ME, MYSELF & MENSWEAR

Growing up, I always gravitated toward things that were considered "for boys."

I wore boys' clothes, read boys' manga, and built model kits instead of playing with dolls. My first crush was probably Jackie Chan, and I was tempted to become him at the same time. Throughout my teenage years and into adulthood, I enjoyed shopping for my boyfriends more than I did for myself.

Thanks to the generally smaller sizing of Japanese menswear, finding clothes that fit me at 5'3"-ish wasn't particularly difficult. But after leaving Japan and rarely returning, the differences in both sizing and style between Japanese and Western menswear became impossible to ignore.

Over time, my wardrobe shifted more toward women's clothing, somewhat reluctantly at first, and now I'm comfortable with that for the most part, even though the chances of me wearing a sexy dress remain somewhere around negative one hundred percent.

That said, my appreciation for menswear never disappeared. If anything, it helped me realize that what attracted me was never simply the category itself.

It was the thoughtful details, restraint, and character I often found there.

Liking menswear was never a statement, rebellion, or identity crisis. It simply felt right. As a straight woman who has always had a boyish side, many of the things I was, and still am, naturally drawn to just happened to be found there, particularly Japanese, British, and some American menswear.

Leather is one of the few materials that can carry traces of every stage of its existence. The life of the animal it once belonged to, the hands that shaped it, and the memories of the person who eventually owns it all become part of the piece.

I hope the leather goods you own, whether made by me or by someone else, become objects that quietly collect your stories over time while honoring the life they once came from. I also hope everyone can live feeling comfortable being who they are.