.....................................................................
GARMENTS:
A NEPENTHES
NEW YORK
PRODUCTION
.....................................................................
Sure, we did visit Mr. Suzuki at the New York Nepenthes offices, but this time Stan Parish of GQ made the trip. The report offers some insight into Daiki’s day and his long hours in the studio. Designing your own collection as extensive as Engineered Garments is harder than any job I can imagine, but Mr. Suzuki does two which is well beyond normal. He speaks on his recently found passion for surfing and it’s effect and inspiration on Woolrich Woolen Mills SS10 collection specifically.
********Spotlight on Daiki Suzuki
Woolrich Woolen Mills head designerWhat it is: A men’s country-meets-city-chic outdoor line.
Who he is: Japanese-born Suzuki began his work in the U.S. in 1989. Starting out as a purchaser in Boston, he brought authentic hunting gear to the shores of Japan. Ten years later, Suzuki began his first clothing line, Engineered Garments, and the brand quickly blossomed from having a cult Japanese fan base to being an international mainstay. Then in 2006, he joined the well-known Woolrich Woolen Mills team. Their traditional American look was a perfect fit for the ironically non-American designer. After updating the 170-year-old brand, Suzuki nabbed a CFDA/GQ Menswear Designer of the Year Award in February 2008.
What he makes: The rebirth of classic American sportswear is as big a surprise to Suzuki as it is to anyone else. “I am really quite surprised by this trend,” he says. “I always admired Woolrich Woolen Mills growing up and let it influence my work long before I started designing there.” Combining utility and a modern sensibility, Suzuki’s method is to stay traditional while invigorating the brand. “It’s about being made in the USA,” he continues. “It’s not easy manufacturing here, but that’s what gives it its character and heritage.”What's next: “That’s hard to say, as we work season to season,” admits Suzuki. “But perhaps a collaboration? Who knows!”
Legendary designer/owner of 2 of my favorite brands and soon to be a third. Daiki owns and designs Engineered Garments, Designs Woolrich Woolen Mills Collection and just started a new brand called Workaday.
.....................................................................
Authentic Americana
By Andrew Romano | NEWSWEEK
Fok-Yan Leung doesn't look out of place at the local field-and-stream emporium. His Maine Guide Jacket is nearly indistinguishable from the coats his fellow Moscow, Idaho, residents have on, and its maker, Woolrich, has been a wilderness staple since 1830. But despite the duds, Leung is actually a Harvard-trained researcher at a nearby university—not a grizzled Gem State native on the hunt for a new Winchester. And his jacket isn't your average Woolrich. It was produced by an Italian company. It was designed by Japan's Daiki Suzuki. And, as part of the luxe Woolrich Woolen Mills spinoff collection, it sells for $500—four times the price of a comparable Woolrich garment. "If the guys here found out, they'd be like, 'He's flipped his lid'," says Leung, who also manages Styleforum.net. "I've never fired a gun in my life."
Introducing haute Americana, one of the most powerful—and paradoxical—forces in men's sportswear. Until recently, men like Leung would've skipped the Woolrich for a skinny Dior suit. But in recent years a number of tastemakers, many foreign, have dedicated themselves to reviving iconic American clothing for a hip new audience. Some have collaborated with classic U.S. brands on revitalized products (see: Suzuki and Woolrich). Some have stocked hunting garb in their big-city boutiques. And some have actually begun to reproduce emblematic gear—Wayfarers, Penfield vests—to exacting standards of authenticity. The result—on ample display in places like Brooklyn, N.Y., and Portland, Ore., where certain streets now resemble catwalks crowded with bookish lumberjacks—is a subset of prosperous peacocks paying a premium for garments originally meant for mining or fishing, then wearing them to tapas bars and contemporary art installations.
