/JDG/

/JDG/ is a place to discuss general Japanese designer fashion from designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe (Comme des Garcons), Issey Miyake, Takahiro Miyashita (TheSoloist and Number (N)ine), Jun Takahashi (Undercover), Chitose Abe (Sacai), and such. Note that we do not allow discussion of Y3 and CdG Play as this is a fuccboi-free zone. Also, no Julius as we don't want to be invaded by /ROG/ crossposters.

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GENERAL DESIGNER INFO:

>Where can I view japanese designers works?
It generally depends for different designers but the big three (Yohji, Rei, Issey) have a substantial archive at firstview.com and heaps of resources on them given their time and influence. For more recent shows, NowFashion and Vogue has them. The others are heavily Japan-based so you would need to dig in Japanese magazines or websites to view their works.

>How do Japanese designers size?
For pants, japanese designers generally have a size range. It's size 28-30 for S or 2, 30-32 for M or 3, and 32-34 for L or 4. When going for pants, pick the size whose upper bound is closest to your actual size in US. For example, if you are a size 30, get S and not M.

For tops, its 1 for XS, 2 for S, 3 for M, 4 for L, and 5 for XL. Note that shirts tend to have slimmer cuts and are shorter in both sleeve length and body length.

For shoes, it tends to be a tad bit narrower but of almost equal length. Also, the men's shoes there are in the 20s. So, a US 8 is 26 in Japan size and a US 10 is 28. Here is a rough guide: http://store.japan-zone.com/japanese-shoe-sizes-i-30.html

As always when buying online, ask the seller for measurements. Also note that different brands size a bit differently but most follow common industry standards. As Japan doesn't use Freedom Units, they measure in centimeters.

Japanese brands also have less drastic increments in between size. Someone who has a size 30 waist can easily fit in a size S trousers and a size M trouser although the size M will be a tad looser.

Also, Japanese designers tend to cut smaller being, you know, Japanese.

ZenMarket has a rough guide here: http://zenmarket.jp/sizetable.aspx

>Where can I buy these?
Generally, its recommended to buy items directly from Japan via a proxy as they are much cheaper there (excluding shipping fees) and release exclusive stuff there. Yahoo JP and Rakuten are used for this.

If you are from the US, SSENSE has a good collection of these brands excluding TheSoloist. Other stores are Farfetch, Totokaelo, and La Garconne.

>How can I learn more about these brands?
Buy books, ask around the general, and lurk other fashion forums, Better yet, learn to read in Japanese. Some brands with an extensive history such as Comme des Garcons require heaps of reading time and others which are heavily focused on Japan such as Takahiro Miyashita TheSoloist require knowledge of the Japanese language.

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SPECIFIC DESIGNER INFO:

COMME DES GARCONS
>What are the lines of CDG?
CDG has two main lines - the ones designed by Rei and the ones by Junya. Wikipedia has a good reference for each lines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comme_des_Gar%C3%A7ons#Comme_des_Gar.C3.A7ons_lines

An important note is that for Junya, if it doesn't say Junya Watanabe MAN, it's for women.

>How does CDG size?
CDG mainline menswear generally skews oversized in its fit. It's pants can have a looser seat area compared to other pants and tends to cut with very little taper. However, being a brand with a huge history, CDG sizing is really inconsistent so it would be best to ask the seller for measurements or try it on in person.

>How can I learn more about CDG?
Nobody actually knows anything about CDG other than Rei herself. The brand is massive. Good thing however, there is no shortage of resources on Rei despite her being a recluse in terms on interviews. Dozens of books have been written about her so go check those out on Amazon.

YOHJI YAMAMOTO INFO:
See the Yohji Yamamoto write up on StyleForum: http://www.styleforum.net/t/280641/yohji-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-looser-fit-yohji-yamamoto-thread

ISSEY MIYAKE INFO:
>What are the lines of Issey Miyake?
Issey Miyake's main line is Issey Miyake Men and Issey Miyake (Womenswear). They offer the stuff you see in runway shows. His other lines are Pleats Please which is a womenswear line that focuses on his innovations in pleating, Homme Plisse which is a similar to Pleats Please but for men and uses cutting-edge waterproof fabrics, HaaT offers classic Issey Miyake garments which are generally oversized, me Issey Miyake focuses on prints, Bao Bao Issey Miyake focuses on accessories such as bags with a geometric tile pattern, IN-EI Issey Miyake focuses on computer-generated garments that can be folded like an origami, and Reality Lab Issey Miyake is the brand all of Issey Miyake falls under.

Defunct lines are Plantation which was Issey's take on simple basics, and A-POC was a line dedicated to constructing clothing via computers from a single piece of thread. There are also numerous other lines which this write-up will not even try covering.

Technological innovation is a recurrent theme throughout Issey's work so no wonder all of his lines are focused on it.

Their official website has a great page on the history of the brand and their lines here: http://www.isseymiyake.com/en/corporate/history.html

>How does Issey Miyake size?
Similar to CDG, being a brand with an impressively long history, sizing can get inconsistent so it is best to ask the seller for measurements. For modern Issey, he offers a wide range of cuts from looser cuts to slim/bordering skinny cuts. Issey likes using polyester as his primary fabric so all the properties of polyester are retained for his clothing.

>How can I learn more about Issey Miyake specifically?
Two books I would recommend are the books about Issey Miyake and Irving Penn and the book Issey Miyake by Taschen. You can buy both for less than $100 in Amazon. FirstView has a good archive on him and YouTube has a couple of old shows of his as well as a documentary on him.

TAKAHIRO MIYASHITA INFO:
>What are the lines of Takahiro Miyashita?
Takahiro has a now-defunct brand Number (N)ine, which is usually abbreviated as N(N), and a currently running brand called TheSoloist. He only designs menswear.

>How does Takahiro Miyashita's brands size?
His pieces can fit tight in the chest but regular in the arms and for pants looser in the thigh area.

>How can I learn more about Takahiro Miyashita specifically?
Fashionsnap.com, exoblog.jp, and fashionjp.net has his older collections but the sites are in Japanese so do note. Vogue UK has his shows from 2006-2009 and here is a link on exoblog for people wearing Number (N)ine: http://onepair.exblog.jp/i54

CHITOSE ABE INFO:
>What are the lines of Chitose Abe?
Chitose Abe runs Sacai, which has its womenswear line (Sacai), its menswear line (Sacai Man), and a diffusion line (Sacai Luck).

>How does Chitose Abe's brand size?
Sacai menswear sizing can run small being a Japanese brand. Fabrics used are top-tier as well.

>How can I learn more about Chitose Abe?
Vogue has all her shows from this decade so check those out. She has only started showing in Paris this decade so pre-2010 Sacai is pretty much in the dark as it can only be found in Japanese websites.

Here is a great article on her: http://thegentlewoman.co.uk/library/chitose-abe

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DESIGNER'S BRANDS IN JAPANESE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO - ヨウジヤマモト
COMME DES GARCONS (ALL LINES) - コムデギャルソン
JUNYA WATANABE - ジュンヤ
ISSEY MIYAKE - イッセイミヤケ
NUMBER (N)INE - ナンバーナイン

I do not know the Japanese of TheSoloist or Sacai but typing Takahiro Miyashita or simply TheSoloist as well as Sacai works for most online stores like Rakuten.