ENTRIES
Line T
Think of it as a tee without the sleeves. Not a sleeveless, though. The shoulder runs out past where a sleeve would start, so it still sits like a T-shirt, just with nothing hanging off the end. The armholes are cut bigger, so it's easy to move in and easy to throw over something else. The neckline sits higher and holds its shape, which is what keeps it from looking sloppy, whether it's worn on its own, under a shirt or over one. We went through a lot of shapes and a few cotton weights before landing on 140gsm. Soft, light, and something you can forget you're wearing on a warm day. The silhouette is our own, worked out from scratch.
001
ENTRY
The Squatchee
The button on top of a cap is called a squatchee. Nobody knows that, and nobody needs to. It's about as quiet as a detail gets, which is exactly why we like how we treat it. Ours is leather from Hyogo, skived thin and hand-wrapped by artisans in Japan. You'll only notice it with wear, once the patina comes through with a soft shine.
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ENTRY
Optimism
The robot came about just after the pandemic, right when AI was starting to get real traction. We felt optimistic about going forward, but it was clear you'd have to choose how. So we drew a robot heading forward, but in pixels, like the arcade games we grew up on. The robot looks ahead; the pixels keep it grounded. We're not against what's coming. We'd just like to walk into it as ourselves.
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ENTRY
WHO
WHO was meant to be a campaign. We never ran it, but the question stayed with us. The algorithm is full of suggestions: what to wear, what to like, even who to be. WHO is the one question it can't answer for you. You ask it yourself, and you don't need anyone to agree with the answer. The grain on the portrait is on purpose. You're not meant to see everything.
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ENTRY
Analog Intervention
Most Japanese genkan are tiny, which is why a slip-on makes so much sense here. Masteryatelier makes theirs in black. Ours is a different take, made only for AAI by the same artisans: a white canvas Vans, customised entirely by hand. The leather is hand-cut and hand-sewn, the eyelets hand-pressed, the midsole hand-stained. No machines past the original shoe.
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ENTRY
Shonan, Summer
This summer we were in Shonan, mostly around Enoshima. The simplest way to enjoy a place is to be present. Only then can you appreciate what it truly has to offer.
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ENTRY
Nothing Random
A second-hand vintage record arrived with the parcel drawn on by hand. Nobody asked the seller to do that. It's the kind of small, unnecessary care that impresses us, and the kind we try to put into everything we make.
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ENTRY
A Good Feelin'
Picture this: you sit back in your Helinox beach chair, gaze, and do nothing else. We made this palm tree open-collar shirt so you can have that feeling all year round, with a touch of fun from the arcade days.
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ENTRY
Philosophy
Our graphic is inspired by the Zen monk Sengai's ○△□. He never explained it. We see it as the elementary foundations of life, depicted in shapes. We kept the three shapes and gave them pixelated edges, for the digital world we live in now.