12/13 FCCJ Book Break: W. David Marx, author of “AMETORA: How Japan Saved American Style” - A presentation in conversation with Roland Kelts

One of my favorite recent English-language books on Japan is AMETORA ("American Traditional"), the enthralling, novelistic story of postwar Japan told through its brilliant refashioners of Western fashions (Take Ivy! Selvedge Denim! BAPE!). I will host a talk w/author W. David Marx at The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Wednesday, Dec 13th, 6pm JST, both live and via Zoom. If you're in Tokyo (or not), please join us by registering here: 

https://www.fccj.or.jp/event/book-break-w-david-marx-author-ametora-how-japan-saved-american-style-presentation


 "Tokyo-based author W. David Marx will speak about his 2015 cultural history of American fashion in Japan — AMETORA: How Japan Saved American Style — which has recently been re-released by Basic Books with a new afterword after surprising global success. Marx will give a presentation in conversation with JAPANAMERICA author and moderator Roland Kelts on this fascinating micro-history of how American menswear came to Japan in the post-war period through the brand VAN Jacket, led to the growth of the denim industry, morphed into a full-fledged obsession with American vintage clothing, and created a robust apparel industry that now exports premium versions of jeans, button-down shirts, and military jackets back to the United States. Ametora serves as a specific and clear case study of how fashion and globalization work in Japan and how Japan can still compete on the global stage."

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