Japanese Streetwear Brands

[englandmj7]

Quote: weren`t it the ex-Alpha Numeric guy?

Yep..........

[denimhunter]

You may also consider Kiminori Morishita, Rico, Koromo by Rico, WJK, Whereabout, Julius, No Concept but Good Sense, Nano Universe.....

[MilSpex]

Didnt take this board long to tap just about every Japan or Japan related brand...getting pretty obscure now..

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

[l3ootlegs]

Whiz Limited is the shit..haha

[djrajio]

You may also consider Kiminori Morishita, Rico, Koromo by Rico, WJK, Whereabout, Julius, No Concept but Good Sense, Nano Universe.....

None of these labels that you've mentioned are in any real sense streetwear labels. In fact, Nano Universe is a select shop boutique and its own line is more in line with trendy basics. You don't know what you're talking about.

[herpsky]

None of these labels that you've mentioned are in any real sense streetwear labels. In fact, Nano Universe is a select shop boutique and its own line is more in line with trendy basics. You don't know what you're talking about.

GOT OWNED HARD

-i just realized some labels above don't even belong in the streetwear category-

e.g. sosu and cabane de zucca

[Guest jmatsu]

is virus still around? they were good.

was milkboy mentioned (not the paris collection)?

[Guest jmatsu]

weren`t it the ex-Alpha Numeric guy?

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

and he didn't he briefly work for phat farm?

[djrajio]

is virus still around? they were good.

was milkboy mentioned (not the paris collection)?

Virus is still around. I loved the velvet trucker hats they did a couple years back.

[Guest jmatsu]

Virus is still around. I loved the velvet trucker hats they did a couple years back.

rajio, do you know whatever happened to "a new shop?"

it was that lowerlevel shop on meiji dori. i loved that shop when i was in college. they aren't there anymore and i've been to lazy to find out what happened to them.

they used to carry virus, she-one shit, denime, etc.

[Guest Baradel]

You forgot the best one? Mastermind Japan www.mastermind.co.jp

[VDSUPREME]

You forgot the best one? Mastermind Japan www.mastermind.co.jp

I think the website is wrong.

[djrajio]

rajio, do you know whatever happened to "a new shop?"

it was that lowerlevel shop on meiji dori. i loved that shop when i was in college. they aren't there anymore and i've been to lazy to find out what happened to them.

they used to carry virus, she-one shit, denime, etc.

Sadly, before my time.

Took this off of some website:

VIRUS 　Designer Profile　（ウィルス　デザイナー　プロフィール）

亀石 将也　Masaya Kameishi

1969年生まれ

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1993年

ファッション雑誌のスタイリストを経て渋谷、並木橋にショップ　PIED PIPER（パイドパイパー）を

プロデュースする。

1995年

より一層モダンで都会的なスタイルを提案する目的で原宿に A NEW SHOP（ア　ニューショップ）を

プロデュースすると共にオリジナルブランドVIRUS（ウィルス）のプランニングディレクターを務める。

1996年　

デザインオフィス　PARANOIA FACTORY（ パラノイア　ファクトリー）を設立。

1999年　

並木橋のPIED PIPER を渋谷に移転すると共に新たなコンセプトでリニューアルオープンさせる。

2001～2004年　

クラブイベント　SOUND REPUBRIC（サウンド　リパブリック）をスタートさせる。

　　　　　

グラフィティアーティストとしてDELTA（デルタ）、SHEONE（シーワン）のライブペインティング

又、DJにはPASCAL F.E.O.S（パスカル）,RENEGADE SOUND WAVE（レネゲードサウンドウェーブ）、

DJ KEN ISHII（ケン　イシイ）,DJ KENSEI（ケンセイ）,DJ HYPER（ハイパー）,

FC/KAHUNA（エフシ/カフナ）,SATOSHI TOMIE（サトシ　トミイエ）,

FUNK STORANG（ファンク　ストラング）,FOUR TET（フォーテット）,AUKFEN（アークフェン）,

etc...

