種文物影像的創作方式做出解釋。常態情況是在圖tee、印刷品上，希望營造面對文史文物的意象。」而 Time as the Texture of Things（時間作為事物的質地）其實就是對品牌最好的解釋，透過舊化工藝、年代款式，來達到面料臻至成熟、器物上的劃痕、皮料的歲月皺摺的意象！

Core Concept of Professor.E

Apart from plant displays, it’s hard to not notice the fashion brand inside Ura.219 showcasing Professor.E’s subtle and refined design silhouettes. While Professor.E’s apparels are mostly composed of shades of black, its linings harbor opulent prints and vintage fabrics. The historical backdrop seamlessly melds culture and craftsmanship, with profound context that piques the audience. When being asked about Professor.E’s core concepts, the two store managers, Fly and C.K. Wu suggested that “Professor.E intends to present a collector’s shelf, defining ways the brand uses various antiques and images; visualization of historics that are  conveyed through graphic tees and prints.” They believe using scratch marked antiques, wrinkled leathers, and weathering techniques and vintage styles to age fabrics, are the most suitable way to define their brand philosophy, “Time as the Texture of Things.”

Professor.E 未來藍圖

雖然Professor.E目前在台灣仍處於耕耘階段，但實際上在國外已經擁有一批受眾的群體，包括日本、韓國以及歐洲等國家，其品牌時裝甚至被饒舌天王Kendrick Lamar所著用過，因而躍上國際舞台上。對此，Professor.E也希望未來能夠繼續拓展品牌的國際市場。今年他們則計劃在巴黎時裝周展開自己的ShowRoom，這將會是一個重要的里程碑，此外品牌也計畫未來能與一些藝術家進行聯名合作等項目，也期待大家可以密切關注他們的後續行動！

Visions of Professor.E

Although Professor.E is currently in the stage of cultivation in Taiwan, he has already built oversea followers in Japan, Korea, and Europe. The fashion brand has been internationally recognized and was even worn by the renowned rapper Kendrick Lamar. Professor.E hopes to continue expanding its brand worldwide in the future. This year, they are planning for a showroom at Paris Fashion Week, which will be a significant milestone for the brand. Professor.E also looks forward to artist collaborations and brand followers to follow his endeavors closely!