Designer: Kazuya Yamachika
Founded: 2020
Category: Menswear
Background: Based in Okayama, Ancellm has access to some of the best factories in Japan, which facilitates an experimental approach to fading, texture, dyeing and washing. The combination of its fabric knowhow and accessible price point has allowed the brand to expand aggressively: it now has 90 stockists globally and opened its first flagship store in Tokyo’s Jingumae neighborhood earlier this year.
“Being based in Okayama is essential to Ancellm. Okayama, especially areas such as Kojima, has a deep history of denim, washing, dyeing and garment production. For us, being close to factories is not only about production efficiency, it allows us to experiment directly with craftspeople, make small adjustments, test new processes and respond to unexpected results. Sometimes, the most interesting expressions come from irregularities or small accidents during processing. Because we are close to the production site, we can react to those moments and turn them into part of the design.
Opening our first store in Tokyo has been very meaningful for us. We currently welcome around a thousand visitors per month, and are aiming for annual sales of around JPN 150 million ($945,000). What has been encouraging is that customers are visiting not only from Japan and Asia, but also from Europe and the US. We are also planning retail collaborations with a leading department store, while researching possibilities for future stores both in Japan and internationally.
Japan still has many factories and craftspeople with highly specialized skills, which allows us to create products with a level of detail and sensitivity that is difficult to replace. There is also strong international interest in Japanese brands right now, especially those that have a clear identity and a close relationship with materials, craft and production. At the same time, production costs are rising, many factories are facing aging workforces, and the domestic market is not expanding easily. Japan gives us a very strong creative and production base, but building a global business requires patience, precision and strong partnerships.