VJにもSHYNOLA（シャイノーラ）,NAOHIRO UKAWA（ナオヒロ　ウカワ）,FIXER（フィクサー）

なども参加。

2004年には史上初の六本木ヒルズにて、ラウンジパーティーを成功させ新しいクラブイベントを提案し

大きな話題を読んだ。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

現在はウェアだけに留まらず、ライフスタイル、音楽、アート、映像などをヴィジュアル化し、

自身のブランド　VIRUSとのコラボレートを実現するだけでなく、2001年よりスタートした

OKIRAKU（オキラク）のプロデュースも手掛ける。

VIRUS（ウィルス）

10年以上の歴史を持つデザイナー（亀石　将也）の世界観を、クラシカルでエレガントなデザインを

よりモダンに落とし込んだメンズファッションブランド。

ブランドネームの由来は、”時代と共に変化していく”=　VIRUS

Recently did some big lounge club events for Roppongi Hills back in 2004...

[Guest jmatsu]

thanks homie. i am still in love with pied piper.

[Guest Baradel]

I think the website is wrong.

Yes, sorry the website is: www.mastermindjapan.com

ABSOLUTE CULT!

[Guest jmatsu]

Hello King !

An another japanese brand : Whereabouts.

Cheers.

Edited by Lyo_ on Jan 21, 2006 at 05:40 AM

i don't consider whereabouts "street."

[SmoothDupe]

None of these labels that you've mentioned are in any real sense streetwear labels. In fact, Nano Universe is a select shop boutique and its own line is more in line with trendy basics. You don't know what you're talking about.

What labels are you into these days?

Lata'

SD

[RobbertJan]

Some more about Fiberops:

Fiberops is Tabo Kagaya and Alyasha Owerka-Moore. By some Fiberops is considered a cult street wear brand. It is driven by two extremely creative spirits who've made their mark on street wear business. Fiberops is a growing succes in Japan, with 60 outlets and a brand store in Tokyo, but is still '' underground'' in the rest of the world.

Q&A with Alyasha:

Q You are from mixed descent and live in both HK as well as NYC. What place do you you consider you hometown?

A My father was African-American and Cherokee Indian, and my mother Russian-Lithuanian. I was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. My mother and I moved to Brooklyn, NY, when I was seven years old. In 1996, I was offered a job working for DC shoes and moved to San Diego. Presently, I live in both Hong Kong and San Diego. I will always be a New Yorker at heart, but I consider all 3 places, Hong Kong, San Diego and New York my home.

Q How would you describe yourself in professional terms?

A I love design. I despise garmentos (i.e. textile dealers) and equate '' fashion gurus'' with griffons and unicorns (both mysthical creatures, ed.). I would describe myself as a jaded, cynical and left-handed dyslexic, who is lucky enough to earn a living doing something she loves, design.

Q You have worked in the fashion industry for many years now and worked for brands like Phat Farm and Mecca. Almost 3 years ago you and Tabo Kagaya started Fiberops. How and where did the two of you meet and why did you decide to work together?

A It's funny....Neither of the brands you mention are brands that I myself would ever use as a reference. American Dream Inc (a skateboard brand), Dub Brand Outwear, Droors, DC shoes and Alphanumeric are brands that are far more descriptive of my better work or work that I am proud of. But to come back to your question; I had heard many stories about Tabo from friends from all over the world who had encountered him at one point or another. I had heard how he had moved from Tokyo to Hong Kong to work as a commercial driver with his father. How he taught himself Cantonese and then English. How he was the first hiphop DJ in Hong Kong and opened the first skate/streetwear shop there and basically single-handedly introduced streetwear as we now know it to Hong Kong. A man who deserves and commands respect, yet was obviously astonishingly humble. Tabo and I finally met in Hong Kong through a mutual friend, Biran Siswojo, while I was working for Alphanumeric. We shared many views on life, business and design. Later, Tabo became Brand Manager for Alphanumeric in Japan. Needless to say that after travelling together for quite some time, we became good friends. Finally, when the time came, we both left Alphanumeric. 'What now?', we asked each other. Skateboarding had always been in our blood and always will be, but it was time to get out of the action sports arena. We figured it was time to do the thing we really wanted to do. No more '' fashion industry'' , no more inflated egos. We wanted our very own brand that was the result of our own mindstate and our rules, the result of which was Fiberops.

