"The future lies in the past." From the American vintage clothing he had collected, T.T founder Taiga Takahashi dug out the forms and wisdom sleeping within old garments, bringing them back into the present. T.T Women now extends this practice, which he named Applied Archaeology, into the world. The line excavates the original forms of clothing that have appeared again and again, that is, archetypes, and offers up the time layered into the cloth itself as value. If menswear is clothing that refers to the past, then womenswear is clothing that will be referred to from the future.
Permanence dwells in what is passed on while changing. Before the Heian period, Japan eagerly absorbed the cultures of other lands, and in time these crystallized into a uniquely Japanese cultural expression. Inheriting the stance of Taiga Takahashi, who found a beauty open to the world within the drapery of Buddhist statues and who valued wakon yosai (Japanese spirit, Western learning), the line takes Japanese handwork as its starting point and weaves a new garment in collaboration with crafts from around the world.
T.T's Signature Original Denim
A 3/1 left twill, light ounce denim, woven on an old style power loom in Okayama using American organic cotton. This older machine, a shuttle loom, spins the cloth slowly, at one tenth to one twentieth the speed of modern looms. That time settles into the fabric, holding the natural unevenness of the cotton yarn and an expression full of texture.
The warp was rope dyed in indigo blended with sulfur dye, leaving a white core. A color that recalls weathering floats across the green cast. For the weft, a special order neppy yarn was chosen, with a raw, yellowish quality, as though it had aged with time. The two yarns woven together bring forth T.T's own deep, rich indigo blue.
For the finish, sanforized shrinkage control was applied, and the "white ear" selvedge is used at various points, such as the back of the belt loops. The leather patch is mud dyed on the island of Amami Oshima. A piece that grows closer to the skin with every wearing.
Denim Jacket / Flair Denim Trousers
A denim jacket made in T.T's signature original denim. Starting from the menswear "Lot.703 DENIM JACKET C.1920'S," which looked back to denim jackets of the 1920s, the proportions of the shoulder line, length, and width were carefully reworked to suit the female body. Extra details have been pared away, building a structure where the expression of the fabric itself rises up directly. A clean silhouette that lets the material speak, keeping the framework of vintage workwear while staying close to the movements of women today.
A pair of flair denim trousers, building on the silhouette of a women's model that once existed at T.T, "Lot.705W," and polishing it carefully anew. The fit around the hips, the angle that opens from below the knee, and the way the hem falls. Each line was redesigned, arriving at a more refined flair silhouette. By removing decorations such as rivets, the expression becomes clean and the hardware does not assert itself. With each step, the hem sways, drawing the vertical line of the body long and beautifully.
Funnel Neck Coverall Jacket
Starting from T.T menswear's iconic "Lot.303 Coverall Jacket," the piece was reshaped into a distinctive funnel neck form that softly wraps around the neck. A drop shoulder, where the shoulder seam has been lowered, is one of its features. An oversized cropped silhouette, holding volume while keeping the length short. The hardness of workwear is loosened, and the form, reconstructed to follow the female body, brings forth a dignified presence.
Funnel Neck Denim Coverall Jacket
A piece made in T.T's signature original denim. The fabric, slowly woven from American organic cotton on a shuttle loom, gives warmth and presence to the funnel neck form. The deep indigo with a green cast draws shadows from the neck down to the chest, growing into a color that belongs only to the wearer the more it is worn. A coverall that holds within the framework of workwear a sense of openness suited to women.
Funnel Neck Coverall Jacket
Made in T.T's original cotton silk cashmere katsuragi. Wild silk holds a natural luster, cashmere adds a soft texture, and cotton supports the whole. The fabric woven from these three fibers keeps the durability suited to workwear while also carrying a fine quality that seems to gently come undone.
Entrefino Lamb Leather
T.T's original Entrefino lamb leather. Entrefino refers to the finest breed of lamb raised in the highlands of the Pyrenees. To skin so smooth that it seems to draw the touch in, chrome tanning is applied in Spain, and color is added in Japan using dye alone. Without pigments, the expression and breathing of the leather itself rise up directly.
