Stock ✕ Kiriko Made

Heading into this spring, we wanted to take two of our most popular styles, the denim work shirt and the banded collar popover, and create a truly unique collection. Our very first choice was to partner with our friends Kiriko in Portland to help us find rare Japanese textiles to implement into our garments. Kiriko is a lifestlye brand that specializes in the sourcing and re-interpretation of rare and vintage Japanese fabrics.

After pouring over dozens and dozens of incredible fabrics, we landed on the two perfect choices for what we were looking to do.

First off was an indigo sashi-ori. Sashi-ori is a heavyweight fabric traditionally used in Kendo-gi jackets. Kendo is an ancient martial art using wooden swords to practice swordsmanship. We crafted the body of the work shirt from sashi-ori, with raw indigo denim sleeves, chest pockets collar and yoke. This combination created a beautiful, unique and sturdy piece that will only get better with time, as the denim and sashi-ori will fade and break in at different rates.

The second product we developed was our banded collar popover, using a kasuri fabric. Kasuri is a Japanese word for fabric that has been woven with fibers dyed specifically to create patterns and images in the fabric. The patterns are characterized by a blurred or brushed appearance. Kasuri is manufactured by a small family-owned factory in Kurume City, Japan (where Kasuri originated in the 19th century) which still uses the same industrial machines from the 1950’s.

The result of this collaboration with Kiriko is a collection that is rooted in both American and Japanese traditions, but entirely modern and unique.