News

We are excited to let everyone know that we are moving to SURRY HILLS. It's been almost two years in our current location here in Sydney's Haymarket. However, we feel that we have outgrown the space and are moving to a larger location.

We have secured a street front location and will be taking over the old Half Sleeve spot on Goulburn Street.

Our new address will be

Shop 3 133 Goulburn Street Surry Hills 2010 NSW

The  27th of June will be our last day in the present location.  We will be opening in the new location 1st July.

Nothing else is changing you can still expect the same great brands plus some new additions to the roster for Fall Winter 17

You can reach us at the same phone number (02) 894 1244, email and via our social media accounts at Facebook and Instagram. 

Sign up to the store's newsletter to keep updated with everything.

We were able to sit down with the man most people commonly know as Papa Nui, John Tesoriero and ask him some questions about himself, his brand and what inspires him.

So firstly could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself?

I'm John Tesoriero and I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland. I have an affinity with the water and love being at the beach. I grew up in Sydney and have always been incredibly active and my name most usually is associated with pioneering skateboarding in Australia. I'm also passionate about history and will constantly reference the past but I'm never bound by it and I'm continuously moving forward to explore new things. I also make caps. Papa Nui is my brand but it's also a persona, a place and a state of mind.

How did Papa Nui Start and what is the aim of the brand?

Papa Nui began as an outward expression of myself and my struggle to find the things I like. I spend a lot of time in the sun at the beach. The sun here is ferocious and I really wanted a cap that would protect me from the elements, so I created the Corsairs Cap, my first style which I researched from a WWII aviators cap making some adjustments to the visor shape and using Marine Corp Frog Skin camouflage for the fabric. My love of military things permeates all that I do so it made sense that I would take a basic idea and overlay it with the very thing that inspires me. I do this with everything, my clothes, my surfboards, my bicycle. Was there an aim to the brand? Yes! It was a reaction to the homogenization of all things, it was my way of saying this is what I do, it's my take on things and it's not following your path. I'm all for individuality and insist that you never completely own something until you've customised it or made it over into your own image. You have to take ownership of your stuff. This is what differentiates you from the masses. It constantly irks me that there is as much follow fashion monkey at the top of the consumer triangle as there is in mass consumer trends. You need to break free of that stuff and pick and choose elements that talk about who you are and not to any preconceived notions of some million dollar funded fashion brand or house. This is as relevant to the denim market as it is to runway Paris. One of the great things about being here on the Gold Coast or of being in Australia actually is the isolation. It allows you an opportunity to pause and to think and not to be caught up in the machinations of who is doing what, sometimes the quiet can be an advantage. That is why I always reference the Atoll, it's a metaphor for the way I see Australia.

Obviously, your father's service in the South Pacific arena in WW2 is a major influence on you and your designs. Where else do you draw inspiration from?

My father is definitely my main source of inspiration. I grew up with his stories of the war in the Pacific but it wasn't till much later in my life did I fully understand the impact that had made on the way I viewed things. The moment I had that revelation Papa Nui was on its way, it had direction and clarity. I draw inspiration from a deep appreciation of history. I'm only ever attracted to brands and labels that have a sense of that. It can be a heritage brand or a new one, it makes no difference so long as it's honest and true to its ideals. My process usually starts with something that catches my attention, surfing for instance. I surfed pretty much all my life and I loved and cherished the deep connection I found with its origins but I'm also fascinated by and drew inspiration from the many crazy episodes in its timeline such as on the eve of the 'possible invasion of Japan in 1945 the US Navy was building war boards and training men to paddle these into Oriental waters as a precursor to the landings. Alternate histories and what could have been I find an endless source of new ideas.

Why choose Japan for your manufacturing? 

Doing production in Japan was my saving grace. There was a point when Papa Nui was a fledgeling idea and I was trying to have some hats made with a Chinese manufacturer. I worked really hard to perfect a quality I was happy with but the samples failed time and time again. Unbeknownst to me every time I requested a new sample the manufacturer was making a hundred of them and putting them up on eBay. They're still on there and still just as shit as when I said no to them. Then I was talking to long time friend John Lofgren in Sendai Japan telling him about my experience and he suggested I move my manufacturing to Tokyo and to use his connections there. He helped me get a leg up and to ensure the quality of my product was second to none. Now I share production space next to the 'big' Japanese boys, often at the end of the queue mind you but still up there and mixing with the best!

