ESTABLISHMENT OF JAPANESE FASHION
CLOTHES BY CASTE
It is known that Japan was an isolated country for a long time. The ruling government in those days was called the Shogunate, there were three of them in Japan. During the reign of the third government of the shoguns of the Tokugawa family (1603-1867) , even clothes were subject to strict rules - from material to patterns, depending on caste. Samurai and representatives of a certain elite were always dressed in silk, and farmers - in noragi jackets, constantly patched or embroidered with sashiko. At that time, Japan was considered a nation without style, a pragmatic and clearly stratified society.
Isolation of Japan ended in 1854, when American Commodore Matthew Perry, taking advantage of the situation of the death of the chief shogun, visited Japan for the second time with a proposal to conclude a treaty of peace and friendship between Japan and the United States. As a result - the humiliating capitulation of Japan and economic and cultural depression .
"Japan was considered a nation without style, a pragmatic and clearly stratified society."
NORAGI WILL DISAPPEAR
Daring to return the nation to its path, the revolutionary samurai seized power, starting the Meiji Restoration (1868-1889) . The main mission was the introduction of Western technologies, values and lifestyle. This is how an agrarian country quickly turned into one of the most progressive states in the world, and then into an empire.
At the end of the Meiji government, samurai were forced to cut off the traditional top knot, and the noragami jackets for farmers and the working class were replaced by practical western clothing. The Japanese military uniform also underwent reforms and became more similar to the colonial one.
Only after the Second World War, Japan will begin to show its roots and will become the main trendsetter .
AFTER THE WAR
After World War II, Japan's economy suffered greatly. Cities were mercilessly destroyed and buried under numerous layers of ash. As part of the terms of surrender, American soldiers were sent to Japan to help rebuild the country. Gloomy times have come for the country : chronic shortage of food, basic necessities, constantly patched clothes. At the same time, healthy and handsome American soldiers relax with girls in hotels and bars, flaunting their chic blue jeans.
State propaganda tried to divert attention from the Americans, but the attempts proved futile and most Japanese became deeply and permanently fascinated by the culture of the United States . Under this influence, business class clothing underwent some changes, but the youth were still forced to wear the traditional gakuran school uniform.
THE REVIVAL OF JAPANESE FASHION
Isuzu Kensuke brought revolutionary changes in men's clothing, introducing the nation to the traditional style of Ivy League university students. Men`s Club and Heibon Punch magazines were also a source of inspiration for teenagers. It's just that the reference point to American culture smoothly turned into an outright imitation. It was printed in 1975 the first "Made in USA" magazine with 274 pages. This is a collection of all the attributes of a purely American image: jeans, sneakers, tennis rackets, sunglasses, etc. Japanese magazine culture is almost an institutionalized facet of society as a whole. " Made in USA " is the apotheosis of this ideal.
The fascination of the Japanese with American overalls at some point became an obsession . Young people, inflamed by this and imported films, created a new interpretation of the American subculture.
In the mid-70s, air travel became available. Enterprising Japanese people who grew up in the post-war era quickly realized the opportunities and, with suitcases full of cash, went to buy up vintage jeans to later resell them at a crazy markup. So from military clothing, the Japanese quickly switched their attention to Lee and Levis. In the mid-90s, prices for vintage reached such a scale that fans became fewer and fewer. When the vector of public attention changed, Japan had already established its own textile infrastructure and could offer the world its version of jeans.
"Japanese workwear plays a particularly big role in my development as a designer."
NORAGI IN THE CHURCH
It is not surprising that the leitmotif of the brand is work clothes . Years since
At the age of 15, when the first raw denim jeans appeared in my wardrobe, I became interested in workwear. For a third of my life, I've been collecting iconic work and military styles, and at the same time I've been watching the development of culture in the world.
Japanese workwear plays a particularly big role in my development as a designer. Combining their fanaticism and meticulous approach, Japanese designers and craftsmen have given birth to many interpretations of classic Western clothing, mixing different styles with their national culture. It was they who took off the blinders of a typical denimhead-conformist and showed me a worker in a new way. Thanks to them, guys took a fundamental position in the heart and assortment of the brand.
At the age of 15, when the first raw denim jeans appeared in my wardrobe, I became interested in workwear. For a third of my life, I've been collecting iconic work and military styles, and at the same time I've been watching the development of culture in the world.
Japanese workwear plays a particularly big role in my development as a designer. Combining their fanaticism and meticulous approach, Japanese designers and craftsmen have given birth to many interpretations of classic Western clothing, mixing different styles with their national culture. It was they who took off the blinders of a typical denimhead-conformist and showed me a worker in a new way. Thanks to them, guys took a fundamental position in the heart and assortment of the brand.
