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2025.05.28
CULTURE

Unraveling the History of HOUSTON, the First Brand in Japan to Pioneer Military Wear, Spanning Over Half a Century

#HOUSTON
#ヒューストン
#Military Wear
#MA-1
#M-65
#Aloha Shirt
#Americana
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Items like "MA-1" and "M-65 JACKET" continue to be influential across all kinds of modern fashion genres as essential military wear. After World War II, surplus U.S. military wear began circulating in Japan, and eventually, Japanese-made flight jackets emerged as fashion pieces.
The brand that made this happen is "HOUSTON," which we’re featuring this time. We spoke with Yu Sasaki and Kasumi Kimura from the PR team at Union Trading Co., Ltd. about the story behind the brand’s beginnings and its latest releases.

Launching with Surplus U.S. Military Gear & Imported Vintage Jeans

Let’s start by exploring how the HOUSTON brand came to be. Yu Sasaki shared this story dating back to 1947.
"Our company was founded in Omiya Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. Back then, there were several U.S. military bases in Saitama, and the founder—being a fashion enthusiast—started by sourcing surplus U.S. military wear, imported vintage jeans, flannel shirts, and more, opening the shop under the name 'Makino Shokai.' That was the start of it all."
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