You spent some time living and working in Japan. That must have been an exciting and educational time for you. Can you tell us a bit about that period of your life?

I first went to Japan in 1983. I had been living and working on the Kings Road in London and had met lots of Japanese kids so when it was time to come home to Australia I went via Tokyo. It was a trip! There weren't many foreigners there then, perhaps your crew cut American language teacher with short sleeve shirt and tie, but certainly no young people into vintage clothing and denim. People stopped you in the street constantly, took you places, paid for you, it was amazing! I did quite a few trips in the subsequent years for other fashion brands that I was working for but years later after a long stint in retail and design, I scored a job with Levi Strauss Australia as their men's designer. During my first week there I met a visiting representative from the Tokyo office and we had lunch. After talking he become an advocate for moving me up to Japan. After this, I was on my way! I become a senior designer for Levi's Asia Pacific, living and working in Tokyo where I stayed for three years. I got to work on some amazing projects and to be involved in some predecessor concepts that led to LVC, but the really great thing was just access every day to everything that was going on in the city. I was an early devotee of many of the great brands, I had good friends in The Real McCoys and so I was there on a weekly basis when they had a hole in the wall store just before the brand exploded, I loved the original Elvis before the Euro-rot set in and especially liked Pherrows, Buzz Rickson, Warehouse and 45rpm and the dozens of other minuscule labels that seem to be in every back street and laneway. It's kind of funny now to see the place as the Mecca that it is when I knew it as my backyard with very little foreigners around. I lived in a traditional Japanese neighbourhood and my children went to the local schools. It certainly was an experience I cherish now as it's been almost 20 years since my last visit but perhaps one day I'll make a triumphal return to Japan and launch Papa Nui at a Clutch show or something!

What keeps you motivated and feeling creative? Is there certain music, art or activities that inspire you?

I'm motivated by images mainly, sometimes books or a documentary. I see a photograph of something and for me, it just sets off a whole momentum in my head. I create a vision and it just builds from there. Papa Nui drew a huge source of inspiration from James A Michener's novel South Pacific. The characters and stories served me endlessly when I was scripting the background of my brand so it's different things to different people.

You must have seen the popularity of vintage and denim clothing rise and fall here in Australia over the years. Any thoughts on that?

Vintage for me was about alternate clothing that had a sense of history, honesty and integrity. It was about the quality of the cloth and the manufacture but largely it was the way the older styling spoke to who I was, that and the fact that it was cheap! In Sydney in the mid 80's there was so many great vintage clothing stores, Retro, Rancho de Luxe and Route 66. You could buy a 40's Aloha shirt for $45, old Levi's, hunting coats, embroidered western shirts etc, everything you could imagine and it was very accessible because very few other people had the sense to pick up on what was happening. One day down at Stollier Bros, the old Jewish disposal store at the bottom of George Street I got a dead stock pair of Levi's 501 #66 Redlines which I later took to Tokyo and sold to Jumping Jack in Harajuku for $1000. I had so much vintage that when times were tough I sold it off to cover my mortgage for almost 10 years.

Today, however, things are very different and prices have soared through the roof. I understand why to an extent, especially around denim, workwear or Hawaiiana, things have a collectable value that's true but there also a whole bunch of stuff out there that just isn't worth what people think it is. Being in Australia as well means that you can't actually go thrifting for the good stuff and find it cheap unless you travel you're bound to the internet and at the mercy of whatever the going rate is. This is where the replica companies come into play, the decision to buy a garment that in essence has all the ingredients of the original but can be worn flat out with little regard to whether it's going fall apart or not isn't a bad option!

Any last words?

