Leather Japan Presents: SASQUATCHfabrix

Words by Frederick Marfil / Photography by Kosuke Matsuo

Leather Japan held a presentation for the Fall/Winter 2013 season which included eight emerging Japanese designers incorporating leather into their collections. The new wave/punk band Turtle Island transformed the presentation into a festive tribal concert, reinforcing the presentation’s ambiance of the deep rooted Tokyo label. One brand in particular, SASQUATCHfabrix touched on the centralized theme by integrating a leather apron and a revamped kimono. Their distinctive approach in designing this season is avante-garde yet wearable. SASQUATCHfabrix pays homage to the traditional Japanese streetwear culture while continuing to bridge the gap between the Japanese and U.S. markets. Check out our interview below. The spring collection is available online at LN-CC.

First off, what is the definition of SASQUATCHfabrix? 

‘Sasquatch’ is an Unidentified Mysterious Animal. We, as brand, want to be an Unidentified Mysterious Animal in the fashion world. That is the reason why we are named ‘SASQUATCHfabrix.’

As “HIGH PERFORMANCE VANDALISM. ALWAYS PRESENTING A SENSE OF FRESHNESS” is your primary philosophy, what were the challenges you first faced when you launched 10 years ago?

The thing itself of making garments was a big challenge since I worked in architecture or graphic field and we didn’t know how to make garments. We started to make 5 T-shirts, then I learned myself as we communicated with factories.

What inspired you to create the fall 2013 collection?

The theme of the fall/ winter 2013 collection that will be held in March in Tokyo will be ‘digable planets’. The pieces that we brought for LEATHER JAPAN project, are not from this collection though, they were exclusively made leather pieces aimed to promote leather products made in Japan.

Anything significant about the design process you want to mention?