In May 2017, Hayato Osaku launched PANTALONAIO Osaku Hayato, a made-to-measure and ready-to-wear brand. This September, it also began a permanent presence at Ginza Mitsukoshi. We spoke with him and his partner, Kota Kobori, who acts as his right-hand man, about the brand's appeal. Kobori is a man who is well-versed in every corner of the industry and has supported Osaku both openly and behind the scenes.


--The production is in Nagano, right? It's a textile producing area.

I was introduced to them through a connection with someone from Osaku . Their name is Nagano Alps. It's a small factory with 30 employees. I tried a factory in China, and it was good. But I felt Nagano Alps had potential for growth. And I was right.

—The curves around the belt are absolutely stunning. The arching curves are comparable to those of bespoke tailoring. It looks like it will hold the waist securely.

Osaku : I never thought it would be possible. That's because we didn't have a quantifiable answer. In fact, even on site, the advice was more like, "Bend it about this much" (laughs).
Koburi : Well, that process is basically done outside the production line. It's not something that can normally be done in a factory.


Osaku visited the factory many times and communicated with the craftsmen. This process is entrusted to veteran female craftsmen, and they were all surprisingly proactive. After six months of working diligently at the factory, the finished product was a testament to our hard work.
The second-generation owner, who also serves as the factory manager, is fantastic. You can really feel his commitment to creating great products together. Apparently, he's been encouraging the factory workers by saying, "This guy is going to be on 'Passion Continent' someday, so let's do our best!" (laughs).

Pants (made with Ariston fabric) ¥35,640

—The interlining is very sturdy, yet it's soft.

If we're going to talk about the belt area of Osaku belts, we can't leave out the interlining. We made it together with a supplier of auxiliary materials called Sankei. There are plenty of soft interlinings out there, but none that were thick enough. However, considering dimensional stability (the property of not changing with washing or wear), this was a non-negotiable point. So they said, "Okay, let's try making it." It took three months, but it was worth the wait.
Kobori: And then there's the 6% curve. This was Sankei's idea, wasn't it? He said we could express it by gathering the stitches together.
Initially, Osaku set the curve at 6%, taking productivity into consideration, but it unexpectedly turned out to be close to the curve of the bespoke tailoring I create .

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