Inspiration Vol.01 by Rin Tanaka

Words and photos by Albert Thomas.

Please do not repost, replicate, or otherwise share these photos without prior permission as they are copyrighted.



I'll admit that I felt a bit out of the loop a year ago when I first heard of Rin Tanaka and his "My Freedamn!" book series which covered Americana elements from the 30s-70s of motorcycle, surf, hot rod, and hippie fashion scenes. It was a bit like finding out that Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Brian Wilson, and Jim Morrison had made a home movie documenting their road trip weekend binge in Las Vegas. When I got the call about the two-day show, I knew it wouldn't take much coaxing to get me to trek down to that hangar in Santa Monica.


Inspiration wasn't just about recreating the Rose Bowl swap meet. Sure, there were quite a few vendors of vintage clothing, guitars, and furniture, but the show also included modern touches that, too, embraced the past. The result was stores such as RRL and Mister Freedom feeling natural next to brands like Stevenson Overall Co. and Flat Head. With the help by Pabst Blue Ribbon, language barriers soon turned into minor speed bumps with celebrating a shared passion. A couple of beers later and I could quickly feel my Japanese improving.

The Flat Head/RJB: While I've seen what Kiya stocks at Self Edge, I wasn't prepared for how big of a company The Flat Head/RJB really was. I also wasn't prepared for the friendliness and openness of Mr. Kobayashi and his staff to talk with me once I explained how many on SF were not only familiar with the company, but were big supporters. Self Edge and Blue In Green discuss boots with Mr. Kobayashi, founder of TFH. TFH's Hawaiian shirt offerings. Googie's 1950s-styled diner in Japan, another piece of TFH's empire. TFH's calfskin western shirt. This t-shirt features a triple-stitch neck which makes the hem incredibly sturdy and impervious to sagging after repeated wear. It is a feature unique to TFH. TFH's factory in photos as well as worn-in jeans and shirts. Boots by TFH. Yes, even a few recognizables swung by to see TFH's booth. I enjoyed the stitched red tab. A sneak preview of RJB's shoes. Rayon Argyle shirts by RJB.

National Anthem:
Based out of Vancouver, BC, National Anthem is divided up into three separate lines that each have their own focus ranging from thermals to outdoors outerwear and flannels to nautical-inspired polos. NA will definitely carve out a space for itself in the closets of several of you here but it won't be easy; while everything is made in Canada, there are no current plans to sell outside of Japan. This is more of a general preview as a Q&A with the designer/founder is in the works.


Made in Canada for the Japanese market.


Homespun thermal.


"N" Robe shall-collar polo.


National Anthem hunting jacket.

Stevenson Overall Company: My first experience with SOC was at Hollywood Trading Company on Beverly a few years ago when Zip Stevenson, owner of HTC, introduced the denim line. The collection has grown since then and is truly beautiful. SOC also showed at Capsule Vegas so I would expect to see many of the pieces shown here offered at our favorite stores in the fall. Made in Japan. SOC's signature smiling rear pockets. Yes, they are as heavy as they look. This piece made me rethink my previously negative stance on vests. Motorcycle jacket in brown, also available in black. More from the line including chinos, denim jackets, and peacoat. I hope it's another long winter.

RRL: I was excited to see RRL at the show considering their usual below-radar presence. Much of what you see here is from their new Shipyard line although some styles are from past, future, vintage, or limited collections. Shipyard. Those jeans must belong to one lucky kid. Note the different chambray offerings on the left. Boot and chambray heaven.

I still have a few more photos of RRL and a few randoms. I just wanted to get things up now that I'm back from Vegas. Thanks for the comments so far.