Nestled in the wilds of northern Japan there exists a clothing company that for years has been quietly and confidently making some of the best vintage-inspired clothing in the world. I’d heard bits and pieces about Deluxeware over the years, but because they haven’t had much of an overseas presence, I didn’t know a lot …
In the minds of most, Iron Heart is known for their beautiful heavyweight denim and over-engineered construction, so when I recently stumbled upon a picture of their gorgeous new slubby fabric I almost dropped my phone then and there. Haraki-san has traditionally stuck fairly close to his biker roots, focusing on items that he himself …
I’ve known about Double Volante for a few years now, mostly through my talks with Studio D’Artisan, with whom Kuniyoshi-san often has a working relationship, particularly with their always interesting Champloo collaborations. I’ve also admired Kuniyoshi-san’s work from afar via Instagram, where he often posts his newest creations. But Okinawa being so far from Osaka, …
The Strike Gold had always been a bit of an enigma for me, not so much because there’s anything inherently mysterious about them, but more so because they kind of sat on the periphery of my denim imagination, their company being small enough to quietly slip under the radar while steadily producing some of the …
I must admit that I was a bit of a latecomer to UES. Even though they are based in Osaka, I had never visited their shop until a few months back after finally checking out their website and purchasing one of their fantastic flannels. The flame was lit, and I had to know more. For …
Japanese jeans. Known the world over for their emphasis on quality, traditional production, and attention to detail, jeans makers in the Land of the Rising Sun are able to command premium prices for premium products, limited-edition models sometimes selling out within days or even hours of release. Japan, and Okayama prefecture in particular, have become …
I know a lot of you have been looking forward to this one, so my apologies for taking so long to finally getting around to interviewing the man, the myth, the legend: Yoshiyuki Hayashi. Hayashi-san has been in the denim game for a long time, first co-founding Denime back in ’88, and now running Resolute …
So how have you been? It’s been pretty boring lately actually. Boring? Yeah, I can’t go to the Tokyo store, we aren’t allowed to travel, you know… Ah yeah, for sure. But you know, jeans sales have actually been really good. You mean internet sales? Yeah, that too, but mostly wholesale. The Tokyo shop is …
Since all of the Covid madness descended upon us all earlier in the year, it’s been hard to get out and do interviews, but luckily a few weeks back I did manage to get down to Samurai’s main Osaka store and have a good catch up with one of my favorite people in the whole …
I recently had a chance to sit down again with Iron Heart Boss, Shinichi Haraki, at his store in Osaka. It had a been a while since we chatted so it was good to get an update from him on how things have been lately for him and his company. Always a joy to talk …