JOURNAL STANDARD (Japan) Ankle Socks

Made in Japan, these high quality Journal Standard ankle socks ensure your feet are never uncomfortable or boring. Pair them with your favourite shorts or rolled-up pants for a cool look.
(RRP ¥1,050)


JOURNAL STANDARD
As its name implies, JOURNAL STANDARD is the ‘standard’ in premier Japanese select shops, with a mix of original brand goods -such as the ankle socks- and imported clothing from around the world. With more than 30 brick-and-mortar locations across Japan, Hong Kong, and Paris, this refined (and expensive!) chain features the best of men’s and women’s fashion and basics. A popular haunt among the highly fashion-conscious since its 1997 launch.
Journal Standard is part of Baycrews Group, which also owns Edifice, another cult select store chain in Japan.

ONITSUKA TIGER/ASICS Japanese Style Sneakers (Limited Edition)

Always capturing our fascination with a dash of cool Japonisme, Onitsuka Tiger/ASICS continues to turn tradition into fashion.ONITSUKA KAMOGUTSU
Inspired by kamogutsu or kamo-kutsu (“duck shoes”) boots, worn by officers of the Imperial Guard, courtiers and nobles who played Kemari (an ancient soccer game of Chinese origin popular during the Heian Period), Onitsuka’s Kamogutsu sneaker is as interesting as it is rare. This shoe rocks a suede toe box that extends into the mid-panel and transitions into a fabric material. Depending on mood and/or weather, the fabric can be worn up or rolled-down for a different look, so that you get two funky looks, for the price of one pair of shoes :-D

ONITSUKA OKATABI MT
Think ninja and imagine their split-toed “tabi” socks, or the heftier version, called “jika-tabi”, which are often worn by construction workers. Such Japanese shoes have been around hundreds of years and inspired what may have been the world’s first split-toe running shoe design: the Onitsuka Marathon Tabi produced in 1953. Nearly six decades later, this super-duper original split-toe construction has been revised in order to offer better fit and comfort, especially in the toe area. A rubber sole and a side strap have also been added for support. You’ll be surprised by how light the Okatabi MT feels, too - some folks even say it's like wearing just socks.

RICO Jeans (Japan)

Fashion stylists, who dress the stars or direct shoots and put together runway looks for prominent designers, were once fashion’s unsung worker bees. Not anymore. For a while now, stylists have become the new fashion icons. Their quirky look and glamour have inspired a flurry of fashion lines, product introductions and advertising campaigns; now they are practically fashion prophets for ordinary consumers and celebrities alike. Particularly famous for this, are the Japanese stylists.
One of the cluster of high-ranking male stylists in Japan today (with a huge clientele that includes many Japanese bignames -- pop diva Hikaru Utada is one), Tadashi Mochizuki expanded his field of activity and set up his own brand-cum-select shop Rico in 2002.
Greatly inspired by music subcultures, Mochizuki’s designs for Rico are non-traditional in technique with cutting-edge production and innovative eye-catching styles. What results is a label ahead of the trend curve that signifies style, creativity and pride to many loyal Mochizuki fans.


According to denim affectionados, for denim spinning, vintage treatment and cotton-blending, Japan is the indisputable world leader.
Check out these premium jeans from Rico, made entirely in Japan.
(RRP ¥25,200 ~ ¥33,600 -- Come find out our price and be pleasantly surprised!)


Rico operates three standalone boutiques (with a flagship in Daikanyama, the laid-back but trendy shopping destination a mere stop away from Shibuya) and is represented at 40 other reputable points of sale all over Japan, including cult store Loveless.

ONITSUKA TIGER 'Monte Pokhara' Sneakers

Here is a look at the Monte Pokhara sneakers (which we are digging, A LOT) -- originally released as the “After Boots” in the mid-50s by iconic Japanese shoe company Onitsuka Tiger aka ASICS.
Named after Pokhara, the Nepalese tourist mecca, the Monte Pokhara’s mountaineering origins are evident in the minimalistic design and profile.
The updated Monte Pokhara looks like an urban moc/trail hybrid, and has a charming quirkiness that definitely grows on you.
With a banging mix of colours, shapes, and tech materials, the Onitsuka Tiger Monte Pokhara is quite the eccentric shoe. Just sliiiiightly crazy-looking, and guaranteed to attract longing gazes :-D
The uncomplicated tongue-free construction and pronounced heel-tab make it a cinch to slip the shoe on or off, too.
These dope kicks, BTW, are unisex.
Get ’em before they sell out!

