Peeking Behind the Curtain - Boro Kimono Design and Construction by Mutsu/Prospective Flow

For as much as the menswear population has exploded in the last decade, relatively few men have any practical sartorial skills of their own outside of shining their shoes or reattaching the odd button. The ability to replicate is not and should never be a prerequisite to critique something, but in a way it's akin to being a food critic without knowing how to do anything but toast bread. At the very least, a better understanding the process of how clothing is designed and constructed makes for a more informed and intelligent consumer. More importantly, getting the opportunity to see how things are made is just plain fun.

Late last year, Bloomberg's "Made" YouTube account posted a video feature on the bespoke leather jackets at Atelier Savas (also written about on Die, Workwear earlier this year) that I really enjoyed. Similarly, the MoMA partnered with tailoring house Anderson & Sheppard in 2017 producing a two-part series following the (partial) production of a bespoke suit. Both of those videos are well worth the watch if you haven't already seen them, and the Anderson & Sheppard videos in particular do a great job highlighting the different people involved in getting a suit from measurements to fitting. It's a nice reminder of the skilled hands, time, and effort that can go into making a product.

Recently, Japanese-designed, California-based clothing studio Prospective Flow started uploading a semi-weekly installment on the production of a "Reflow" boro kimono made for their capsule art collection called "Boroful." The first episode follows the design and sketching for a noragi-style concept remake, episode two details the "upcycling" process, pattern-making,  and cutting of the fabric, and episode three looks at the sashiko stitching and distressing of the sections prior to putting it all together. Part four should wrap up the series, though designer Yusuke Muramatsu noted he plans on uploading Mondays and Thursdays and confirmed there are further "How To" videos coming down the pipeline. As of now, not a lot of people know about them so I feel like I'm getting the jump on some sort of undiscovered gem.

 

If you're even a little interested in Japanese-inspired style, making your own clothing, or are just into soothing ASMR, I'd highly recommend checking the series out. I will say the distressing on the garments isn't my favorite as I tend towards more simple styles myself, like this awesome Mugi coat on their site, but it's hard not to love projects like this. You can find the collection at American Rag for a limited time and Prospective Flow's normal goods on their webpage and at vendors such as Unionmade and Kiriko.

Mutsu by Prospective Flow on YouTube