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I find is fascinating how much good Americana comes out of Japan. Whether it’s boots by Rolling Dub Trio, military replicas by The Real McCoys or general Americana by Visvim, they’ve taken the baton and perfected the style. I think in one sense it’s embarrassing to lose out on your own heritage to another country, but it’s clear that America values profits > quality, and it needed a country like Japan to keep it going (excellence, attention to detail, quality, etc). This is a quick read about the history of this all. Great for a short read + a coffee table book to appear cultured.
Apr 11, 2025
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The very cool menswear store in Chicago told me to read this!! Thanks for the reminder :)
Apr 11, 2025
@SALAD_VALET Independence. The guys there are incredible, got my husband’s wedding loafers here (made by Oak Street, owned by the same guy!)
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Very interesting read about Japan and Americas mutual cultural obsession with each other through a fashion lens. beginning with post WW2 occupation era GI style up until modern streetwear like BAPE and Kapital and some interesting chapters about vintage sales and denim.
May 16, 2025
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When I was working on the book—which has brief, but well-researched entries for 500 famous people and brands (plug, plug, plug)—I would often get sidetracked on YouTube. If you key in a designer's name and scroll down past the predictable top entries, you'd get some largely-forgotten, and really enchanting, clips. A few favorites:-Issey Miyake doing a TV ad for Suntory Whisky (soundtracked by Kraftwerk!)—Obssesed with how tortured Miyake is acting here. I imagine the directions were "you're designing, you're out of ideas, you NEED the whisky!" It's also notable that this wasn't a co-branded whisky between Suntory and Miyake. Licensing would skyrocket in the '80s, but here Miyake—with his sublime pushbroom mustache—was just the spokesman.-Michael Fish showing his 1969 collection—Fish was one of those lesser-known characters I became fascinated with while working on the book. His lush, gender-agnostic clothes are now often seen as paving the way for Gucci, et. al today. But in this clip you get the full range of his designs, from mild suits to brocade loungewear to some regrettable condiment-colored knits. It's also very sweet how nervous he appears in the beginning.-Nudie Cohn being interviewed in 1980—A Jewish immigrant who made suits for Roy Rogers. Can't beat it. Stick around in this clip to see his car, which has a saddle in the back and steer horns on the grill. Legend.
Jun 10, 2021
I always love taking a look at these. The specificity and relatability they manage to communicate is amazing. This is from 2023.
This one is from 2024. My personal favorite was the Corgi dressed as a loaf of bread.
Nov 24, 2024
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I feel like there’s a special connectivity on this app that I haven’t felt in a long time, maybe since early 2010’s tumblr. The fact that you can’t promote yourself like IG is wonderful. The fact that there isn’t mass video content like Tik Tok is great. It’s not this monetized / paid sponsorship app. People are here because they want to be a part of something with nothing to gain besides friendship. Seeing the URL -> IRL meetups warms my heart so much (waiting for an NYC or Brooklyn meetup).
Thanks for your participation on this niche little app. I smile reading all the recs and all the comments and all the asks. Hope we’ll all be here for a long time.
Jun 15, 2024
florinegrassenhopper riotgrrrl brendanooooo slowdazzle buck_mcgraw and indianjones — we did it. Not only did we successfully meet for drinks, but we also schemed the hostile takeover of this app from tyler tonight.
In all seriousness — weird that an app I downloaded in April would make genuinely want to drive back into Brooklyn during end of day traffic for a happy hour. Great app filled with great people.
Jul 20, 2024
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I think a life rule for me is to surround myself with people who know more / are smarter / are cooler than me and just absorb their aura by listening / observing them. It’s made me the incredibly smart / cool person you all know and love.
I just never thought I’d feel the same way about URL friends. I’m constantly listening to the songs I see posted here, reading the articles, subbing to newsletters, and googling topics that get tossed onto the feed.
It’s nice to know you can become a more rounded person by just absorbing what your mutuals post on here. I’m going to sit on my couch, have a cocktail and digest my lovely feed. Happy Sunday!
Sep 15, 2024