Invented by the Americans and sanctified by the Japanese.
We wanted to offer you the most authentic version possible and faithful to the vintage American hoodies taken up (for the better) by the Japanese. With the same unique personality that they know how to give to the material and the same level of perfectionism in the details.
And to do this, he had to be impeccable in terms of:
- its thick and soft fleece, from a prestigious Japanese weaver,
- the shape (of the hood for example) and the cut,
- the finishes, with a high-end double zip and ribbed edges that hold well.
But before exploring all that, I have to tell you his story!
The epic of a historical play
1 - Podium in America
The hoodie was first a modest garment that protected New York workers from the cold in the 1930s, then athletes on the sidelines.
Vintage catalog selling hoodies by mail order. (Credit: Sutori)
This is particularly the case in American universities, where it is gradually leaving the stadiums to enter the students' locker room. There, the hoodie is becoming fashionable, along with its cousin the sweatshirt.
Images from the highly recommended book Take Ivy by Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, Hajime Hasegawa and photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida.
At the same time, on campus, it often keeps its sportswear side that makes it so identifiable. And we too, for our new hoodie, wanted to keep this original spirit that we find in:
- its mottled gray fleece,
- its flat cotton cords ,
- its visible flatlock seams , which limited friction inside during exercise.
This sporty version of the hoodie became a star of the American wardrobe in the film Rocky in 1976, during the legendary training scene.
(Photo credit: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
What I find super interesting is to see how this sportswear fits perfectly into a modern life. With the casualness and the aura that it gives off.
And the Japanese also appreciated this aura. So much so that they took this piece even further.
2 - Take off for Japan, fleece nirvana
In the 60s, in the post-war era, Japanese culture opened up to the world. And they developed a certain fascination for American clothing , particularly that of... students on campus.
The other essential book to understand the magnitude of the event: Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by David Marx.
They thus reappropriate their iconic pieces, first by importing them, then by reproducing them in turn.
And that's where the magic happens: over the decades, with their sense of work and rigor, they develop know-how that can't be found anywhere else in the world (and believe me, I searched a lot). So much so that the copy surpasses the original.
This is particularly the case for fleece: their expertise and slower knitting allow them to obtain magnificent grains and textures.
One of the big names in Japanese fleece is Toki and its machines, as old as they are rare. I had the chance to meet them in 2018.
Geoffrey and I when we discovered their famous circular looms on site. I couldn't wait to see them!
For this new hoodie, we found a cotton thread specially developed by them, with the famous irregularities that give this "signature" mottled look from them.
This allows for a truly unique mottled fleece, specific to this 100% Japanese know-how (spinning AND knitting in Japan).
If you look closely, you will see small irregularities in the colors, these are what give "life" to this fleece. They come from a brushing technique that only Toki knows the secret to.
On a piece as timeless as a gray zipped hoodie, it was important to me to have an exceptional, very dense fleece. I really wanted us to find this spirit of the typical American hoodie reviewed and corrected by the Japanese.
For the more curious, the weight is 430 g/m2, which is more than enough to give a really comforting hoodie feeling when wearing it. With that soft hand that we appreciate so much.
The details that change everything
Japanese manufacturers are not only extreme in terms of material: they refine every detail of a garment so that the overall result has nothing to do with those we see every day. This is a work that I admire a lot and that we find (in addition to the material) in very, very high-end Japanese brands whose prices sometimes exceed €300 for a hoodie.
I wanted you to be able to taste this level of quality without going too far on the price. Thanks to assembly in Europe (cheaper than in Japan) coupled with our economic model without intermediaries, we were able to do this while keeping the price at €180.
180€ for a hoodie spun and knitted in Japan with...
A double YKK Excella zip
This was a detail that was very important to me: this hoodie has a double zip, meaning that you can also open it from the bottom, which can be practical when sitting down, or simply to have fun with it for style.
The zip itself is an Excella, the top of the range from the famous supplier YKK. It is a metal zip, for a beautiful and durable finish, with a glide that will only improve over time.
The color is a matte silver, and I think it pairs really well with the heather of the fleece.
Cleanliness strips
Inside the hoodie you will find two cleanliness strips sewn on each side of the zip. It is more beautiful and high-end.
At the collar, there is also a clean strip to protect the seams from rubbing.
A lined hood
If you look at the hood, you will see that the inside looks like the outside: this is because we have doubled this hood, so it has two layers of fleece.
This gives it more structure, more hold, a nice color harmony, and… keeps your head warmer if you're cold!
These finishes and the material were assembled in Bulgaria by a workshop audited by ICS social (management, working hours, remuneration, discrimination, health at work, forced labor, etc.) and having obtained an A rating.
That's it for this presentation. I hope you'll enjoy wearing this piece as much as we enjoyed developing it (that moment when you receive the final prototype and snuggle up in it...). And share your Insta looks with this hoodie with us! We can't wait to see.
See you soon,
