Up for sale here is a jacket from Japan’s Eternal label, one of the somewhat older and more established “American casual” labels operating out of Japan. Eternal steers pretty strongly toward denim pieces, as they manufacture a lot of jeans and denim jackets, although they produce a full range of clothing as well. Eternal is based in Kojima city, basically the center of Japan’s workwear and denim industries, and is able to take advantage of the manufacturing available in the region. Kojima seems to have a strong concentration of both expertise and vintage looms, hence the concentration of denim manufacturers in the area. Like a number of other labels based in the city, including Kapital, Momotaro and Spellbound, most Eternal pieces are done on vintage looms as well.
This piece is Eternal’s take on the classic mountain parka. The mountain parka has existed for quite a while, getting its name for its high degree of functionality when going on mountain climbing excursions. There is usually an array of pockets, a hood, a water resistant exterior of some type and often some insulation to protect against the elements, but at the same time not to overheat you.
Eternal’s version here opts for a woven cotton duck exterior fabric. Cotton duck is a common workwear material, popularized by Carhartt for example, that is pretty heavy and highly resilient. It also gradually develops a patina as it is worn. There is already some visible fading here, but nothing too major, and it should continue to pleasantly fade with use. Interior is a nicely contrasting red polyester fleece, adding some nice insulation and comfort throughout. There are four pockets on the front with Velcro closure. Bottom pockets also have side entry to warm your hands. Hood has leather pulls, while the front has a storm flap on the placket to further keep out the elements. Cuffs have Velcro adjusters. Interior has additional adjusters on the waistband, as well as a zipped pocket.
These pieces are very rare especially outside of Japan. As far as I can tell Eternal currently does not have any distribution outside of Japan, and they maintain a pretty minimal web presence as well. Production runs are pretty small, and only specialist shops in Japan tend to stock them. The lack of availability is really a shame, as the quality here easily rivals that of any of the bigger labels.
Size is labeled a medium and fits true. I measure the chest at 21”, shoulders at 17”, length at 27” in front and 28” in back, both from the base of the neck, and sleeves at 25” from the shoulder. The jacket comes in used, generally good shape. There is some fading of the fabric as noted, although I think this works in the jacket’s favor in this instance. The bottom zip on the front is missing the pull, although the zip is still fully functional and this is not particularly noticeable. Also, the lining fabric on the interior zipped pocket has been damaged, where the interior pocket doesn’t really work anymore. Again, this is also completely invisible, especially if you keep the pocket closed. Otherwise no holes, tears or stains. Made in Japan.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $36.