The world now has changed very much from when I first started out when they was no internet and everything was word of mouth and making connections so it's always interesting to see the proliferation of self-proclaimed experts that build denim or collecting into a huge hype. It's good to remember that you're  not the first. Even for me 30 years or so ago I had mentors of another older generation of collectors, strong and stylish individuals who traded with the US Navy when they came into Sydney harbor in late 40's and early 50's, looking for Levi's and Jazz records or others that began thrifting in the 60's and 70's when you could buy a Victorian Hussars jackets like it was a cowboy shirt. I did my time under their tutorage. There is a legacy that we are all apart of and it's great to be able to connect with like-minded people around the world.

 Shop the new range of Papa Nui here

Our Spring Summer 17 delivery of Orslow will be arriving soon. So we thought we'd take a look back at the last editorial we shot for their Fall Winter 16 collection. Hailing out of Hyogo Japan. Orslow's designer Ichiro Nakasu designs every garment starting from the fabric up. The collection draws heavily on work wear and military influenced clothing. All photography thanks to  Magic Birds of Jordan. Many thanks to Scotty for being a great model.

Orslow 1950's Coverall

Orslow Slim Fit Army Trouser 

Orslow Work Shirt Chambray

Orslow US Navy Pants

Orslow Blanket Lined Cover All 

Good Weaver is the parent company of Doek Shoes and Shoes Like Pottery. The name doek means"cloth" in Dutch and Moonstar is the factory where they are made. In this blog post, we will look at how both Good Weaver combines the expertise of Moonstar to create a canvas sneaker quite unlike any other. 

Hailing from Kurume city in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, Moonstar is one of only three factories left in Japan that manufacture vulcanised canvas sneakers. Vulcanization is the process where the rubber is heated with sulphur to produce a polymer which is a more robust and durable form of rubber. This is achieved by heating the rubber in a kiln and adding sulphur to change the chemical element of the rubber. This process in Japanese is called 'Ka Ryu' and is very similar to the way Japanese pottery is fired as seen 'Shoes Like Pottery'.

The Kilns of the Moonstar factory.

The Moonstar factory has a long history making canvas footwear for over 140 years. They were the first factory to make an athletic canvas sneaker for the Japanese fashion market in the 1960s after being commissioned by the fashion brand Van. Many modern brands such as The Hill-Side and Nigel Carbourn seek out their expertise and have their own ranges of footwear made there.

Van magazine advert from the 1960-70s. 

Good Weaver is responsible for creating custom fabrics for the uppers of Shoes Like Pottery and Doek. The area of Kurume has a long history of rubber making, however, they are also famous for the Kasuri style of weaving. This labour intensive form of weaving utilising shuttle looms, creates a rough and textured finish that is unique to every shoe. Due to the fact that most of the work must be done by hand, very few modern factories still use this technique preferring to rely on machine and printing to achieve the same results.

Good Weaver's Shuttle Looms

Kasuri weaving is only one part of the process. The company also uses highly skilled and labor-intensive traditional methods to dye the fabrics. These result in amazing depths of colour that will patina with age.

The traditional method of Indigo dying.  

The shoes themselves all draw inspiration from the various iconic canvas tennis shoes of yesterday such as Vans, Converse and Pro-Keds. This method of production is so hands on by the many skilled workers involved and the clean design of the sneakers all combine to create a truly unique piece of footwear. 

You can shop our range of Doek and Shoes Like Pottery here 

Welcome to our Fall Winter 17 Buyers Trip Part Two. 

We always look forward to chatting with Daiki Suzuki and the team from Engineered Garments at their Shibuya showroom. 

Prior to starting Engineered Garments, Daiki used to design for Woolrich Woollen Mills. The two companies continue to work closely together and this is no more apparent than in the Fall Winter 17 collection, which focuses heavily on woollen fabrics milled by Woolrich. This Benson Jacket in the Animal Jacquard print is a great example of the partnership in work.

The range on offer is extensive and it is easy to get lost in all the fabrics, materials and variations that the many styles on offer come in. The possibilities to match and create outfits is endless.

The founder of Nepenthes and designer of Needles, Keizo Shimizu is always at the showings. Quietly observing everything like a zen master.

In between meetings we had a quick refuel at Blue Bottle Coffee in Aoyama. This popular California company has several locations in Tokyo and is well worth a visit.

Next, stop is Post Overall's Storefront located at Shibuya which doubles as their Tokyo showroom.

