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If you find yourself ongoingly pulse checking the movements of the global fashion landscape, chances are you’ve stumbled upon ‘Japanism’ – one of the most discussed subgenres of fashion. And depending on your generation and entry point, the understanding of the term might change quite a bit.
Some might remember Japanese fashion through its avant-garde break out in the 70s, led by the likes of Rei Kawakubo (CdG), Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake.
For others, Japanese fashion might be equalling the Ura-Harajuka movement of the 90s represented by Good Enough, WTAPS, Neighborhood, and FPAR, brands that shared an appreciation for themes such as military, biker, punk, varsity, and rockabilly.
And if you one of those kids growing up in with 2000s pop culture, chances are you were about it, when Lil Wayne sported a full Bape set, when Fujiwara slapped the Fragment logo on the Air Jordan 1’s and made everyone go ham, or when Nigo made us all thirst for Americana aesthetics yet again with Human Made – an theme that’s been a central part of Japanese streetwear for decades, and today is done to perfection by the likes of Kapital, Visvim, and Wacko Maria in their respective ways.
Now, obviously, a bunch of these brands and designers have managed to impact the scene throughout decades, and with credit, but one player that is often overlooked in the art of genre-crossing Japanese fashion is Issey Miyake.
Not saying that Issey Miyake is underrated, this guy practically invented Japanese avant-garde, his pleats are the trademark most designers can only wish to create, and the way he, among a few others, revolutionised womenswear fits and norms, has arguably paved way for how women’s streetwear looks today. It’s almost insane that he holds one of the most incredible forgotten clothing brands to date.
But what people don’t talk about is the genius line that was HAI Sporting Gear and the HAI Sporting Gear history.
One of Issey Miyake’s many projects that fell under the Miyake Design Studio umbrella, founded in 1970. Enter, Hai Issey Miyake. The studio might be most renowned for Homme Plissé, Pleats Please and Baobao, but HAI is the true main event for any streetwear head. Spanning from the late 70s throughout 90s, the HAI brand stood for Americana-infused sports aesthetics, while also managing to incorporate elements of every sub-culture mentioned earlier.
You might not be familiar but take 5 minutes on any fashion resell platform and you’ll be met with heaps of garms. Although the product offering is wide, the general knowledge around the brand and its conception is minimum, and apart from videos documenting the SS1996 show, there’s little proof of its presence at the time.
Luckily, the designs did indeed transcend into 2020 and upon a closer look into the individual product you might see why.
The Logo Crewneck is one of the most frequently sold HAI pieces today, and the most obvious piece to cop if you wanna show that you’re in the know. The not-so-subtle logo was used across various collections and plastered on crewnecks, hoodies, t-shirts, and coats alike.
The crewneck epitomises the style referred to earlier, through the play on varsity aesthetics and with the raglan-styled sleeves it draws parallels to old school undershirts for baseball players.
If you’re keen on donning the HAI crewnecks, but a bold logo piece seems a bit too easy for your cargo-tech style, don’t sweat it.
Taking a step towards military romanticization, HAI’s brand still proves to be more than a varsity-loving line. Their double-cargo chest pocket jacket is a slapping example of old-school technical wear, that has seen being repeated by big brands like Neighboorhood and Stone Island. And there’s more!
The stitched-in label, the chest pocket branding, and the sleeve print act as playful additional elements to the ‘average piece’ and can still be in global brands today. But hey, I’m not gonna be one to hate on the ‘average pieces’ and neither were HAI.’s brand.
If you ask any suburban-bourgeoise parents about their wet fashion dream, chances are they’d unknowingly think of this piece. Like the lovechild of Barbour’s Chelsea, and Deveron style, this quilted, discoloured, big pocketed beast is a perfect transitional HAI Sporting Gear jacket. The little pocket-branding repeats itself on this one, and acts as a subtle hint to those few people in the know.
And then another lane shift. Serving as the antithesis to the Barbour-esque jacket above, this red bomber is no such thing as subtle. It’s pretty wild though. If you’re already deep into Japanese 90s brands, the silhouette and bold colourway of this bomber, might lead your thoughts towards General Research’s iconic AW98 ‘175 pocket’ jacket.
Okay, the resemblance stops there, but both pieces are stunning nevertheless. And with the previously mentioned HAI logo on the back, you’ll be a living & breathing red-light sign ambassador for Issey’s career. And now to the pinnacle of the HAI Sporting Gear line – Denim.
When it comes to Japanese denim jackets, arguably no one does it better than Kapital. Their Fishing Kimono was one of my favorite pieces of the last decade, and the Monkey Denim Jacket is an outstanding garm too. However, it’s tough to beat HAI’s take on the iconic chore jacket.
The pockets are huge, and numerous, the highlighted stitching is a great add-on, and the stitching travelling the front hem and sleeves serve as a masterclass in subtle detailing. There’s much more denim work available, and I highly recommend everyone to check it out.
As for HAI Sporting Gear, the line might have seized its operations more than two decades ago, and even though stylistic themes are scattered, all these pieces are still as relevant as they were when they dropped. What they, and most other themes within Japanese fashion do, is that they offer a revisit to a world of nostalgia by picking up the vestiges of a century passed. A century that might be long gone, yet its aesthetics still echo into today’s world, forgotten brand or not.
Up next, take a look at our top list of Best Outdoor Clothing Brands for Women, or Best Black Trainers for Women.