A BATHING APE x CHROME HEARTS

Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto may have put Tokyo on the fashion map in the 80s, but today Tomoaki “Nigo” Nagao, the 40-year-old DJ-turned-designer, is definitely the ringleader of Japan’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, whose aficionados queue for hours for a chance to buy his colourful merch.
Thought to be the owner of the world's largest collection of memorabilia from the Planet of the Apes sci-fi film franchise, Nigo made it the springboard for his A Bathing Ape (otherwise known as Bape) fashion empire, which is slowly conquering the planet with its brand of cool and very (very) upscale streetwear.
A Bathing Ape is known for the limited circulation of the products they produce – particularly their collaboration with other high-ticket brands. One such partnership is when they combined with L.A. luxury lifestyle brand Chrome Hearts (where Rolex watches are sold with one-of-a-kind Chrome Hearts bracelets in place of the stock band or strap), melting Bape characters and Chrome Hearts iconography into graphics to present a T-shirt collection that includes designs of Baby Milo. A popular sub-division of Bape clothing, Baby Milo is named after -who else- baby Milo, the son of the talking chimpanzees Cornelius and Zira, who grows up to be the leader (and chief instigator) of the ape revolution and the ruler of Ape City in the Planet of the Apes movie series.

These limited and exclusive tees were reportedly retailing for S$219 at the Bape store in Singapore -- where every customer is allowed to purchase only one of the special releases.

A Bathing Ape x Chrome Hearts (top), and vice-versa (bottom).



CHROME HEARTS
Chrome Hearts has evolved over the past two decades from a leather motorcycle riding-gear company to one that offers a line of handmade jewellery in precious metals and stones — as well as luggage, apparel and accessories in fine leathers and fabrics. Even with the opening of more than a dozen stores across the United States, Asia and Europe, the company likes to keep a low profile — no campaigns, look books or fashion shows. Chrome Hearts also prefers not to publicise prices, but let’s just say a flashy little number can cost you a month’s rent or more!

RAGEBLUE (Japan) Anchor Chambray Shirt

What do we appreciate about Japanese menswear brand Rageblue? Mix together urbane Japanese style with a smidge tad of American flavour, and you end up with Rageblue’s refreshing goodies. The designs are clean, almost unadorned, but immediately distinctive. Rageblue is also very particular about details and materials - which gives a sense of unaffected chic and relaxed earnestness to its goods.This Rageblue cotton chambray shirt is simple, but one looks twice in spite of the modesty.

The Rageblue shop in Jingumae, Harajuku attracts a devoted fan base:


Rageblue is one of the brands under the umbrella of Point Inc., known for its staple of chic and delish labels that also include Lowrys Farm and Hare. In addition to scores of shops and point of sales across Japan, these home-grown brands are showcased collectively in “collect + point”, Point Inc.’s huge glass/diamond like mega store which opened Spring last year on Meiji Dori, Harajuku.

VISVIM (Japan)

In the mid-90s, a group of Tokyo friends with a shared interest in skate/punk/music/design invigorated the Japanese fashion scene with their unique sensibilities and fueled the Ura-Hara (back streets of Harajuku) Movement, eventually developing into a global bellwhether on pop culture.
Among this group of tight-knit “outsiders” -- which included Hiroshi Fuijiwara (Fragment), Nigo (A Bathing Ape/Bape) and Jun Takahashi (Undercover) -- was Hiroki Nakamura, the man who has gathered a cult following amongst creative people around the world with his now decade-old brand Visvim.

Visvim is, in essence, a clear extension and reflection of Nakamura, a soft-spoken, fashion-loving naturalist.
Having spent time in Alaska when he was nineteen, Nakamura is passionate about camping, snowboarding, whale-watching, just the magnificence of mother nature in general. But he also has this to divulge about his experience in America's last frontier: “I was the only one who thought about what colours to wear while packing. Everyone else tried to pack light, I needed choices, I cared about the products and colour matching.”
And Nakamura collects stuff, too. Stuff that are old, but still in good shape, thanks to the regard for craftsmanship back in the day.
And so it is said that Visvim is solely driven by Nakamura’s quest for the ultimate in style, quality and comfort.
Within just a short time of its debut, and despite Nakamura’s unhurried, meticulous production methods, Visvim has soared to the top of Japanese luxury streetwear market and is now dominant in its genre.
In the years since, many folks have said many things about Visvim -- believers and skeptics have had their fair share of comments. Good (“visionary”, “artisanal”), neutral (“interesting”), or not so enthusiastic (“overpriced"), all remarks in the extreme are a marker of how influential Visvim has become.
As for us, well, we’ll stick to this: You cannot possibly appreciate Visvim until you see, touch, and feel the distinctive aesthetics and exacting quality. Plus, I mean, um, when you have Eric Clapton endorsing it (he describes Visvim as his everyday wear in his autobiography), I guess you know they totally rock :-)


A video interview of the laid-back, polite Nakamura by celebrated fashion blogger Diane Pernet of A Shaded View On Fashion:-

P.S.
And why is the brand called Visvim?
“In the beginning, I didn’t want the brand’s name to have any meaning. I like the letter V, so I went through a Latin dictionary and saw “vis” and “vim” next to each other, and both had similar meanings of power and energy. I also like how it looks visually. Even upside down, it forms two mountains and two dots.”
(So now you know :-))