DESCENDANT

The first time I met Ohfuchi was in New York in the 1990s. I was accompanying NIGO to a meeting with POST O'ALLS about a collaboration. I was really just tagging along, so I doubt Ohfuchi remembers me from back then. (laughs)

That was with the VINTAGE KING (*1) crew, right?（*1 A vintage clothing shop once located on Propeller Street in Harajuku.）

Yes, I remember even visiting their apartment, it felt like a VINTAGE KING dormitory.

Right across from SUNRISE MART, the Japanese grocery store. It was such a great spot.

When did you move to New York?

Around 1987. I started POST O'ALLS in 1993.

That meeting in New York was when we saw the hickory (*2) shirt jacket with lining.（*2 Hickory: a striped denim fabric.）

Ah, that brings back memories.

At DESCENDANT, we’ve made buffalo plaid shirts with lining before, but this time we thought hickory would be great. Then I remembered the hickory pieces you and NIGO made back then. It’s fun when there’s that kind of context behind the design. And of course, I’ve always loved POST O'ALLS’ distinctive pattern (*3), so I reached out hoping we could collaborate.(*3 Patterns are the templates or blueprints used in garment making.)

What I came to understand later is that in Japan, there’s a fairly standardized method of making garment patterns. But I learned pattern-making in the U.S., and I really liked the American approach, it felt freer, different from what I had worn growing up in Japan. You can especially feel that difference in vintage clothing, the way it fits fascinated me.

When you studied pattern-making, did you learn at an American school under an American teacher? I recall you mentioning someone who had worked as a pattern maker at Schott.

Yes, he had drawn patterns for Schott. Those classic motorcycle jackets and pea coats that so many people wore. It’s amazing to think he drafted all of those. He also taught fashion, and toward the end of his career, I hired him to help with POST O'ALLS. Not all our patterns came from him, though. He had his quirks, and I had mine, so we worked with a few different people. I had also studied pattern-making in school, but before I knew it, I was drafting my own patterns too.

Do you still make patterns yourself today?

Yes, but it’s all digital now. I mostly remake and refine existing ones.

I started getting into American clothing in the ’80s. I wore a lot of American-made pieces back then, but being young and slender, I couldn’t really wear them the way Americans did, with the fit sitting squarely across the back and shoulders. American workwear was made for people with bigger frames and stronger builds. That broad-shouldered, easy drape was part of the appeal. Visiting your atelier and trying on so many pieces reminded me of that. I realized that you’re still building from those classic American patterns. To capture that authentic feel of old American workwear, there’s really no one better to turn to than you. After 30 years in this industry, I finally feel like this way of making clothes is the “right” one.

There are so many details to obsess over. Back then, workers wore flannel shirts with quilted linings. Denim and canvas were always rigid, starched stiff. The young guys at the New Jersey factory we worked with would sag their raw Levi’s 505s, unwashed. I remember thinking, “Is that a Jersey thing?” (laughs) Maybe it was just local style.

That was in the ’90s?

Yes, early ’90s, I believe.

That’s so cool. Americans wearing raw 505s in the early ’90s.

Near the factory, there was an Army Navy shop, surplus stores that sold military goods and workwear. They always had plenty of shirt jackets like the one we made this time, lined with quilting, with hand-warmer pockets. That look feels very ’90s to me. So many brands were making versions of that back then.

The collar construction on this new jacket you made for us is also really unique. Usually, when you add a stand collar, it looks too formal, but yours sits lower and gives it a relaxed, casual look.

I’m glad you noticed that, most people don’t. The base comes from a POST O'ALLS shirt pattern that we modified into this shape. Back then, I used to wear these kinds of jackets all the time as well as my own brand’s clothes.

For the pants, we selected one of POST O'ALLS’ current staple styles. They’re similar to our DESCENDANT beach pants. Something that blends both brands’ standards into one piece.

We did change the stitch color from the inline version, though.

I heard you’ve been wearing this style a lot lately.

Yeah, I stopped wearing belts altogether. (laughs) Maybe I shouldn’t have. When I moved back to Japan from New York in 2018, I had already started living in sweatpants. I originally wanted to make polyester track pants, but it was hard to find good fabric in the U.S., so I started making them in Japan. Before I knew it, even my woven pants had elastic waists.

But you still included traditional details, like the cinch-back. It gives it that vintage touch.

I thought it would pair well with this shirt jacket, too.

We also made the engineer cap in the DESCENDANT silhouette, using the same fabric as the shirt jacket and denim pants.

Yes, we had all the fabric newly produced specifically for this project.

Do you still look at old garments for reference?

Absolutely, I’ve always loved vintage. I still do what I’ve always loved, but lately I’ve been feeling like it’s time to let younger people take the lead in exploring vintage more deeply.

I kind of get that feeling myself. (laughs)