Q How are the roles divided at Fiberops between you and Tabo? And what is the main added value for you working with Tabo for Fiberops instead of working alone?

A Tabo Kagaya is operations manager and designer. Tabo handles all of the washes (denim), all of the accessories, some knitwear (sweaters) and some graphics. He will never admit to being a designer, because he was never formally trained as such, but in my eyes he is both a brilliant designer as well as photographer. As for the rest......He keeps all of us grounded and makes sure we see things in a realistic and strategic light. He keeps things running smoothly. In short: Tabo is the anchor, I'm creative director. I design, cut and sew products, a handful of graphics and basic direction of the brand. We don't have a design staff and neither of us have any formal design training. Basically, all you see every season, with the exception of a few T-shirts that are done by some friends, is done by the two of us. There is still a lot of work to do, but we are proud of it. The added value of working with Tabo is that we are similar in many respects and comeplete opposites in others. This keeps us focused.

Q Most businesses are not an instant succes. What was the worst moment with Fiberops? Or has Fiberops really been a smooth ride all the way?

A It has never been a smooth ride. I cannot tell you what was the worst moment, because that is all relative to the next worst moment.

Q Right. Was there a breakthrough? Or are you still waiting for this to happen? And do you look for a breakthrough with Fiberops at all?

A No, we're not looking for a breakthrough. We just want to create products that people enjoy and understand, and develop a steady business.

Q Fiberops is hardly known in Europe. It is called a cult streetwear label by some. How do you feel about that?

A A CULT BRAND?? Whoa! I think the reason one might consider Fiberops a cult brand is the fact that we are quite a small brand. We have three, maybe four, accounts in Europe. Not too many people have actually ever seen the products with their own two eys, and have only heard about it through friends or one of the many internet message boards. It is a bit like a white elephant and is surrounded by a bizarre sort of mystique. Or even cult, maybe.

Q What's the Alyasha way of designing? What charecterizes you work or way of working, or ev en way of looking?

A I am a big fan of design and detail. I despise superfluous seams, buckles, straps and other bells and whistles. Music, politics, skating, literature, travel, friends, booze and smut all inspire me. I put them in a mental blender and out comes Fiberops on paper. Then tangible products come into existence. I think most people have similar techniques.

Q You don't design woman's wear at Fiberops anymore. Why is that?

A We started to and still plan on it, but when we looked at our first women's samples which we were really pleased with, we sat back and thought: 'Are we really ready to launch this properly?' There were things at Fiberops that still needed fixing, and we thus wondered if it was wise to start something new before we had our main project running in a way that met with our expectations. We did not want to present it in a half-assed manner. So, we'll wait a while.

Q What about your shop in downtown San Diego: Ma+hlab. You created a private collection for that. What brought you to openening a shop?

A I opened Ma+hlab in the hope of introducing elements from all over the world to San Diego. Brands, books, magazines, toys, music, whatever. And also as another creative outlet, not just for myself, but for my friends. Ma+hlab had been opened just 5 days before 9/11. We had a great first 5 days. I had never beeen a retailer before and bought most of my stock outright. Due to the tragic events of 9/11, business was really bad for everyone. The first four to five months were terrible for us and by the time it picked up again, I had spent most of my savings trying to keep the shop open. I decided to cut my losses and shut it down after a little over a year. It became quite evident that design and retail are very different businesses. Well, at least for me.

Q Fiberops collaborates with companies like Nike, New Balance, Hong Kong SDU (toys) etc. What are the conditions a third party needs to comply with before you agree to a collaboration?

A Conditions? The projects we worked on with these people (Drew Greer and Jesse Leyva of Nike, Michael Lau, Eric So) are the result of the friendships we have with these people. Friendship is the only condition. Otherwise, there is no reason to collaborate with them. Obviously, I would lie if I said these circumstances do not have a positive effect on our work situation, but at the end of the day they were all brought about by our friendships.

c Code magazine winter 2005

[gonexgrey]

x-large=beastie boys

x-girl=kim gordon

milk fed=sophia coppola

with the exception of x'large, x-girl, milkfed, boxfresh are all owned by B's International in Tokyo. and now theyve bought Silas and the designer for x-girl will be designing Silas' new collection...