Where the form of color, space, and time intersect. There is clothing. A new brand 'mergen//kenji' sculpted from the atelier.

The new brand 'mergen//kenji' has launched. It proposes daily wear that, while relaxed, portrays a dignified sense of neatness.

As its first pop-up, an event will be held for three days from Friday, May 22nd to Sunday, May 24th, on the second floor of Nakata Bakery near Inokashira Park.

mergen//kenji Launch Event '42℃ degrees with fog'

Location: Nakata Bakery
Date & Time: 5/22 13:00~20:00 Drinks and light meals provided
5/23 10:00~18:00
5/24 10:00~18:00

The brand's main items are blousons, shirts, and pants. All feature patterns and construction that arrange forms pleasing to nature and people through horizontal and vertical design, regardless of age or gender. All fabrics are various materials created with factories in Japan.

Characteristic of a designer with a background in photography and design, the color usage feels the presence of light.
The base colors of the first look are navy, white, pink, yellow, and brown.
All were inspired by a non-existent dry humidity-like transparency, titled '42℃ degrees with fog'.

At this pop-up, three blousons, two shirts, one jacket, two pairs of pants, and one stole will be announced. There will be items available for immediate purchase and others for order.

A blouson as light as a shirt, with the appearance of a jacket.
Blouson 'asura'

The brand places particular emphasis on the blouson.
For example, 'asura' at first glance appears to have mass but feels as light as air when worn. It is designed to move between formal and casual.
By using many curved transitions to avoid adding volume, it can be worn sharply by using and tightening tabs.
The fabric is woven with alternating dark blue linen and deep navy wool, creating depth with color changes depending on the light.

Blouson 'Rice basic'

'Rice basic' aims for a more blouson-like construction using ribs and transitions, while also emphasizing its appearance from the front by making the zipper inconspicuous.
As seen in this look, the brand incorporates the image of people, space, and nature harmonizing by using soft Japanese colors born from nature-rich landscapes.

A delivery method that reflects the brand's will; moving between ready-to-wear and couture.

Having long felt a sense of incongruity with the issue of modern fashion, where clothes exist without a clear purpose for anyone, the brand values embodying 'creative, productive handwork that is neither mass-produced nor one-of-a-kind.' After receiving an order, each item is finished one by one in their own atelier and delivered in as little as two weeks.
The system will allow customers to purchase or order items that are gradually added, regardless of the season or timeline.

Pop-ups in towns with clear watersides and light.

For the designer, who also takes his own photographs, trees through which light passes and watersides are special places that evoke a quiet but certain sense of constant change.
Holding pop-ups that move between such places is a challenge for the brand and embodies the concept of wanting customers to try on the clothes while enjoying the atmosphere of the location together. Pop-ups are scheduled for Yutenji in July, the Miura Peninsula in August, and Higashi-Izu in September.

The company's e-commerce site will display items and artwork photos like a gallery, from which purchases and orders can also be made.

Products themed 'Life Products'

At this launch event, two shirt styles, three blouson styles, one jacket style, two pant styles, and a stole will be available. Items that have long contact with the skin in daily life are also designed, with beach towels, tenugui (hand towels), and socks also available. Prices are: Shirts from ¥30,000s, Pants from ¥50,000s, Blousons from ¥60,000s, Jackets from ¥70,000s, Stoles from ¥20,000s, Towels from ¥3,000, Tenugui from ¥1,000, Socks from ¥2,500.

Designer Kenji Hayashi

After being involved in press photography at a newspaper company, he studied photographic expression and design at Pratt Institute in New York. After returning to Japan, he worked on planning for commercials. He then joined a sewing factory to learn clothes making from the ground up, accumulating over 15 years of experience. Along the way, he studied under a master who inherited the theory of the founder of Japanese flat pattern making, learning how to create flat patterns from human anatomy, and now draws his own patterns. Through collaborations with brands, he has handled everything from advice incorporating a design perspective to sewing.

mergen//kenji
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