The Californian Brand You Need To Know

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The Californian Brand You Need To Know

Words by The Daily team

7 March 2018

Introducing the all-new vintage look of Monitaly.

Some brands have such a distinct feel and personality that you do not need to see a label to identify the designer. And, in many ways, Monitaly – a brand launching on MR PORTER today – couldn’t be the work of anyone other than Mr Yuki Matsuda, the Osaka-born founder of fashion company Meg. If you are unfamiliar with Mr Matsuda, you might understand his motivations better by looking at his shoes. Not necessarily the ones he is wearing, we mean the sturdy but supple pairs he obsessively makes by hand using fine materials with Yuketen, a footwear brand he set up in 1989 (which is, along with Chamula and Epperson Mountaineering, also part of Meg Company – all based in Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles).

You might also learn something from the fact that, at the age of 18, fascinated by American culture, he moved to California to become a vintage clothes dealer. Undoubtedly, these are all key elements that have helped to create Monitaly. Classic design, quality materials, and American craftsmanship come together to produce clothes that reimagine timeless US silhouettes and appear, to our eye anyway, somehow both contemporary and “vintage”. From camp-collar shirts to pleated trousers – there is an unmistakeable 1950s feel to the pieces MR PORTER stock, and influences from workwear and military styles dominate.

Below are some highlights from the 10 pieces available on site, today. Read our thoughts on them, and how to wear them, or shop the full collection here.

Is this the perfect summer shirt? We don’t like to pick sides or back a horse this early in the season, but, patterned with tropical flora, and in a roomy, comfortable fit typical of Mr Matsuda’s designs – this is certainly up there. What to wear with it? The smart money’s on something simple and classic such as navy chinos.

If you’re still wedded to slim black jeans and are positively terrified of trying anything else to wear on your legs, these trousers are the exposure therapy you need. Wide-legged, tapered, and with generous pleats – these couldn’t be more up-to-the-minute. Slip on some simple white sneakers to finish things off.

To give the full spectrum of Mr Matsuda’s Monitaly designs, we could not miss out a military jacket – such as this one, which has the look and feel of something you’d find in an army shop or a thrift store in Brooklyn. However, made with the brands lightweight, water-resistant Vancloth cotton – you can rest assured that this will last longer than a vintage find. Pair with some similarly classic jeans from legendary American label Levi’s for an unbeatable casual look.