the last flower of the afternoon
Originated from Ibaraki Prefecture, Kazufumi Yamada is the designer behind this artisanal apparel brand. After serving as a pattern designer for "Suzuki Takayuki" for 4.5 years, the brand "The Last Flower of the Afternoon" was established in 2009 in Hokkaido. Based on the concept of "words, feelings, and the passage of time," the story and warmth are expressed through the whole process of making clothes. Some of the materials are dead stock and antique textiles which are sourced from local antique stores. They are then sewn and dyed by hand by experienced textile artisans. Hence, all the works are one-of-a-kind and have different expressions. And so, make-to-order manufacturing is adopted to reduce losses whilst maintaining the uniqueness of products.
Concept behind the brand:
Kazufumi Yamada mentioned that he wants to make clothes that give people a sense of time and an expression of individual story by wearing his clothes. It's just like there are many different emotions, facial expressions, thoughts, or personalities in an individual. Expressing the feelings of the moment without being bound by one concept or taste.
Only using natural fibres is another key concept of the brand. Cotton, linen and silk are the most commonly used materials. By combining various types of materials, Kazufumi Yamada thinks that it becomes a way to bring life to the clothes by themselves because they are very different from ready-made garments.