Takeshi Ohfuchi's Post Overalls has been making rugged work wear based clothes from New York since 1993. Everything is designed with the function and utility that you would expect from their work and military influences. Coupled with the amazing fabrics they use plus their attention to detail. It is easy to see how they create unique and interesting pieces.

Next was a quick visit to the Glen Clyde showroom which is the company behind Chup Socks. We saw the new range and had a great chat about how the engineering aspect of the socks affect the overall design.

This machine is used to hand link the toes of each Chup Sock. It uses a single thread that closes up the heel and toe and gives it a flat finish. It's a very slow and time-consuming process and a large part of the reason why it's only possible to produce around twenty-five pairs a day.

Last but not least on our list we were off to Naka-Meguro to check out the range of Yuketen footwear on offer from Meg Company.

Yuki Matsuda has been making footwear under the name of Yuketen since 1989. They create a unique range of leather crafted footwear which encompasses everything from boots to boat shoes and moccasins. 

This was the first time we had seen the whole collection all together. After trying on a few pairs we were very impressed with both the comfort and quality of the shoes. Expect to see the Yuketen FW17 collection coming to the store in the second part of the year.

Hope you enjoyed our buyer's log.

In February of this year, we were in Tokyo on our buying trip for Fall Winter 17. It was great to be back in Tokyo after nearly a year since our last trip. We visited brands from our current roster and also some new ones.

First up on our list was Nanamica's showroom in Daikanyama. Located just above their Mountain Store. 

Nanamica was started in 2003 by head designer Eiichiro Homma. Its aim is to create unique clothes which are a high-level mix of sportswear and fashion. Eiichiro's love of sailing sees an underlining nautical theme run throughout the collection.

The creative team also works very closely with North Face's Purple Label which is North Face's Japan only range. This allows them access to the latest technical fabrics as they become available on the market. Fabrics such as Gore-tex and Pertex feature heavily in the collection. 

We are very happy to be working with Nanamica and you can look for their Fall Winter 17 range in-store and online in the later part of the year. 

Next up were off to Asakusa-Bashi and the seven-level building that is home to 35 Summer's office and showroom. The company handles sales for Anatomica, Rocky Mountain Feather Bed and Wakouwa Sneakers.

The building really is something with every floor utilised to its maximum potential. There is even a French restaurant!

Located on the ground floor is the Anatomica Tokyo Store. Their range is a classic mix of Ivy League fused with Japanese functionality and French style. It was great to see how the whole collection looked all together in the shop. The attention to detail and quality of the fabrics used are simply amazing. You can shop their SS 17 range in-store now. 

One level down from the Anatomica store is the footwear department, where they stock shoes from brands such as Alden and their own Wakouwa sneaker range. Wakouwa was created by one-half of Anatomica, Pierre Fournier. He based the shoes from an iconic Sperry-Topside sneaker from the 30s. The last is a modified Alden one and special arch supports have also been added.

On one of the floors is a workshop. This allows them to not only create customer orders but also quickly make samples for new ideas in house. Allowing the designers free reign with their creativity. 

In the showroom. We checked out the new range of Rocky Mountain Feather Bed's vests and jackets. Rocky Mountain was an iconic 1960's outdoors clothing company from Wyoming in the United States. Their signature piece was the leather yoked down vest, created for cowboys. They ceased production sometime in the 1980s. Fast forward a few decades and the company has been resurrected and updated for today's market. 

Sometimes life in Tokyo with all its bustling crowds and sensory overload just gets too much. 

We will upload the second part of our Buyer's trip soon. Thanks for reading!

With the new Spring Summer 17 collection from Post Overalls almost here. We thought we would revisit the Fall / Winter 16 collection. 

Hailing out of New York, Post Overalls has been steadily creating clothing under the design of Takeshi Ohfuchi since 1993.

Deeply rooted in vintage workwear and influenced by other areas of functional garments such as the military and outdoors. Post Overall's original design values of utility and function have remained unchanged and authentic. 

The garments are updated for modern times, with the fabrications used being eclectic and experimental.  Extra details and construction are added. Everything is made in the USA.

