Japanese Fashion Unraveled: The Kensuke Ishizu Story
The man behind popularizing Japanese prep and menswear.
Japan’s intricate sense of style came from a host of people over the years determined to create something that didn’t already exist. Kensuke Ishizu is someone we all have to thank for helping to popularize Japanese menswear within his home country and the rest of the world.
Kensuke Ishizu was born in 1911 into a well-to-do family in Okayama, Japan. He became interested in fashion at a young age and eventually asked his parents to put him in private school because he loved their uniforms so much. He finished high school and went to college with the promise of returning home to take over the family paper business post graduation. Once on campus, academics dropped lower and lower on the priority list. He was very flashy with his wealth, always wearing expensive suits and driving an expensive car. He skipped class constantly to hook up with women and was even arrested several times. Kensuke kept his promise and took over for his father when the time came, but grew bored of the work after a few years. He eventually took an opportunity to work for his friend’s family’s department store and moved to Tianjin in 1939.
After several tumultuous years that included enlisting in World War II and getting thrown in jail, he met an American solider named O’Brien who went to Princeton. As they got to know each other, Kensuke became enamored with the ivy league style and how it took over predominant American universities. He worked as a designer and then opened his own store called Ishizu Shoten in Osaka in 1949. He was also asked to serve as an advisor to a popular magazine called the Men’s Club. Just a few decades prior, it was extremely taboo for men in Japan to care this much about fashion. Kensuke was now at the forefront of a cultural revolution.
While the store found some success selling high end sport coats, that demographic (wealthy men) by and large wasn’t interested in off the rack products. The company pivoted toward the youth of Japan and realized they were a perfect fit for ivy/preppy style clothing. Kensuke promoted his store through Men’s Club and another new publication called Heibon Punch by giving readers tips and tricks on how to dress well. The marketing paid off with a meteoric rise in popularity for the brand (eventually renamed to VAN). In 1964, Kensuke was invited to design Japan’s Opening Ceremony uniforms for the Olympics. This allowed a narrative change and VAN to be taken more seriously by the general population after becoming synonymous with kids who were always up to no good.
The 1970s brought about hard times. Demand dropped because of a wave in popularity for the casual West Coast style and blue jeans coming from the United States. While they didn’t have to shut their doors completely, VAN went bankrupt twice and had a much smaller presence in the fashion scene. Kensuke passed away in May of 2005 at the age of 94, and store is now no longer affiliated with the Ishizu family.
I was fortunate enough to run into the VAN store on the edge of Ginza (a very upscale neighborhood in Tokyo) a few days ago during my trip. The beautiful thing is that whoever is operating VAN made a conscious decision to keep the brand the same in terms of its product offering. Had I not been running late to the airport, I absolutely would’ve bought a few pieces. VAN might not be as popular anymore, but Kensuke Ishizu’s impact will forever be remembered.
