Spotlight: Needles

Origins

Founded in 1988 as part of designer Keizo Shimizu’s parent company Nepenthes, Needles was initially created to support imported items in the shop and was born after a trademark dispute when Shimizu ceased HOGGS — its initial in-house line.

Shimizu was first introduced to fashion by his parents during a back-to-school shopping trip in Shinjuku but it wasn’t until the founder flipped through the pages of a “Made in U.S.A” catalog that he became obsessed with all-things Americana.”The way American students wore their clothes looked so free and it made me think that there wouldn’t be any rules to be cool, as mentioned in his ‘Story of My Life’ interview in 2015. Not only did Shimizu launch the Nepenthes office in Boston, Massachusetts but he also opened the bricks-and-mortar shop in Aoyama, Tokyo in 1989 as well. He later moved from Boston to NYC in 1996.

What It’s Known For

Needles blends the old western and military Americana style with Japanese textiles thus spawning an eccentric yet handsomely rugged sportswear lineup. All Needles products are manufactured in Japan. With over 20 years of dealing with manufacturers from all over the world, Shimzu uses his relationships he developed to help propel his innovative designs. As a result, Needles is his own personal product of love serving amazingly peculiar deconstructed creations.

Key Materials: Deconstructed cotton, dungaree twill, poly ripstop, and 6.5 oz denim.

Fits: From oversized to slim, shirts and trousers runs true to size, overall.

Manufacturing: All products are manufactured in Japan.

Highlights

Where to Buy:

Nepenthes Japan
Nepenthes New York
Bodega
Gentry
END.
Goodhood
HAVEN

Price Range:

$125 USD (Basic T-shirts) — $325 USD (Coats)

Similar Brands

Engineered Garments
South2 West8
RANDT
AÏE
Sasquatchfabrix.
Post O’Alls
KAPITAL

With the numerous amounts of brands out there on the market today, it’s often difficult to narrow down on what to actually go for. While seeing a particular garment worn by your favorite artist or on a set of streetsnaps might sway you, it’s still hard and almost impossible nowadays to find that real connection to a label; where you don’t have even have to purchase an item to appreciate the brand. In our latest series called Spotlight, we distill brands to their essential points such as origins, key pieces, fits and more, so you can get the full picture without having to scour the web.