Brand in Focus | Pt. 3: TATAMIZE (JP)
Japanese workwear at its finest
I first came to TATAMIZE — established in 2004 in Sendai, Japan — for its incredible hats and caps. It was a classic example of finding something you didn’t know you were looking for. I don’t recall exactly how I found out about the brand, but I remember seeing their ‘Work Cap’, ‘Field Hat’ and ‘Hunter Cap’ and thinking: ‘Yes, this is IT!’. This emotion is perhaps best explained by my love-hate relationship with headwear. I think there’s too much of it, and most of what’s there is generic, ill-fitting or simply (dare I say so?) ugly. At the same time, when done right, headwear definitely is one of the most satisfying accessories there is. TATAMIZE fits right into that category, alongside other personal favorites like NINE TAILOR and SCHA.
I soon found out there’s much more to TATAMIZE than hats and caps (see below). They bring the same kind of down-to-earth eccentricity to other pieces of workwear: pants, jackets, coats, vests - you name it. Back then, which was probably around 2019, the brand didn’t do wholesale yet. This meant that - as their slogan (‘Nowhere Else’) more or less predicted - items were only available through their own website. One feature of TATAMIZE’s way of running their brand hasn’t changed since then: they distinguish between ‘Stock’ and ‘Order’ items, with many of the former often sold out. What also hasn’t changed is that they keep production low. Despite collaborations with the likes of BEAMS+ and FENNICA, TATAMIZE continues to keep things small.
For this third installment of ‘Brand in Focus’, I had a conversation with TATAMIZE’s founder and designer, Osamu Yaehata. For over twenty years now, he handles all processes from design, material selection and patterning to cutting, sewing and shipping. He told me about his personal preferences and professional ambitions in running TATAMIZE.