Affected? Absolutely. Still, how we dress says a lot about who we want to be, and that ache for authenticity—or, at least, the aura of authenticity—is revealing. For the foreigners who instigated the fad, sturdy American gear has long evoked a distant, idealized culture. As a child, Suzuki would watch "The Graduate" and obsess over Dustin Hoffman's parka and Jack Purcells. "Americana represented a new, almost utopian viewpoint for me," he says. With the recent decline in our security, industry and standing, that nostalgia for a prelapsarian America (and the durable domestic goods that defined it) seems to have settled over the stylish set here at home. "Ironically, it's largely because of overseas interest that Americans can now wear real American stuff," says Michael Williams, a fashion publicist who covers Americana on his blog, A Continuous Lean. "They're recognizing that heritage and quality are precious in our disposable Wal-Mart world." It's as if globalization has come full circle, creating both an appetite for cultural anchoring and a fashion to feed it.
Adherents say the provenance of a particular garment is key; the deeper the roots, the better. For Owen Langston, 30, the latest Levi's are acceptable. But he'd rather wear Sugar Cane denim of Tokyo, whose meticulous $245 reproductions of 1947 501s so mirror the originals (steel doughnut buttons; vintage zinc zippers; thick, raw denim) that Levi's recently filed a complaint. To complete the look, Langston could slip into a chambray shirt ($240) by the French-designed Mister Freedom label, or swing by J. Crew for Minnesota's Red Wing boots, a staple of construction sites since 1905. (Other hot picks: Alden shoes, Sperrys, Pendleton shirts.) The point is that Langston & Co. are leaving home looking like middle-class, mid-20th-century American men. And they're happily paying upper-crust, 21st-century prices for the privilege.
In part, the heritage vogue is a (rather ironic) rebellion against the stylization of posh city life— a rebellion that seems likely to spread as we enter a new era of fiscal restraint. But mostly it's a way for Information Agers to preserve and project their manliness. Want to feel "realer" than the guy in the designer loft next door? Purchase a Mackinaw Cruiser in red-and-black plaid ($280) from Filson, Seattle's 112-year-old outdoor supplier, or shop at New York's Freemans Sporting Club, where straight-razor shaves, taxidermy and Maine-made Quoddy Trail boots reign supreme. By choosing clothes that exist for a reason, young urbanites are defying the metrosexual mores of recent years and trying to participate in a testosterone-rich tradition instead. It's still fashion, of course. But it's fashion that fulfills a masculine ideal rather than a feminine one: function over frill. Superficial or not, that shift has come as a relief for men who already spend more time working with their MacBooks than their hands—a sign that they aspire to be as strong and silent as their rougher-hewn predecessors. If only Grandpa knew how chic he was.
.....................................................................
Engineered Garments Wins
GQ/CFDA Award
Engineered Garments has won the GQ/CFDA award for best new menswear designer in America award as well as $50,000 in prize money. Designer Daiki Suzuki beat out his competition from Steven Alan, Gilded Age, Obedient Sons, Rag & Bone, and Spurr to take home the first-ever prize. Daiki Suzuki’s next project is creating a mini-collection to be sold this fall at Levi.com and select Bloomingdale’s locations for one month (and other retailers thereafter).
2008 has been a big year for Daiki Suzuki, along with numerous press and an award for designer of the year from GQ, Suzuki has been leading the way in mens work-wear with Engineered Garments. He’s also been reinvigorating Woolrich’s premium line, and since that wasn’t enough, Suzuki introduced a limited edition collection with Levi’s in the fall. When TONY recently asked him what he plans to do next, Suzuki replies, “perhaps a collaboration?”
Now that’s a hard working man.
Monocle reports this month that Woolrich has extended Daiki Suzuki’s contract to fall 2010.
.....................................................................
Craft on the net
While workwear has its detractors, there’s no denying its growing influence on the world of menswear. You only need to look at the sharp increase in the amount of buffalo plaid, boots and flannel in any high street store to see the influence the movement has had. Whilst the movement has several stalwarts (many of whom we’ve featured already) one of the premier names behind the revival is buyer turned designer, Daiki Suzuki.
Suzuki got his start as a sales person in Japan before eventually moving into buying. After working in this sector for two decades (he got his start back in the 1970s) he decided to branch out and start his own label, Engineered Garments. The label is a Japanese take on Americana, making products like corduroy trousers, casual blazers and even capes, using archive clothing as a launching pad and updating the fit. The latter point is the defining difference between E.G and a reproduction company like The Real McCoys.
