The FDMTL label, otherwise known as “fundamental agreement luxury” (although they’ve been going by the more simple FDMTL name lately), 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, 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 M43 shirt-jacket silhouette. Fit is like an overshirt, where it sort of straddles the line between shirt and jacket. The twist is pretty clear, where the piece is executed in a black-on-black patchwork approach. There are several different fabrics used, all of them are black and 100% cotton but they each have their own characteristics. There is a ripstop cotton (knit in a grid pattern), a cotton herringbone knit, and a solid cotton in a few different shades of black. It makes for a somewhat subtle contrast, but one that is very clear on closer inspection. This kind of patchwork construction is much more time consuming and difficult to pull off compared to construction with a single material, as everything has to be precisely measured and cut in order for it to work. This makes the piece considerably more expensive, but the results are also much more unique and interesting.
FDMTL is one of those labels that has been able to gather a pretty strong cult following with limited distribution outside of Japan. They can be pretty hard to track down and their retail prices are pretty high but they do make some interesting and highly detailed pieces that are well worth tracking down.
Size is labeled a 2 and fits a standard medium. I measure the chest at 20” / 51cm, shoulders at 18” / 46cm, length at 27.5” / 70cm and sleeves at 24” / 61cm. The shirt comes in lightly used, very good shape. There is maybe a bit of fading on some parts of the fabric but I think this is intentional. No holes, tears or stains. Made in Japan.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $24.
