The United States enjoys a special relationship with the United Kingdom that extends to politics, economics, military alliances and, yes, culture. To the untrained eye that relationship extends to clothing, and in a very broad sense, that’s true. Similar brands are worn in both countries and the style codes are virtually the same: Suits are office-appropriate attire, T-shirts and jeans are casual, etc. Yet, that relationship is in fact not so clean cut. British and American tailoring are inherently different from one another, as are streetwear and sneaker cultures in each country. As it stands, each country’s influence on the other is relatively limited. In menswear—and fashion at large, really—the special relationship is instead the one between American and Japan. Until her retirement a couple years ago, Lynn Downey was the queen of denim archaeology as the in-house archivist and historian at Levi’s.

Probably the two dominant strands in Ametora at the moment are this Ivy-derived look – Beams Plus, for example – and the more casual retro-inspired gear of the likes of Real McCoy’s which draws on America’s history of college sweatshirts, military graphics, vintage workwear and selvedge denim. A fascinating book that sheds light on the genesis of what most have come to know as modern Japanese fashion from the early years of IVY to more recent brands like UNIQLO, BAPE, and Engineered Garments.

A strange thing has happened over the last two decades: the world has come to believe that the most “authentic” American garments are those made in Japan. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese brands such as UNIQLO, Kamakura Shirts, Beams, and Kapital have built their global businesses by creating the highest-quality versions of classic American casual garments-a style known in Japan as ametora, or “American traditional.” Many movies, though I sometimes wonder if Hollywood is just amplifying these cultures that are already established--in a sense, it might not be very creative. This is not a book, however, about the intricacies of clothing patterns or design concepts. Our story follows the individuals responsible for introducing American clothing to Japan, as well as the youth who absorbed these American ideas into the Japanese identity. More often than not, the instigators of change were not trained designers, but entrepreneurs, importers, magazine editors, illustrators, stylists, and musicians. Based on firsthand research, Jeans of the Old West uncovers a chapter of denim’s history that previously had been sort of left in the dark; the years when Levi’s was the only jeans maker who could use rivets in ‘the old west.’ He loved American culture- especially jazz and Hawaiian music....but he despised the United State's military presence across Asia...We were leading completely contradictory lives." p.99

Japanese teenagers spend an inordinate amount of time, effort, money, and energy in pursuit of fashionable clothing, especially when compared to their global peers. America, with a population 2.5 times larger than Japan, has fewer than ten magazines focusing on men's style. Japan has more than 50. Through this scene, he developed mentorships and relationships with like-minded, young, Japanese men, including the likes of Jun “Jonio” Takahashi and Nigo, and even was the first Japanese member of the International Stussy Tribe--a loose network of creatives centered around Shawn Stussy’s revolutionary streetwear label. Through these connections, new Japanese streetwear brands were invented for the first time; Fujiwara’s Goodenough, Takahashi’s punk brand Undercover, and Nigo’s Planet of the Apes- inspired A Bathing Ape. As their fan base built up, as did the amount of members in Fujiwara’s crew creating their own lines. The care about culture involved in the Japanese process resonates with thinking men,” says Russell Cameron of Kafka Mercantile. “Less is more, proper fabrics, proper manufacturing, striving to produce the authentic. I genuinely feel that the quest is to make the best or make the best better.”Decades after the war, many of these items like denim jeans, found its way to marketplaces frequented by Japanese Youth who were influenced by American style through Western Movies and exposure to the collegiate Ivy League style in the late 1950s and 60s. These are the denim books from Blue Blooded’s list of references I consider must-reads for any denimhead. Image from the launch of Ametora at Warby Parker. Book #1: Ametora by W. David Marx Marx traces the history of Japanese fashion from its inception during the post-WW2 period through a number of styles, cultural icons, written guides, geographies and their resulting companies. He notes in particular the fact that 'Japanese fashion' was never really a concept that existed prior to Ichizu's artificial incorporation of Ivy style into the Japanese cultural mindset. Most notably, Ivy style, a 50's American fashion style that was recreated dogmatically by Ichizu and proselytised to the population through the magazine Men's Club, represented the first time Japan was introduced to any concept of fashion. WIth this, Marx reflects on the impact the resultant VAN company, created by Ichizu to promote this imported Ivy, had on the national consciousness, its legacy protected through companies such as UNIQLO and Beams, the premier fashion magazine Popeye, and other styles such as heavy duty, Americana, streetwear, surfer, prep, Miyuki-zoku, the denim fad ... all of which captured the nation in transitory phases and continue to leave imprints today.

Thomas founded Denimhunters in 2011 and built it into a voice for the denim industry and community. Denimhunters is a knowledge portal for denim enthusiasts and newcomers. Launched in 2011 as a pioneering denim blog, we’re a trustworthy source of denim knowledge and advice.If you're interested in men's elegance, you probably know that Japanese gentlemen are among the most educated and dapper men in the world. With a booming bespoke footwear industry, gifted shoemakers, many bespoke tailors opening ateliers, quality menswear brands and shops and excellent magazines specializing in classical menswear, Japan is one of the driving forces behind the current sartorial renaissance. I also appreciated the parts about how the constant fashion changes led to clashes with the establishment, including police performing mass arrests of fashionable students hanging out in Ginza. As one aggrieved student said in the Asahi Shimbun: What's wrong with wearing cool clothing and walking through Ginza? Were not like those country bumpkins around Ikebukuro or Shinjuku.There were even hippies in Japan! With all the other copying of America that Japan did I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I was.