Japanese designers

[jujumaster]

Have we had John Lawrence Sullivan yet? From Arashi Yanagawa, who has an unconventional background into design being a former profession boxer. Some interesting futuristic Bladerunner-meets-Equilibrium type shit, although I have a feeling that the collections just slightly lack a finished refinement, whatever that means. Womens are better than mens.

Oh and SS16 is a bit too Undercover.

http://www.john-lawrence-sullivan.com/

[Noah]

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[trasparenti]

[trasparenti]

Many more pics on the blog of various stores and clothes n such. I keep finding new stores in the area, like I had no clue there was a 1LDK or Blue Blue Japan here until I stumbled upon them. Pretty wild. Latest fave is a place called Kaka Vaka - http://kakavaka.ocnk.net/

Lots of obtuse designers like Nozomi Ishiguro, Comme Des Garcons, Shaun Samson, Facetasm, Keisuke Kanda ((love) (love) (love)), Nasir, Hiro and more. Tons of unisex/oversized stuff and a hydrating used/sale section. I have the actual post queued with some more info but some of the best stuff were releases from tiny brands Airr, AO, Shallow and more. Bonus - super sweet and friendly staff. Wish I took more/better pictures. Airr in particular is really cool, it's all de/reconstructed stuff made by hand and sold at really reasonable prices.

Loved the reversible denim jacket and massive parka

[Lorcan]

Unused is cool, I have some jeans from them.

Comoli is a brand I like the look of, haven't seen them mentioned here.

Designed by Keijiro Komori, started 2011. They do modern minimal versions of heritage-y and basic pieces. Small collections, limited palette (mostly navy, khaki, neutrals). Key items - and the thing that grabbed my eye - are the coats. They do a mackinaw coat and a tielocken coat (based on a very early Burberry design predating the trench coat) that look lovely. Prices are on the higher side (and one would like to assume the quality is line with that pricing). Would go well with Yaeca, Sunsea, Unused, Nonnative. Or Lemaire, Margaret Howell, COS etc.

[trasparenti]

^nice post! You post on Styleforum right? I just remembered I have an account there the other day

regarding my Blue Blue coin case: I bought it when I first found the Blue Blue store. It's a lil Porter x Blue Blue case dyed with indigo.

Inside are some compartments for coins and bits for attaching it to a carabiner or whatever. It's neat

I wish I had looked harder though because there are some card and coin cases from HR Remake (Hollywood Ranch Remake) that I love and they're cheaper than cheap.


Speaking of HR Remake, it's crazy underrappreciated. IMO it's as cool as most Blue Blue stuff. They're both insanely affordable considering how nice they each are.

[Julio]

^talking about coin purses, can we talk about eyl? ()
small business made by a guy by the name of ikemoto susumu (i think; ikemotosusumu on IG). triangle shaped things with a separate zipped compartment (color coded zippers) on each side; bottom zip is largest compartment. there's also a d-ring for clipping keys or hanging off a carabiner or whatever. i have one myself and they're incredibly well-built.

it was trichome seattle that put me onto them as they are to my knowledge the only western stockist--initially wanted to order from them but opted to have a friend proxy one from me when he went to japan. the above colorway (ships exclusive) was literally the last one left; i wanted the sakura print one but meh. any by then would have been good so yeah! very happy with and recommend for anyone looking for a solid coin purse, odds and ends holder, stash kit (hehe), or even a wallet. the three pocket build works out for segregating/organizing amazingly well.

[jujumaster]

Scye SS16

[nevergreen]

yo next time not as many spoilers please

[jujumaster]

Sorted ye m8

[trasparenti]

[trasparenti]

Long time no post. it's so much easier to post bits and blurbs on tumblr. oh well.

So I've been really into ASEEDONCLOUD for a loooong time. I've just never had good opportunity to handle/buy any stuff from them. Of course, today was payday so that meant spending a fourth of it on unimportant things, including some SEED pants.
http://haberdashery.co.jp/brand_aseedoncloud.html


Founded in 2009 by Kentaro Tamai, the brand is heavily inspired by outdoorsy and adventurous pursuits. Think Sassafras (clothes for gardeners) but more whimsical, And Wander (clothes for explorers) but based more in tradition than tech. If Edwina Horl met the designer for Haversack, they'd probably make clothes like these.


Tons of versatile, suuuuper well made garms constructed with vintage (and vintage-styled) workwear fabrics. Don't think that they don't feel luxurious tho, cuz even the hard-wearing denim feels soft and lovely to the touch. The jackets and shirts are often cut quite generously, allowing for unisex wear. Very few ASEEDONCLOUD clothes are simply black, for the most part, they're actually just a dark wine/brown/etc. I like how many garments are bright neutrals, unfettered by logos or extraneous design. Each piece is set up with just enough functional design (buttons, snaps, pulls) to be the utmost of simplicity while concealing a great deal of clever and neat design choices.


ASEEDONCLOUD is big on sustainability, utilizing vintage machines and organic fabrics to demonstrate their passion for nature. They go so far as to include a small packet of seeds with each garment purchased to encourage fans to begin their own garden. Seeds are a huge part of the label, even permeating their line of accessories


I bought the apron trousers in olive green/khaki. They're amazing to touch; a super soft, breathable cotton with a generous rise and strong taper. Even the buttons feel ornate. However, these pants wouldn't quite be the bit of genius that they are without the detachable apron.


