Serial 【, What's the NEW VINTAGE? Vol.106 America in a Dud Cap. What is this? Designs from the "What's this?

In the 1990s, the term "vintage" was used to describe vintage clothing that did not meet the definition of "antique," but still had value, as opposed to "antique" clothing that was 100 years old. Nowadays, there is a movement to find new value in "new vintage," even in old clothes from the 1980s onward, which used to be called "regular" vintage clothes. In this project, four vintage clothing stores with different styles propose new ways to enjoy vintage clothing. Each of them will talk about the charm of vintage clothing with their own sense of style.

This is the 14th season that began with all the new stores being replaced! Next up on the 106th edition is Jiyugaoka's rising star, Hiro of "marmalade"! What kind of new vintages will he introduce!

Text_Tommy
Edit_Yosuke Ishii

Hiro / owner of marmalade
Vol.106_U.S. Bought Dud Caps

-In this series of articles, we plan to search for items from among the so-called good regulars that have the potential to be recorded and remembered even in later generations, like true vintage. So we ask you. What is the definition of "Marmalade" and your own definition of "New Vintage"?

In my opinion, it is important to "feel the American culture" as well as to have a solid backbone to speak of and to be connected to the culture. I think it is important to "feel the American culture". So, when I thought about what to introduce this time, I thought a cap would be a good choice as an item closely related to bicycle culture, which I have always loved.

-Astrology store" in Gotokuji also used to be there,Introducing caps from the perspective of a "bicycle riderI was.

I used to not wear caps at all, but after I started riding bicycles, I realized the importance and fun of caps. This area in particular has a very American feel to it. The first point is the silhouette. It is a so-called "dad cap" with a shallow brim and a curved brim. The strap on the back is leather. It feels more economical than a cap made of the same fabric as the body, and the worn leather texture has an American feel to it.

-Is it correct to say that these are unbranded?

Although they are embroidered on blank body makers, they are all unbranded. But when I go thrift shopping in the U.S., I can only find one or two of these...it's surprisingly hard to find. I like the atmosphere of local old men wearing these on their heads, and I often see young vintage buyers wearing them.

-It is also important to note that the body is cotton.

There are pigment dyes & washes on them, and when you find them, they are usually crumpled and wrinkled (laugh). There is no difference in the body including the silhouette, so I really select items based on a quick look at the inspiration. So, I choose pieces based on a quick look at them, which makes me wonder, "What was the intention behind the creation of these pieces? I like items with designs that stimulate my imagination, or items made by local companies that I don't really know what they are about.

-The four we will be presenting here all have different tags.

Yes, we are! This time, we have four different body makers' products. First, let's start with "ADAMS. It is a headwear brand that has been in business for more than 25 years, and the tag has a large tower like the Eiffel Tower and a cap with the words "NEW YORK, PARIS, MILAN" on it. It seems that the company was founded in North Carolina or South Carolina, so I wondered what New York was all about (laughs).　(laugh).

Adams cap ¥9,790(Marmalade)

- (laughs). What about the embroidery on the front?

The logo seems to represent a mountain and a river, so I wondered if it was related to them, but then I thought it might be architecture-related since it seems to say "~building" on the back.... ...Anyway, the logo on the leather strap and the Eiffel Tower (?) marked on the metal fittings are the key points! The point is that the leather strap has a logo and the Eiffel Tower (?) is marked on the hardware!

-This one looks vaguely familiar....

P&O Nedlloyd" is the name of a British shipping company (P&OCL) that merged with a Dutch container shipping company (Nedlloyd) in 1996, and was acquired by a Danish shipping company (A.P. Moller Maersk) in 2005. In 2005, the company was acquired by A.P. Moller-Maersk, a Danish shipping company. According to Wikipedia.

Bullet Line Headwear cap ¥9,790(Marmalade)

-Hey~. Is the balance of the logo different because of the different percentages of holdings?　This makes it look like there is a hierarchical relationship, or something.

I see. It is interesting to see the background of the logo design, as I had never thought of it from that perspective before. The body manufacturer here is "Bullet Line Headwear. I checked the Internet, but could not find any hits at all, so it may be that this brand has already disappeared. However, isn't this two-tone color of the body good?　It looks like something "the American man" in movies and TV dramas would wear. The color is ambiguous, somewhere between beige and khaki, and I can't tell if it's good-looking or bad-looking. But that's what I like about it!

-And here is the third one.

KC Caps" can be seen here and there, but this is another line called "headShot. Like the "Bullet Line Headwear" mentioned earlier, you may see a few headwear companies whose name is a combination of the words "head" and "bullet. Perhaps it's a play on the phrase "headshot = instant death = fascination with a single bullet.

Headshot cap ¥9,790(Marmalade)

-The front has "Marvelous Market" embroidered on it. Is it that?　The design suggests an organic supermarket.

I found an account with the same name on Instagram... yeah, maybe this is it. Ahhh but it's also listed as a local community. I'm getting really curious (lol). As for the design, the carrot is super cute!　It looks like it was drawn by a child. The unpretentiousness of the design is very American.

-The last one is a catchy dog.

The body is by Fahrenheit Headwear, which was founded in 1978 and still exists today. Incidentally, "Fahrenheit" is a German word meaning "Fahrenheit. Therefore, the metal part of the rear strap is also marked with the symbol "°F" meaning Fahrenheit.

Fahrenheit Headwear cap ¥9,790(Marmalade)

-That's pretty stylish, isn't it? Also, the dog is cute!

I like animal-related items a lot and collect them, but many of them include not only the dog but also the name of the breed. On the other hand, I like the fact that this one is just a dog. I guess it's my own dog, so I don't need to put the breed name on it.

-Is it a Labrador retriever?

The ears look like that, maybe a puppy if you want. The manufacturer here has more than 20 different color variations, and I was wondering if it would make sense to choose this color. For example, the color of the strap matches the color of the dog's embroidery.

-Maybe the first letter of the dog's name is "F" or something?

That's very interesting!　This way of enjoying "reading the design (irresponsibly imagining it)" is also unique to secondhand clothing. There is also the pleasure of finding value in items that have nothing to do with scarcity. And there is also the smell of America. This is why caps like these capture my heart so tightly.

Hiro / owner of marmalade
He has been buying vintage clothing since his high school days and studied abroad in the United States during his college years. There, he was further immersed in American culture, including movies and music. After that, he worked as an intern at an advertising production company, but he could not give up his love for fashion and joined "ZOZO". She was in charge of purchasing and assessing used clothing in the company's used clothing department. After working at "Pocket," an accessory store on Harajuku's Tonchan Street, he opened "marmalade" along Jiyugaoka's Gakuen Street in 2023, selling vintage clothing and sundries mainly from the 90s, including outdoor and tech-related items purchased directly in the U.S. The store is located in the center of the city.
Instagram:@hmarmalade_jiyugaoka