Zip up Leather Jacket
A compact fit zip up jacket made in Entrefino lamb leather. Starting from a 1940s leather jacket that lies within Taiga Takahashi's archive, the contours have been redrawn to follow the female body. The colors are Black and Burgundy, both holding depth through dye alone. Another color, with the traditional mud dyeing technique of Amami Oshima layered onto the lamb leather, will be released later. The zipper slider is an original part, reconstructed from the Art Deco design of the 1920s.
The Standard of Subtraction
Classic Shirt
At first glance a classic and simple shirt, yet in truth a piece that stands upon an extreme that cannot be seen by the eye. Giza, the finest of ultra long staple Egyptian cotton, is spun into a yarn of count 170, and two strands are twisted together to form a single yarn. This is then woven at an ultra high density, with the gaps between yarns closed to the limit. What rises up is a fabric that, while being cotton, slides across the skin like silk. Soft and smooth, it slips away when traced with a finger. The time that the old shuttle loom slowly spins settles into the piece an expression that could not be born anywhere else. The tailoring is a classic relaxed fit. The buttons are T.T original shell buttons, inspired by Taiga Takahashi's sculpture "Infinity Circle."
Infinite Dress
A bias cut dress made in a silk twill that holds the calm luster characteristic of spun silk yarn, and the texture of neps floating here and there across its surface. Taiga Takahashi's sculpture "Infinity Pillar" was read as his vision of making time visible, and was placed at the core of the design. The spiral structure within the sculpture is translated into the cut of the garment. Three strips wind upward in a spiral to form a single dress. The seams themselves also follow a spiral, circling around the body.
Easy Pants
Into a single pair of trousers, the aesthetic of subtraction is woven. The waistband holds elastic, which would normally require stitching visible on the surface in order to form a tunnel for the elastic. However, by removing the side seam and hiding the pockets within the waist darts, the construction conceals all of this. What remains is a thoroughly minimal expression, and a wide, straight leg that draws the legs long and straight. A pair of relaxed fit easy pants finished in triacetate satin, whose deep, glossy luster rests close to the skin. A beauty that is reached only by paring away.
Hanshan Cashmere
Deep within Inner Mongolia, where clear streams rich in minerals flow, lies "Hanshan." Here, goats roam freely across vast plains, growing healthy under the gifts of nature. The harsh climate unique to this land, together with an environment full of care, raises the finest of raw wool. The cashmere harvested here holds a brilliant whiteness even in its unprocessed state, and possesses fibers of exceptionally rare length. The fineness of just 14 to 15 microns, called the jewel of fibers, is drawn out through strict selection and through hand combing supported by tradition. It holds a depth of luster that mechanical harvesting cannot reach, and a smoothness that brings a sense of gentle elevation each time it touches the skin.
Cashmere Cardigan
A cropped length cardigan made from Hanshan cashmere, one of the four major producing regions of Inner Mongolia. Original lily yarn gives the piece volume and substance, and the design has been finished as a regular fit with no panels or buttons. Raw White and Natural Brown come from the natural fur color of the cashmere goat, dressed in pure beauty without dye.
Binding the Infinite
Infinite Circle Belt
A belt made of T.T original cowhide finished with dye alone, bound by a brass buckle modeled after Taiga Takahashi's sculpture "Infinity Pillar." Each buckle is formed one by one, the hand of the craftsperson and the movement of the machine layered together. The leather is passed through the buckle to fasten, in a free size design. A piece that adds a sculptural presence at the waist.
Infinite Circle Hand Braided Belt
A belt made from T.T original leather cord, hand braided by a leather braiding craftsperson. At its tip, a swaying fringe. The warmth of human hands lives within each braid. The buckle is also made of brass in the shape of "Infinity Pillar." The likeness of the sculpture rises up at the waist. The braided cord passes through the buckle and can be adjusted to the preferred length.