The collection includes the indigo dyed soft denim EZ-Cruz 5 Shirt. The feather poplin EZ-Cruz Vest in sage. A new five pocket denim pant, made in japan. Last but not least our favourite, the Mattalini Jacket made from vintage calico and navy twill.

All shots by Magic Birds of Jordan 

Modelled by Tanawat

On his recent trip to Australia we where lucky enough to be able to sit down with Katsutada Mano. The Director, heart and brains of Rats Japan. We asked him about the old days of Tokyo and his influences and aspirations for RATS.



Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Could you please tell us what Tokyo was like in the 1980s in terms of fashion and style ?

The 1980's...hmm How old was I, I was 14 or 15 when I started to have an interest in Fashion. I was born in downtown Tokyo.

Harajuku was the meeting point point for people who had dreams for the future and all young people went. It had a vibe where people followed the up coming trends.

My sister was one of them. She wanted to be part of the vibe. People played music and danced on a weekly basis on the pedestrian mall in the day time. It was 1950's styled and lots of leather jacket wearing bikers.

Harajuku had its own characteristic and unique scent. As soon as you got off the train. That mix of pomade scent would give me an excited feeling.

1980's Harajuku was a big infulence to me in fashion. Real Punk, Heavy Metal and Rock. A fashion that was just mind blowing.

I had a team named "Gamblers". We dressed as 1950's preppie style. We used to sneak knives in our pockets as we where always prepared for a fight !

Hanging out with them we had an impulse to do badness. That was my routine. Yeah so that started my fashion life there !

Could you explain how the label Rats started ?

So as I was always inspired by Harajuku where all the cool people gathered. There was a cafe called "Leon". A bar filled with gangsters. "Oh God" I wanted to own a bar just like it.

Down the track when "Urahara" style began. I started a clothing shop/bar with my mates called "Hide & Seek".

Just after the "Ape" by NIGO and "Good Enough" by Hiroshi fujiwara kicked off the industry. That was when I started to make my own t-shirts.

After a while we decided to close the shop. I was in a slump of losing control in alcohol and fights. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

It was thanks to Tetsu Nishiyama from "WTAPS", who gave me advice and suggested that I start my own company that reflected myself. That has led me to where I am now.

Where does your inspiration for the brand come from ?

Classics. I love classics. Paul Anka's Diana. That was the first record that infulenced me to be a bad ass ! (laughs)

I guess my main inspiration for Rats is the era of the "Rude Boy" style from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and again Harajuku in the 80s.

Could you explain to people who might not know what the shop Jolly Roger is ?

Its my hobby, surrounded by my favourite musical instruments, parts of my bikes, surfboards, parts from martial arts.. old pictures tht describe my life !

All the selected items in the shop are mainly focused on "what Im interested in" rather than "what I can sell". Each individual product is hand picked and infulenced by my interests from world wide.

You recently celebrated ten years of Rats. What does the future hold ?

Hmm you never know (laughs)

But yes i wish it will continue as I want to !

I love clothing so I'd like to keep going, to continue to be able to make clothes with no limit. Like old grand-pa loves to surf with no limit !

I want to live a life surrounded with all my favourite stuff. More importantly despite the changes in fashion and culture. I'd like to pass on and share the history to all the up coming young people.

If you could sum up the essence of Rats in a few words. What would it be ?

I want my clothes to be shared with Rude Boys ! (laughs)

Not just meaning rude but playful boys.

Not only for them to just like my clothes. But I want to give young people power, energy and infulence in their life !

Interview by Kei Hoshino

Translated by Yoshimi Kumai

SHOP RATS NOW

Happy new year and welcome to the first but hopefully not the last blog post for the shop. While most people are looking forward to what will be an exciting Spring Summer 17 season. We thought we would take some time out and reflect on our very first editorial for the shop. It is always nice to pause and see where you have been before looking off to the future. 

Rats and 3sixteen where some of the first brands that we knew we wanted to work with, when we started the shop. This editorial shows off a range of Rat's tops and outerwear and 3sixteen's selvedge denim.

We'd like to thank all the brands and everyone who helped out with the shop over the past year and we are looking forward to a big and exciting year in 2017.

Photos by Novem Pascual 

Modelled by Addy Pop