Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style

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In the book, I implicitly argue though that this really starts and centres on American styles. British looks have had their moments in Japan (mostly as a reaction against American looks), and probably inform the basic business look of Japan, but the core of Japanese menswear is Ivy-inspired. Is the online-shopping and social-media world less important to Japanese men than it is to Americans? Admittedly, this book is quite nerdy, which is a compliment, with plenty of pictures (or varying aesthetic quality) and illustrations of original miner’s jeans worn by the frontiersmen of Nevada and California. But as that style have evolved, so too has the meaning of Ametora. Today, it’s more about a certain sartorial attitude: high quality basics and the best fabric, small discrete details, a combination of old-fashioned expertise and high-tech innovation, a playful twist put on conservative pieces and the repurposing of vintage American iconography.

James Sullivan’s book, Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon, was one of the books I hadn’t read before I began working on Blue Blooded. And, boy, was I missing out!

Japanese youth in Ivy Style. (Basic Books / Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style) Japanese youth in Ivy Style. (Basic Books / Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style) Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style is a MUST for anyone with any interest in fashion, particularly Japanese fashion. In fact, fashion aficionados of the 21st century now know that you cannot possibly disentangle the geneneralised concept of 'fashion' from 'Japanese fashion', the most vibrant and diverse fashion industry in the world and home to the greatest number of men's fashion magazines per capita and a fashion-forward and hype-focused population like no other. But it wasn't always this way, which was the central message the book tried to convey. Throughout its history, Japan has always adopted foreign cultures and mixed them with local cultures to make a new hybrid. Take ramen, which in Japan is considered a Chinese dish, but everyone knows it globally as Japanese. Ametora is a bit like ramen or tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) – it’s a unique thing that Japan provides to the world based originally on foreign models but is unmistakably Japanese.

Through this scene, he developed mentorships and relationships with like-minded, young, Japanese men, including the likes of Jun “Jonio” Takahashi and Nigo, and even was the first Japanese member of the International Stussy Tribe--a loose network of creatives centered around Shawn Stussy’s revolutionary streetwear label. Through these connections, new Japanese streetwear brands were invented for the first time; Fujiwara’s Goodenough, Takahashi’s punk brand Undercover, and Nigo’s Planet of the Apes- inspired A Bathing Ape. As their fan base built up, as did the amount of members in Fujiwara’s crew creating their own lines.

Traditionally, the Ametora style was very Ivy League. In 1965, Japanese photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida published a now-cult photobook called Take Ivy, which documented the way students dressed at Ivy League universities in the US. It influenced Japanese baby boomers, who adopted the style for themselves. Is there a problematic side to this – that one country immerses itself so much in the style and culture of another? Do you avoid the limelight? Does having your photo taken make you uncomfortable? Do you think three belts is too many belts? Then K-pop fashion may not be for you. “It’s a real mix of high-end brands and trends,” says Standing. “You want to be adorned in the latest silhouettes, with the latest sneakers and extraordinary hair.” Key Brands Why do you think it is that the Japanese, arguably, do American and British style better than the Americans and Brits? Just over a year ago, we received a book by mail from the press bureau of the American publisher Basic Books (who published G. Bruce Boyer's "Real Style") entitled AMETORA : How Japan Saved American Style, by author W. David Mark. Yet, it was only until last week that we took the time to absorb the book's contents.