The Flat Head

The Flat Head sources long-staple Zimbabwean cotton and slow-dyes it in-house, out of a workshop in Nagano rather than the Okayama cluster most of this list calls home. Kobayashi treats the process as more chemistry than fashion, and it shows in the fades: deep, textured, close to indigo rope. Harder to find outside Japan than the bigger names here, which is part of the appeal for collectors who want a brand their friends haven't heard of.