Engineered Garments, the latest addition to the FOOTDISTRICT brand lineup, is the result of a passion for American culture and a dedication to Japanese tradition.
Japan, the cradle of American fashion
Japan is the primary guarantor of a style developed in the United States. Japan discovered American products and styles during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Their fascination led them to collect and then imitate those garments. They eventually created their own interpretations of these American styles. Ivy League, Americana, Western, and Hip Hop all came to the East in a series of translations that resulted in something entirely new. Much of the American influence on fashion today comes from Japanese reinterpretations; Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nigo, and Jun Takahashi all grew up with influences from the US.
Engineered Garments, founded by Dasuki Suzuki
Dasuki Suzuki (1962) was one of the teenagers who discovered America through specific, sometimes deeply twisted interpretations of American style in pop culture and magazines such as Popeye and Made In USA. Suzuki came into direct contact with his source of inspiration in 1988, when he became an importer of American garments for Keiko Shimizu.
Suzuki had previously worked with Shimizu and together they created Nepenthes, the seed of a business and creative group that later included South2 West8 (inspired by Japanese outdoor), AiE (with references to British punk), Shiden (based on motorcycle culture) and Engineered Garments.
The Engineered Garments style
Suzuki created Engineered Garments with the goal of producing American-made clothing based on his own personal influences and tastes, stemming from his experience as an importer. Although his main inspiration is classic American clothing, Suzuki avoids making exact replicas of vintage garments. Instead, he breaks down traditional designs and reconstructs them in his own vision, adapting each garment to what he considers an “engineered” design.
The heart of Engineered Garments is in New York, where Suzuki tries to keep all production in the city’s garment district. At a time when it was difficult to find Made in USA products, Suzuki created it on his own. That was the motivation that stayed with him for a long time, however now Suzuki needs a different kind of motivation, creating new patterns from American classics and Japanese traditions.
This approach and constant evolution have turned Engineered Garments into a brand that takes inspiration from workwear, military uniforms and traditional American sportswear, and redefines it with a contemporary and functional touch in which there is no lack of nostalgia.
FOOTDISTRICT welcomes Engineered Garments, a new addition to the portfolio of brands with which we expand the references that mix East and West.