Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style

The world has come to believe that the most authentic American garments are those made in Japan, thanks to Japanese brands such as UNIQLO, Kamakura Shirts, Beams, and Kapital. Ametora, a cultural history by W. David Marx, traces the Japanese assimilation of American fashion over the past 150 years, showing how Japanese trendsetters and entrepreneurs mimicked, adapted, imported, and perfected American style, reshaping Japan's culture and our own.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2023
Publisher: Basic Books

A fascinating cultural history (People) of how Japan adopted and ultimately revived traditional American fashion

A strange thing has happened over the last two decades: the world has come to believe that the most authentic American garments are those made in Japan.

From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese brands such as UNIQLO, Kamakura Shirts, Beams, and Kapital have built their global businesses by creating the highest-quality versions of classic American casual garments-a style known in Japan as “ametora,” or American traditional.

In “Ametora,” cultural historian W. David Marx traces the Japanese assimilation of American fashion over the past 150 years. Now updated with a new afterword covering the last decade, “Ametora” shows how Japanese trendsetters and entrepreneurs mimicked, adapted, imported, and ultimately perfected American style, dramatically reshaping not only Japan s culture but also our own.

Weight: 414g
Dimension: 145 x 218 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781541604339