His work at Engineered Garments caught the attention of Woolrich, who soon hired him to rework their Woolrich Woolen Mills line. As Daiki Suzuki noted in a Refinery29 interview, the two brands weren’t exactly world apart as he used to use Woolrich fabrics on his Engineered Garments pieces.
A stickler for authenticity, All of Engineered Garments pieces are made in the USA. “Both WWM and EG are made in the NYC Garment Center and various other specialty factories all across the US. We sometimes use our neighbour in north Canada, depending on what we’re looking to make”.
As for the fabrics, he says that “it’s always in the form of traditional American fabrics or fabrics utilized by American manufacturers in the past”. Suzuki notes that “Domestically there are always Woolrich Woolens, uniform fabrics, dead stock fabrics from the 1980s and various other things that cross our path.”
When it comes to the topic of prestige not being enough to sell clothing anymore Suzuki states that “There is value and cost in raw materials, manufacturing methods (including responsible production), intellectual property and development that is laborious, costly and time consuming”. He goes to say “Then there is all the people you support when purchasing a product, from the designer to the manufacture to the retailer and plenty of other people in between. [To sum up] in general good things cost more.”
.....................................................................
Studio Visit: Daiki Suzuki
They say you can learn a lot about a man by the company he keeps. Okay—but what about the space he keeps that company in? Below, the first in a series of studio visits with some of our favorite designers, where we take you behind the curtain for an inside look at how fashion happens.
First up: Daiki Suzuki, the Americana-loving designer behind Engineered Garments and Woolrich Woolen Mills, the secondary line from the historic American heritage brand Woolrich. (The folks at Woolrich couldn’t have picked a better guy for the job: Suzuki has been steeping in its history for decades, having started his career as a buyer for the first Japanese store to carry Woolrich back in the 1970s.) His collection of surf-inspired t-shirts and nautical striped shorts has breathed new life into the brand, and he’s managed to keep Engineered Garments going strong. We stopped by his midtown Manhattan studio to see where he works, eats, and occasionally sleeps.
—
A Day with Daiki
—How he starts his day: I get a cup of coffee on the corner, first thing in the morning. I check emails at my desk, maybe do some paperwork. And when I’m ready, I just come here. This round table is where all the planning and designing happens.
Where he got it: I got the table off the street about 10 years ago in Tribeca. I was drunk, and I was walking after midnight, and I saw this table. It was so heavy, we needed three people, so I got two friends of mine, and the three of us loaded it up. Ever since, it’s been the planning table.
What he does there: I draw most of the time. Before the process I have so many ideas, but the hard part is how you pick things, and put them together to make them look like what you want. In the beginning it’s really busy inside the brain, but you’re not actually moving anything; it’s working, but it doesn’t really look like working.
Working tunes: Today it’s classical, but sometimes it’s ’70s American rock. I love music from England; I was really into New Wave. I still go see Echo and the Bunnymen. Those guys are still doing great.
How he gets is all done: I come here very early in the morning, when no one is around. There’s a good two hours with maybe one other person here. After 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., everybody leaves, so I get two or three hours that I can be here alone. I actually come here every weekend, too. I go surfing in the morning and then I come back in the city around 12 or 1 o’clock. I shower, get dressed, and come up here. I stay all night—sometimes I fall asleep here, if I’ve used too much energy in the water.
Where he surfs: Long Beach, NY. Me and my friends get together at 5:00 in the morning, get out there at 6:30, watch the sun come up, and jump in the water.
Why he surfs: It’s becoming a bigger and bigger thing for me. When you work like this, you need a break. Just to go out there, and be in the ocean, is really great for me. I can’t live without it now. I work so hard on the weekdays, but I’m always thinking about the weekend, and how the waves are going to be. I never surfed until last summer, but I love the culture, the fashion. I grew up in Japan in the 1970s and at that time we got so much inspiration from the states. Everything was new to us. One of the first things that came from the states was a west coast lifestyle like skateboard and surfing—the pocket tee shirts, the Ocean Pacific corduroy shorts, and windbreakers. All those kind of things. What I did for Woolrich for next spring was based on what I remember from my teenage years.
