How often do you find something decent in a thrift store? Honestly. Every so often you might come across a decent pair of vintage Levi’s 501s or perhaps a beat-up Wrangler trucker jacket from the 80s. And even then you’ve got to sort through a mountain of crap just to unearth the diamond in the rough. It’s brutal work, people.
Well, what if I offered you the chance to enter a virtual thrift store housing a collection of curated vintage pieces from brands such as Evisu, Levi’s, Stevenson Overall, and Sun Surf, to name just a few? You’d jump at it, right? Thanks to Portland-based Japanese textiles and apparel brand Kiriko Made, that possibility is now a reality. Just don’t get any drool on the virtual floor, please. Thanks.
Kicking off with one of my favorite pieces in the reproduction collection, we have the souvenir jacket. There’s actually a bunch of them available right now with some of the most beautiful embroidery I’ve ever seen, but you’ll need to be quick to get your hands on one. They’re one and done, I’m afraid. This one by Toyo Enterprise in particular is unreal.
If you’ve seen Ryan Gosling’s muted performance in Drive, you’ll be familiar with the souvenir jacket. If you haven’t, the souvenir – or Sukajan – jacket was originally created for American soldiers to take home – literally as souvenirs – after the post-war occupation of Japan. Nowadays they’re typically made of polyester-rayon blends; however, back in the day, if you were lucky, they might have been constructed from excess silk salvaged from military parachutes. Pretty cool, huh?
Onto my next favorite piece. Now, Evisu is a brand synonymous with Japanese denim. However, nowadays, it’s not as prominent as it once was. Generally, when you think of contemporary Japanese denim you may think of brands such as Warehouse & Co., Studio D’Artisan, Pure Blue Japan, or Momotaro, to name just a few. Well, Evisu is actually older than a bunch of them, and it was founded in Osaka, the denim capital of the world. In fact, Evisu is one of the original Osaka 5. But, that’s enough history; onto the piece.
This pair of Evisus look like they have been through not one, but several ringers, in a good way. Denim purists might scoff at the notion of buying pre-faded raw denim, but I’d argue that an exception should be made for these beauties – the Mona Lisa of denim. ‘Denim goals’ some might say, and I would agree. It’s a little unclear what model these Evisus are, but they do feature the signature slanted back belt loop and some beautiful darning on the left ankle.
Opportunities to pick up vintage reproduction pieces like these don’t come around very often, so get involved while there are still bits floating about.
Check out the full collection on Kiriko’s website
