Okay, I'm cheating a bit here: Nepenthes isn't technically a brand, it's a small chain of stores (with outposts in Japan, London, and NYC) that happens to produce and stock a collection of some of the best Japanese labels in the world. Notable among them are Engineered Garments, designed and manufactured by Daiki Suzuki in NYC, and Needles, designed by Keizo Shimuzu (a founder of the store) and made in Japan. Shimuzu started Nepenthes as a distribution company for hard-to-find U.S. goods in the late '80s, and opened his first store, in Tokyo, around the same time. Suzuki came on board shortly afterward, and soon the duo were responsible for designing two of the most idiosyncratic takes on Japanese style around, slowly growing a small but loyal following of diehard fans eagerly waiting on each new drop. Today Nepenthes' collection of brands has fully hit the mainstream (so to speak), through crucial cosigns by people like ASAP Rocky (who collaborated with Needles through his AWGE imprint last year) and any of the many, many rappers who've been spotted rocking the brand's signature tracksuits. Needles and EG are two of the biggest draws in-store, but any brand stocked by Nepenthes is one to watch, including the recently launched AÏE, so don't sleep on a single one of 'em.
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