Engineered Garments
-Spring 2010 Collection-
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and what could be a better present to top if off than with a look at the Engineered Garments Spring–Summer 2010 collection. After two of the strongest collections on the market in 2009, Engineered Garments now give us a look at what’s to come in the next few months. The focus as usual starts with fabrics for Mr. Suzuki as the collection features the stable of great chambrays, most notably the blue that was featured on a lot more than just the work shirts. Another new fabric this spring is the metallic cotton that comes in a bit of a stone/olive tone, which can be seen in the image with the large duffle bag. The material has a starchy feel to it and gives an interesting look in certain lighting. Although it wasn’t my favorite part of the collection, it’s always interesting to see the brand experiment with different materials. I thought the variety of prints on both camp shirts, club collars and fleece all came out perfectly and offered a great array of more casual garments, which of course come in handy during summer months. The lightweight cotton plaids featured on the 19th Century BDs look perfect and are sure to be a popular item for those accustom to the block. While the shirting and lightweight jackets are always strong – especially the linen Bedford jackets – I felt that the spring’s pant offerings were really great. The red slacks and the off-white flecked camp pants were both on my personal order for the spring and I’m looking forward to them more than ever. The drawstring bottom has carried over from the fall pants, which adds a nice option, although I will more than likely stick to my rolling ways. Finally, the coveted work shirt will be out in full force. It comes in a variety of patterns; cottons, open weave and chambray – but my top choices are a white herringbone, green chambray and an exclusive red chambray that will apparently only be available at Drinkwater’s, Odin and The Bureau.
—
The collection will being delivering in North America and Europe within the first couple weeks of January and has already hit shelves in Japan with limited pieces. You can be sure we’ll be featuring our favorite pieces over the next few months on the updates and in editorial form. The styling by EG is not always for everyone, but it communicates the collection’s feeling and overall approach. The selection is so deep, and there are many styles not seen here, so as usual it will take some digging and personal interpretation to make it yours – which is the fun part.
Engineered Garments Spring Polka Dots
Engineered Garments Spring collection have started landing in selection Japanese stores so it’s time to start previewing some of the items we’ll soon be lusting after locally. One of the items I seemed to have missed in the showroom was the polka dot club collar shirt. I especially like the white with black dots, which are a little bigger and have a bit more space to float around. I’ve seen a number of white shirts I’m quite fond of coming for spring and I’d expect that to be a sign of things to come, or things I’ll be wearing. The size of the collar on EG’s club style is the perfect size. It works great with a bow tie; looks very natural and tidy alone, and with the nice pattern would look great with a number of spring ensembles. I believe these shirts are on the same block as the tab collar shirts from this fall, not the 19th Century – which I like in terms of placket and buttons, but hopefully they will be cut a bit smaller this spring – I’m officially excited for spring now by the way.
Updated by Ryan Willms.........................................................................................
It’s one of my favorite collections from the
upcoming season and unsurprisingly
Daiki Suzuki is one of my favorite designers.
It’s always interesting to get another peek into
the office and to hear about the little things
that shape and form the products
“ i love in the end. ”
Posts
1 comment:
I am very pleased to say... Big Thank for coming to read my little blogs.
Im Not very good write Eng word to explain in everything i do or i want to say it!
Hope you all would try to understand the language I have tried to communicate it out .. not much less.
the Portastylistic has a new audio show
featuring live music and cultural music guideline
insights from our favourite Artists.
PORTASTUDIO PLAYLIST;
A Cosy Soundtrack for Weekend +Live Session
This Cosy life night weekend for your experience cosy music playlist with some familiar holiday pop and remix tracks. our panel which also includes selected by the Portastylistic every Saturday at 8pm. Bkk, Thailand time.
Thank you and best regards,
The Portastylistic
Editor in Selectory
Post a Comment