The self-assured design work of Kapital’s craftsmen experimenting with textiles is the art study of modern sensibility with technical and emotional history. Father and son team Toshikiyo and Kiro Hirata lead the brand’s playfully serious approach to fashion. Everything they put forth is confident and distinctive, and like all the best artists, they seem to operate more out of compulsion than by promotion. Their success seems to be a secondary function to their creative drive. They don’t consider themselves artists, but as craftsmen. However, with our western view of practical beauty connecting life to a lens of understanding, those lines are favorably blurred.

Operating out of Okayama, the denim capital of Japan, Kapital’s storefront has no identifying sign, just two lucky horseshoes hang above the door. That portal opens to a vibrant interior, an exciting blend of cultures in conversation. The clothes speak, and every piece has something to say. Each design is made with the attention that each individual requires to tell a story to an enthusiastic friend. Each thing is built how it is required to be to promote the integrity and depth of the tale. Some pieces are a night out with buddies while others are a history lesson in a 900 level course. With the depth of work that goes into each concept through to its final production, volumes could be written about Kapital’s ingenuity and finesse.

13oz Denim Damaged Short AD Apron (GUIDING LIGHT) - Indigo