A shirt for sale here from the FDMTL label, otherwise known as “fundamental agreement luxury”, although they’ve been going by the more simple FDMTL name lately. FDMTL are one of the many smaller-scale Americana enthusiast manufacturers going at the moment in Japan. They’ve been around since 2005, but have been growing their stature more recently, focusing mainly on indigo and traditional Japanese techniques like sashiko and boro. In the last few years they’re amassed a pretty strong cult following both in and outside of Japan.
So the FDMTL label is all about different treatments, often in indigo, giving their products a worn-in and often reconstructed look. It’s an aesthetic that has a lot of parallels to what Visvim and Kapital are doing, especially with their more distressed and indigo-centric pieces, although they of course put their own unique take on things.
In this case we have FDMTL’s take on the classic t-shirt. There are several different fabrics used here, all of them indigo dyed in different patterns. The mix of fabrics is definitely the main draw, as several of them are highly intricate, referencing traditional Japanese patterns in indigo. It is an interesting mix of new and old, something more recent FDMTL excels at. Other details include a chest pocket, curved hem and side gussets. No expense is spared with the construction of the shirt and it will only get better with wear as the indigo pleasantly fades.
Size is labeled a 2 and fits a medium well. I measure the chest at 20” / 52cm, shoulders at 16” / 41cm and length at 27.5” / 70cm. The shirt comes in lightly used, very good shape with no holes, tears or stains. Made in Japan.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $24.
