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Made in Japan?

ManofKent

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I've found little corelation between country of origin of any goods and quality...
 

Kuro

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Depends on what it is, but I can think of many Japanese domestic brands that are high quality, stylish, and priced attractively.
 

bigbris1

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Having gone back to the bike scene, I can say that bike frames made in Japan are far better than those made elsewhere, i.e. Taiwan. Also, having a few Japanese friends, I can say that they are more motivated toward success than their counterparts. Just say Japan tries to best everyone else.

Probably a good thing in terms of goods.
 

rach2jlc

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As others have said, but depending on the item, they make some of the best RTW and fashion stuff anywhere. Their denim is top notch, their silks are very good, and their textiles and factories are used by many of their domestic brands (Yohji, Miyake, CdG, etc.) that make some of the most highly regarded pieces anywhere.

So, again, it depends on individual pieces, but overall "made in Japan" is a very high mark of quality. I've got tons of made in Japan stuff, from Jil sander and Dior jeans to Yohji blazers to Comme des Garcons leather wallets and shoes. All of them are very well done and a lot of fun.
 

neyus

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As Man of Kent stated the country of production has almost very little correlation to the quality of the product.

Lately I have seen some really nice shirts Made in Vietnam and Egypt and these shirts equal or better stuff I have seen made in Italy. Having visited Japan and purchased alot of of clothing made in and for the Japanese market. I say the quality is definitely there. Herringbone, an Australian mens clothing label has had all of their suiting and jeans produced in the country and have to say that the production and quality is among the best I have seen and would be up there among Zegna or Corneliani. I also noticed that Zegna makes items in many countries, not just Italy and seems to have no detrimental effect on the quality of the garments in question. I would also have to say that the quality of Chinese made goods imported in to Japan are also top notch so that blows away the theory that The Chinese are not capable of producing quality goods.
 

lee_44106

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My only made in Japan garments are a couple Saks house brand polo shirts.

I guess the quality is pretty good, but I can't really tell.
 

stickonatree

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i read an interesting article about camera lenses made in thailand vs. made in japan. the writer had gone to visit the factories, and while both lenses are identical in components, he said that the thai workers were digilent at their jobs, barely looking up from their work when he passed through. the japanese workers stopped and chatted and generally were very lax about their jobs when he came in the shop, which led him to hypothesize that one could even say lenses made in 3rd world countries were just as good, if not better, than 1st world ones.
 

acidboy

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Hmmm... that really is odd, stick. My experience with Japanese guys is they are really stickler for details. My line of work gave me a glimpse of the Japanese auto industry, and I gotta tell you they really are stickler for the minutest details, and they never stop improving their craft. Perhaps its being trained in TQM or something, but its really a different mindset. A client of mine, that makes auto parts, even had to get a Japanese management consultant, at top dollar, because as he puts it, how they are trained to look into a process is incomparable. The few Japanese folks I know also have pride in their work- I remember complaining to a newspaper columnist here about the quality of a Japanese car that I bought years ago that saw print, and a few weeks later the head of the company's local office himself called me up, apolgizing profusely and wanted to meet with me personally to see if he can fix it.
 

Bic Pentameter

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There are some great sock makers in Japan who subcontract for well known brands.

Bic
 

James Bond

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If you mess up a garment in Japan, you have to commit seppuku for dishonoring your family.

As you can imagine, that tends to keep quality high.
 

acidboy

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Originally Posted by Bic Pentameter
There are some great sock makers in Japan who subcontract for well known brands.

Bic


Yes! The Made in Japan RL socks are far superior than those, er, not made in Japan in my experience.
 

gusvs

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The latest issue of Men's Ex:

http://www.mens-ex.jp/images/18677_200901.jpg

Having worked a long time in Japan, I absolutely can say that the Japanese are in a league of their own when it comes to quality and attention to details. Also, I have a lot of clothing from Japanese "select shops", made in Japan, and they are all of excellent quality (at the price).
 

rach2jlc

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Originally Posted by acidicboy
Yes! The Made in Japan RL socks are far superior than those, er, not made in Japan in my experience.

I have about 25 pairs of Helmut Lang socks, MIJ... they're great and a lot of fun (like Lang's fashion... they're simple, minimal, but with interesting little tweaks here and there in texture/material/color).
 

SoCal2NYC

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I have Jil Sander, Yohji Yamamoto and Tim Hamilton all Made in Japan.
 

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