Needles - Arrow Jacket

Lately a lot of products have surfaced which features Harris Tweed. This is definitely one of the better so far. Needles is a Japanese brand, which is part of the Nepenthes company, which Engineered Garments is also a part of. Needles is almost entirely made in Japan, and I find it very hard to place in terms of style, as they produce some very funky pieces sometimes, but if you find some of their lookbooks (especially the older ones), you'll get a sense of the myriads of styles they're able to mix.

This jacket is called the Arrow jacket. It's made in Japan of Harris Tweed fabric. Other than that it features deerskin patches on the elbows and deerskin accents of the cuffs and pockets.

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Wakouwa Deck Shoes

I like the idea of taking something, that many of us use every day and attempting to perfect it or at least make it whole lot better. Like looking at an object and discovering, where you can add something that makes a difference within the limited or unlimited possibilities that you have at hand.

I think the French designer, Pierre Fournier, did just that when he decided to have these deck shoes made. Basically they're based on a pair of vintage military-issued Sperry Top-Siders, so in terms of design they're not ground breaking at all. But doing things like picking a durable American made canvas for the uppers, using a safety anti-slip sole and having them made in Japan using vulcanization really set them apart.

Unfortunately they come with a rather expensive price tag and distribution is very narrow (as usual the Japanese get the good stuff), but let's hope, that sneakers like these will some day become the standard.

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John Löfgren & Co - Beach Jacket

If you know a little about vintage clothing and particular vintage American clothing, you may know that the Brown's Beach Jacket is one of the most collectible items out there and it keeps fetching solid prices on eBay. If you know a little about buying from some of the most shops in the world, you may know that most of them are located in Japan and you may know, that it's often a hassle communicating with them and you will often have to resort to using an expensive proxy. However there is one exception and that exception is Speedway Shop (or their Rakuten shop), which is run by a very friendly American named John Lofgren (he is actually of Swedish descent).

John Lofgren is not only running a very good shop with a lot of other good brands, but he is also producing some very fine goods in his own name. Their all made in Japan of excellent materials and their all meticulously made with nice historical details.

One of the most recent pieces that has been added to the collection is John's interpretation of the iconic Beach Jacket. It's not a historical reproduction by any means, but it's a plausible remake with a nice updated fit. The fit is also something that makes Lofgren stand out, as they're much more suited for the Western consumer, as many of the Japanese makers tend to make their garbs very small and short.

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Ideas for Styling - Workers

Workers out of Japan is such a cool company. I'm addicted to their monthly news mails. One thing I particularly enjoy is their way of styling the models. So simple, so easy, so Japanese, so masculine and just inspiring.

Take this example from this month

* The moccasins are almost certainly made by Russell Moccasin.

Here are some older ones, that I were storing in a folder on my computer.

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Fabric Knowledge - Pertex

Pertex is a performance fabric made of Nylon, like many other outdoor/tech fabrics, which originates from England and was made available in 1970. It was a product of a collaboration between mountaineer, Hamish Hamilton and the textile mill Perseverance Mills Ltd. in Manchester. Nowadays the Japanese company Mitsui & Co produces the fabric, after they gained the rights to the fabric, after Perseverance liquidated in 2005.

There are different classes or grades of Pertex fabric, but the Classic is very similar to the one, that Hamish Hamilton helped develop, which is known for its light weight (even though it's the heaviest of all the grades of Pertex fabric), breathable qualities and wind resistance. It all comes down to the capillary action, that goes on within the fabric. This moves moisture along the fabric fibres and spreads it over the surface, and then it evaporates faster. 

This effect is reached by combining two different yarns each with different properties. Basically the yarn on the inside has larger filaments than the outside yarns which have smaller filaments. The capillary action is driven by the temperature difference between your body heat and the outside air. It moves the moisture from the inside to the outside because the finer yarns on the outside have a greater surface, that will absorb more moisture.

The tight weave of the finer yarns is the main reason to the wind resistance of the fabric. It isn't weather resistant however, but it will take some rain. If you're looking for the lightest Pertex options, you should go for the "Quantum" or "Microlight" probably, but these fabrics don't quite have the abrasion resistance of the Pertex Classic.

Lately Pertex has been used by more fashion oriented brands like A Bathing Ape and White Mountaineering, both out of Japan, so it isn't solely for outdoor brands like Rab.

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Japanese Denim Sewing Factory

Is it just me, that can't get enough these videos, that show how something well-made is put together?

Here is a short, but very nice video - if you don't like the music, just mute it - showing how a pair of Japanese made jeans are put together using fairly old Union Special and Singer sewing machines.

Hopefully I'll one day have a workspace this cool and be able to make jeans, that are just as beautifully made. I'll just have to find the right girl, who'll put up with it or even like the idea, as much as I do.

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The Perfect Sweatshirt - The Real McCoys

One of the brands that has been getting more and more attention lately is The Real McCoys and they deserve it. They really do. They continue to push the boundaries of reproduction, details and quality. If you want to learn more about them, I recommend you pick up Inventory Magazine issue #2

Take this sweatshirt, that one might feel insinuated to call the perfect sweatshirt. Solid construction, great details, made in Japan and last but not least, amazing loopwheeled fabric. At £180 it may seem a bit expensive, but the fabric will last for years, while improving with wear and you know what they say; you only buy quality once.

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