Ichiro Nakatsu, orSlow

Nishinomiya, Japan

Ichiro Nakatsu is prone to getting lost in his work. “Honestly, I’m not great at maintaining balance,” he confesses. We’re in his home, a log house in Nishinomiya, just outside of Osaka. His Labrador, Max, stalks the room behind him. “When your hobby becomes your job, it can be hard to strike a line between work and play.”

Nakatsu applies old-world techniques to make workwear staples — workwear for a life of play. He’s currently wearing a heathered, loopwheel sweatshirt and faded, rope-dyed jeans: clothes made to be lived in. His designs are inspired by an aesthetics of indirectness, the chance beauty of second-hand objects and materials. He surrounds himself with what he loves: a loft bedroom is dedicated to his archive of vintage utility wear, and he’s a fan of classic cars and motorcycles. But his first love, his sacred text, is denim.

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Full story available in the upcoming Faculty Department Vol. 2 (coming Fall 2019)

Photographed in 2018 – Nishinomiya, Japan

Ichiro Nakatsu, orSlow

Nishinomiya, Japan

Ido Yoshimoto

Molly Sedlacek

Faculty Department Vol. 2