45R | Prestige Hong Kong (Jul 19)

Merging Japonica and Americana, slow-fashion brand 45R makes clothes that pay tribute to American classics while embracing Japanese attention to detail. Co-founder YASUMI INOUE talks to zaneta cheng

One reaction to the fast-fashion phenomenon that’s made runway looks available to the mass market quickly and cheaply is the return to artisanship. Luxury brands are working harder than ever to hammer home the inimitable skill, time and care it takes to craft each piece in order to maintain desirability and exclusivity. 

In the unending whirlwind of the fashion cycle, however, Japanese “slow fashion” brand 45R has never deviated from its concept of creating clothes that stand the test
of time, anchoring itself in its “Made in Japan” philosophy with its respect for craftsmanship, while at the same time taking inspiration from workwear, vintage style and the ’70s American collegiate aesthetic.

The mix is effortless and clearly shows in the brand’s newly refurbished flagship on Star Street in Wanchai. Workwear-inspired utility jackets hang alongside light cotton pieces in white and blue. The label’s line of jeans mixes traditional denim shapes with Japanese indigo dyeing techniques, with hand-sewn embroidery also worked in. T-shirt shapes are dyed in classic bandana colours, the bottom cut with a handkerchief hem. Loose, floaty
kimonos with American-inspired paisley prints are rendered in cotton and silk and styled on top of light-washed denim and a hemp tee. 

When looking through the catalogue, the deep saturated blue of Japanese indigo jumps out. Once the colour of the populace and then of fishermen and samurai, it’s been culturally significant in Japan since the Edo period. Reworking it into T-shirts, blouses, pants, dresses and workwear styles, 45R translated this traditional hue into the modern wardrobe. “It’s a very special colour – a Japanese blue, if you will,” says Yasumi Inoue, one of the three friends who founded the clothing label they called 45RPM (named after the playing speed of 7-inch vinyl records of the 1960s and ’70s). “Because when different people wear indigo, it changes and adapts according to how that person wears it and brings out their own distinct qualities. The colour stands the test of time because it will change with wear but will never really fade or lose its pigment.”

45R has maintained its dedication to creating luxury casual wear, attracting the likes of Steven Spielberg and Giorgio Armani into its New York stores. The timeless quality lies in what Inoue calls “standard” clothing. “The way 45R works is that we don’t change very much and we maintain our own style. We have our loyal following because we don’t make great changes,” Inoue explains. “Nothing in our collections will really jump out, so when the clothes are worn on different women, it brings out a different quality in each according to her personality.”

“For example, when we have new collections, some people might find that we have brought back styles from 10 years back, sometimes with modifications, sometimes without but it’s how they style it that makes it relevant for today.”

For Inoue, who creates styling books for the brand, it’s a matter of mixing “standard” items like the T-shirt, shirt, denim, chino tousers and turtleneck in a way that’s lively and thoughtful with one-pieces in the summer and jackets and coats in the winter.

“The 45R philosophy is about a piece that can be kept for a long time so it’s sort of like a kimono, which is handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter with only the need to maybe slightly patch parts up,” she says. For her, the kimono lies at the heart of the brand, a symbol of expert craftsmanship and Japanese heritage and something the brand continues to mine for inspiration. “The kimono is the base of Japanese traditional dressing. There are many parts that inspire us, like the obi belt, the collar and more. In Hong Kong, we don’t have our kimono creations but there are belts in the store that are based on the obi, which is a very special element of the kimono,” Inoue says. “My family ran a kimono shop and because of this I was exposed to all the combinations of kimono colours growing up and this made a great impression on me.”

When 45RPM opened its first store in New York’s Soho district, Inoue decided that while America was one of the sources of the brand’s inspiration, it was crucial that the brand carry Made in Japan with pride. “When I decided to do something ‘Made in Japan’ in New York, my parents were dubious because at the time Americana was all the rage, but even so I wanted to bring the colours and elements of the kimono into the clothing, even though this wasn’t quite what people were wearing at the time. But it was very well received by native New Yorkers, which affirmed my beliefs and proved what I believed to be the best of Japan was correct,” Inoue recalls.

But what are the strengths of Made in Japan? The question is prescient at a time when designers are renegotiating their relationships with heritage and tradition. “Japan is a very detail-oriented culture,” Inoue explains. “Take a look at the cuisine, for example, and everything from the plate to the sauce has been painstakingly made. And even if that effort isn’t visible on the plate, an incredible amount of effort has been made behind the scenes to make the item the best it can be. This obsessive attention to detail is something I truly prioritise and I think it’s one of our country’s best qualities.”