Up for sale here is a shirt from Mastermind Japan, a label founded by Masaaki Momma in 1997 and known for their often dark designs incorporating skull motifs, combined with some considerably high quality textiles and hand work. They often get grouped together with the likes of Undercover, Number (N)ine, Junya Watanabe and the like, although their price point and aesthetic might put them closer to someone like Chrome Hearts. Either way, if you appreciate high quality clothing you can find some really nice stuff from Mastermind.
This shirt is Mastermind’s take on the classic button down shirt. Fabric here is 100% cotton, but comes in a very high quality, pleasantly uneven weave. Design is a tartan plaid, making references to British heritage and more specifically to 1970s UK punk, at least in my opinion, which is a major influence on Mastermind Japan.
There are a fair number of details incorporated here. One of the more obvious is that the seams are left raw in a number of places throughout the shirt, allowing for natural distressing. This is most visible on the chest pocket, shoulders and hem. The neck tag area has their embroidered skull motif, which is also visible from the rear. Buttons are all genuine horn. A somewhat more subtle detail is that the back of the shirt actually uses two separate pieces of fabric, where the exterior layer of fabric is partially attached and meant to provide additional drape.
As you can hopefully see a considerable amount of work went into the production of this piece. Mastermind spares on expense in the quality of their clothing, but this is very much reflected in their retail prices. This shirt retailed at about $600 in Japan alone, and would have cost even more abroad if you could find it. For a piece with this kind of labor involved (and with this kind of price tag) you can be sure production was extremely limited. Get it here at the cheapest price around.
Size is labeled a medium and fits true. I measure the chest at 20”, shoulders at 17”, and length at 26”. 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.