I have known Hiroki Kishimoto and Keita Hinamoto for a long time, so I was really excited when I heard they had teamed up to form a new brand: omotodenim. With many years of experience and connections behind them from their time at Japan Blue and Momotaro, respectively, I knew this was going to be […]
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,
Okinawan Denim – Double Volante’s Yu Kuniyoshi Read More »
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
The Strike Gold’s Tohru Hamamoto Read More »
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
Waste Not, Want Not: Chuji Matsumoto of UES Read More »
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
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
Catching up with Samurai Read More »
Being based in Osaka, I’m often asked why I haven’t yet interviewed any of the legendary Osaka 5. A fair question, one I usually half-heartedly answer along the lines of, “Well, they’ll always be close by so I figure I’ll just start off with the ones further afield…I can interview the Osaka fellahs any time.”
Good Times with Full Count’s Miki Tsujita Read More »
Katsu, can I ask what your favorite Momotaro jeans model or fabric is? K: Hmmm…there’s a lot of them, but lately I’m really liking this slim tapered I’m wearing now. Nice fades. K: Thanks…Momotaro tapered. What’s the best part about doing what you do? The funnest part of your day. K: Mmm, for me it’s
Momotaro’s Hisao and Katsu Manabe, Part 2 Read More »