Up for sale here is a jacket from Japan’s Spellbound brand. Spellbound is one of those labels based in Kojima, Japan’s clothing industry manufacturing hub and home to a considerable amount of garment making expertise (as well as a large selection of vintage looms). Spellbound is maybe on the smaller side of things even as far as Kojima brands go, where they don’t have their own dedicated shop, don’t do any advertising or publicity at all really, maintain a minimal web presence, and have very limited distribution outside of Japan. Instead, they let their clothes do the talking. You can be sure any Spellbound piece is going to be very well constructed, usually incorporating vintage manufacturing techniques and not cutting corners at any point. What you get is a fuss free garment, timeless in design and made to last.
And that’s very much what you have here too. This is a quality jacket, versatile and built very tough. Silhouette kind of reminds me of a submarine jacket or something along those lines. This is definitely a military-inspired piece, although also with its own unique spin. Fabric is a 90% wool, 10% nylon blend. The jacket is unlined, but the fabric is a high gauge knit. As such, it is naturally wind and water repellent and surprisingly insulating. Put a liner under it and you’ve got a really nice winter coat. No liner and you have a bit more versatility of course.
While the material here is excellent, the other details hold up just as well. It’s subtle, but there is a bit of a wrap with the side pockets, where they go a bit further over the side seams. Usually side pockets with end with the side seams, so this is a bit of a unique pocket placement. Also unique is that there is an additional buttoned rear pocket, as well as a hidden hood. The hood rolls under the collar and is buttoned in when not in use. Put it all together and you’ve got yourself a very high quality, timeless piece.
Size is labeled a 2 and fits like a somewhat slim medium. I measure the chest at 20.5”, shoulders at 17”, length at 26” and sleeves at 24.5” from the shoulder. The jacket comes in lightly used, excellent shape, with no holes, tears, stains or obvious signs of wear. Made in Japan.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $34.