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If you find yourself ongoingly pulse checking the movements of the global fashion landscape, chances are you’ve stumbled upon ‘Japanism’ – one of the most discussed subgenres of fashion. And depending on your generation and entry point, the understanding of the term might change quite a bit.
Some might remember Japanese fashion through its avant-garde break out in the 70s, led by the likes of Rei Kawakubo (CdG), Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake.
For others, Japanese fashion might be equalling the Ura-Harajuka movement of the 90s represented by Good Enough, WTAPS, Neighborhood, and FPAR, brands that shared an appreciation for themes such as military, biker, punk, varsity, and rockabilly.
And if you one of those kids growing up in with 2000s pop culture, chances are you were about it, when Lil Wayne sported a full Bape set, when Fujiwara slapped the Fragment logo on the Air Jordan 1’s and made everyone go ham, or when Nigo made us all thirst for Americana aesthetics yet again with Human Made – an theme that’s been a central part of Japanese streetwear for decades, and today is done to perfection by the likes of Kapital, Visvim, and Wacko Maria in their respective ways.
Now, obviously, a bunch of these brands and designers have managed to impact the scene throughout decades, and with credit, but one player that is often overlooked in the art of genre-crossing Japanese fashion is Issey Miyake.
Not saying that Issey Miyake is underrated, this guy practically invented Japanese avant-garde, his pleats are the trademark most designers can only wish to create, and the way he, among a few others, revolutionised womenswear fits and norms, has arguably paved way for how women’s streetwear looks today. It’s almost insane that he holds one of the most incredible forgotten clothing brands to date.
But what people don’t talk about is the genius line that was HAI Sporting Gear and the HAI Sporting Gear history.
One of Issey Miyake’s many projects that fell under the Miyake Design Studio umbrella, founded in 1970. Enter, Hai Issey Miyake. The studio might be most renowned for Homme Plissé, Pleats Please and Baobao, but HAI is the true main event for any streetwear head. Spanning from the late 70s throughout 90s, the HAI brand stood for Americana-infused sports aesthetics, while also managing to incorporate elements of every sub-culture mentioned earlier.
You might not be familiar but take 5 minutes on any fashion resell platform and you’ll be met with heaps of garms. Although the product offering is wide, the general knowledge around the brand and its conception is minimum, and apart from videos documenting the SS1996 show, there’s little proof of its presence at the time.
Luckily, the designs did indeed transcend into 2020 and upon a closer look into the individual product you might see why.
The Logo Crewneck is one of the most frequently sold HAI pieces today, and the most obvious piece to cop if you wanna show that you’re in the know. The not-so-subtle logo was used across various collections and plastered on crewnecks, hoodies, t-shirts, and coats alike.
The crewneck epitomises the style referred to earlier, through the play on varsity aesthetics and with the raglan-styled sleeves it draws parallels to old school undershirts for baseball players.
If you’re keen on donning the HAI crewnecks, but a bold logo piece seems a bit too easy for your cargo-tech style, don’t sweat it.
Taking a step towards military romanticization, HAI’s brand still proves to be more than a varsity-loving line. Their double-cargo chest pocket jacket is a slapping example of old-school technical wear, that has seen being repeated by big brands like Neighboorhood and Stone Island. And there’s more!
The stitched-in label, the chest pocket branding, and the sleeve print act as playful additional elements to the ‘average piece’ and can still be in global brands today. But hey, I’m not gonna be one to hate on the ‘average pieces’ and neither were HAI.’s brand.
If you ask any suburban-bourgeoise parents about their wet fashion dream, chances are they’d unknowingly think of this piece. Like the lovechild of Barbour’s Chelsea, and Deveron style, this quilted, discoloured, big pocketed beast is a perfect transitional HAI Sporting Gear jacket. The little pocket-branding repeats itself on this one, and acts as a subtle hint to those few people in the know.
And then another lane shift. Serving as the antithesis to the Barbour-esque jacket above, this red bomber is no such thing as subtle. It’s pretty wild though. If you’re already deep into Japanese 90s brands, the silhouette and bold colourway of this bomber, might lead your thoughts towards General Research’s iconic AW98 ‘175 pocket’ jacket.
Okay, the resemblance stops there, but both pieces are stunning nevertheless. And with the previously mentioned HAI logo on the back, you’ll be a living & breathing red-light sign ambassador for Issey’s career. And now to the pinnacle of the HAI Sporting Gear line – Denim.
When it comes to Japanese denim jackets, arguably no one does it better than Kapital. Their Fishing Kimono was one of my favorite pieces of the last decade, and the Monkey Denim Jacket is an outstanding garm too. However, it’s tough to beat HAI’s take on the iconic chore jacket.
The pockets are huge, and numerous, the highlighted stitching is a great add-on, and the stitching travelling the front hem and sleeves serve as a masterclass in subtle detailing. There’s much more denim work available, and I highly recommend everyone to check it out.
As for HAI Sporting Gear, the line might have seized its operations more than two decades ago, and even though stylistic themes are scattered, all these pieces are still as relevant as they were when they dropped. What they, and most other themes within Japanese fashion do, is that they offer a revisit to a world of nostalgia by picking up the vestiges of a century passed. A century that might be long gone, yet its aesthetics still echo into today’s world, forgotten brand or not.
Up next, take a look at our top list of Best Outdoor Clothing Brands for Women, or Best Black Trainers for Women.