Looks a little goofy in pictures but it's extremely simple in design and quite neat looking in reality. My friend said it looked kinda like a skirt, which is fair. Four or five generous pockets, the same sturdy but beautiful textile as the rest of the pants, and buttons for removal complete the package, or does it?

yeah, the apron turns into a fuckin lightweight bag, perfect for the explorer/gardener on the go. I love it. Finally, I have a simple alternative to the fanny pack or daypack. I feel like would appreciate this. Yeah, maybe it's just me, but these little functional additions mean so much to me as a consumer and only make me want to continue to buy from the smaller Japanese brands, tho I have love for Vis and Bedwin etc.

[trasparenti]

[dakaf_fal]

I remember seeing the lookbook for Phablic x Kazui SS16 recently and thinking it was super cool. Looking at the stockist, it seems like one of those Japanese brands that would be difficult to get outside of Japan, even through a proxy. A guy can dream, at least.

[trasparenti]

quick lil bit about an underappreciated collab between Sasquatchfabrix and Nepenthes, Chilling



Sasquatchfabrix is a brand that I think people should investigate more. They do a ton of interesting things but usually people just take a look at their tees or cropped pants or w/e. There's a lot of cool, off-kilter stuff that they put out on the reg, especially with their shirts, outerwear, and hats. Anyways, their collab with Nepenthes encompassed a couple seasons and ranged from printed shirts to chopped up outerwear to a full-on casual collection.





Chilling definitely lives up to its name, everything is super relaxed and casual without veering far into suiting or obtuseness (SFabrix does both sometimes - so does Julien David!). or werkwear. You get some loud prints and quirky design choices but by and large it's all quite wearable and even low-key. Not the most exciting collaboration but nothing unwearable and more than a few cool pieces for any wardrobe.




FW '10

[Eddie]

I still think about these sasquatchfabrix pieces a lot






You don't find good buys often outside of Japan and the interesting pieces are never found on YJP/Rakuten, you have to search for japanese retailers and proxy from them

[iwtt]

That collarless jacket is fantastic. I was on the lookout for one for the longest time but never found a webshop for it. I think the easiest key word is "Japonism Fisherman's Jacket" if someone else wants to give it a shot.

[trasparenti]

[trasparenti]

Quick Anrealage appreciation
Found a pair of jeans from SS14, Size, yesterday



Anrealage is constantly doing amazing/difficult/bizarre things but 14SS is one of my favorites. All of the clothes are huge and oversized and much of the collection, like many Anrealage pieces, was unisex.



Maybe the best stuff from the season were the bags, all made in collaboration with Porter. Most of the bags were HUUUUGE. The selection ranged from printed laptop totes to inflated-looking daypacks. Most of them were black or white reinterpreted versions of typical Porter bags.



Maybe the most interesting thing about Size was the way they handled the unisex sizing. Instead of simply making everything massive and leaving it at that, each garment features a little dial added at crucial points/seams.


Each dial can be messed with to tighten internal drawstrings so as to slim waistlines and shoulders to make it easier to tailor the clothes to your own size.



I didn't realize that when I found the jeans so I didn't have a chance to really mess with it but it seems simple enough. Anrealage always goes the extra mile to ensure their clothes are not only unique, but also incredibly nice. All of their clothes are really high quality.
Also recently found a pair of loud herringbone wool pants. Super nice, equally hard to pull off.


If you can your hands on something simple from them (jacket/shirt) they're pretty fun to wear. Similar to Anntian but somewhat easier to find secondhand.

[Eddie]

You can find an overview of their design process in this piece from pool magazine.



I think these are some of their more telling pieces.




the photosensitive textile stuff is cool but I don't really think they're using it that effectively beyond shock value. Shows are definitely worth watching and the soundtracks are great too.

[trasparenti]

[Eddie]

this is my favorite 'wearable' piece from them

[Lorcan]

Garment Reproduction of Workers is a brand I accidentally stumbled on googling vintage French army motorcycle coats (which I have a thing for).

In spite of the name they don't seem to do straight reproductions, so much as clothing heavily inspired by old European (and French in particular) workwear clothes in slightly modernized cuts and fabrics. Their production seems to be split between made in Japan and France.




I like the rumpled jackets and coats that are vaguely in the Harnden ballpark, the overalls, and the palette heavy on greys and ecru. The lookbooks have a nice bucolic jizz too. I guess its perhaps a bit 'cute' or costume-y for some.



Official site:

[Vaeltaja]

Let's just lump PH/GBS/Berg/GRoW/Arts & Sciences (to a degree) and just call it peasant lolita. It's much friendlier and might even allow weirder brands like Trove or something.

[Lorcan]

Yeah, I think some of that stuff is cooler mashed up rather than full-on peasant cosplay. Like, GRoW would be great with some Story MFG and EG for something a bit more colorful/ friendly.

Ahh now peasant lolita would be interesting. I'm imagining a very serious bespeckled young man in his rumpled $1500 Harnden, with a frilly pink parasol casually hooked over one elbow like it ain't no thing. And maybe a nice pretty ribbon at the neck of his band-collar shirt. Much kawaii.

[trasparenti]

peasant lolita sounds v plausible. Makes me think of brands like Stof, Suzuki Takayuki or one of my faves: By Walid, which is already pretty close to the PH pricepoint anyways

ST


By Walid


artful distressing + light layering + playful colors = extremely style

[Julio]

lol'd @ "french workwear looks"
when does it turn into "peasant lolita looks"

[trasparenti]

I wrote a style guide for goth mori / peasant lolita and posted it on Reddit cuz why not. Not super serious or anything but I kinda like how it turned out

https://www.reddit.com/r/japanesestreet ... ta_repost/

[une_impasse]

Lolita is a really good/disturbing book and its use in fashion is never not interesting

[Iliam]