Issue #16

Words by Cory Ohlendorf | Photography courtesy of Loopwheeler

If there is such a thing as a status sweatshirt, then surely this is it: the lightweight and ultra-soft crewneck from Loopwheeler. Founded in 1999 by Satoshi Suzuki, the Tokyo-based brand follows a true slow fashion ethos, knitting all of its athleisure wear on hanging Tsuriami “loopwheel” machines.

These unique machines produce vintage-feeling garments because they themselves are genuine antiques. Most of the brand’s machines are around 80 years old. And while there around 400 of these machines left in Japan, only around 200 are still fully operational. But you can see one in action at Loopwheeler’s Sendagaya flagship.

Tucked away on a side street off Meiji-dori, the shop is one of the lesser-known projects by design maestro Masamichi Katayama and his Wonderwall agency. Grey tones dominate the cleanly minimal basement space, in homage to the heather grey color associated with the classic retro sweatshirt. One of those vintage knitting machines meanwhile, from which the label gets its name, slowly turns inside a museum-like display case.

He had years of experience in the apparel industry, but had become dissatisfied with the quality of mass-produced sweatshirts. He knew the only way to create an authentic and heirloom-quality sweatshirt was to use a genuine loopwheel knitting machine. It’s the only way to create that soft, durable, and fluffy finish that's similar to the vintage sweatshirts he loved.

Of course, doing things slow and committing to crafting things with integrity isn’t always easy. And Suzuki says that the first decade was tough. He told Tokion that the brand’s job is to “stay small … there are currently only three factories that have loopwheel machines and the number of machines we can use is limited too.” That means that the maximum number of products that can be produced will always be fixed, and that creates real limits. That exclusivity can be an asset or a liability, depending on who you ask.

Thankfully, as menswear embraced heritage in the mid-aughts, things started to pick up for the brand. “People started to understand the sort of cultural mindset we have at Loopwheeler.” Now, the label has a cult following and collaborates with bigger brands from the like of Nike and Supreme to designers like Margaret Howell and stores like Beams. And the first Loopwheeler model, the "LW01" sweatshirt, is now a staple piece that remains the brand’s best-selling product.

Daily News for Curious Minds

“I stopped watching the news, so sick of the bias. Was searching for an alternative that would just tell me WHAT happened, with NO editorializing. I found it. It’s called 1440. It assumes you are smart enough to form your own opinions.”

Sign up now!

The Japanese obviously take their skincare very seriously and this sheet mask is beloved by both grooming influencers and dermatologists. Its award-winning formula contains four types of vitamin C, including APPS, a vitamin C derivative that penetrates through to the deeper basal layer without any loss of solubility—this allows it to deliver much more vitamin C to the skin. It also contains niacinamide, which smoothes out the texture of your skin and shrinks pores while repairing sun damage and fighting breakouts. Other botanical ingredients include essential oils of rosemary and lavender to soothe inflammation and minimize redness. Both the mask itself and the serum it’s soaked in are thick so it adheres to the face to ensure ultimate absorption and the end result after 10 to 15 minutes is softer, brighter skin with a noticeable improvement in texture. Seriously, fine lines and wrinkles are reduced and the results last. The more you use it, the better your skin looks and feels.

Ever come across a photo or old item that instantly makes you smile or warms your heart? Even the scent of perfume or food can evoke particular memories. Natsukashii (懐かしい) is that feel-good emotion of sentimentality when remembering back to a meaningful time from your past. I certainly feel this when I smell a shrine's incense or bite into the sugary shell of a ringo ame. It differs from nostalgia in a way because it’s not the feeling of longing to return to that particular time. It’s simply feeling grateful to have had a particular experience in the past without the desire to return to that moment.