In 1993, Yoshio Sadasue launched Kamakura Shirts-now known as Maker’s Shirt Kamakura-with a simple premise: deliver high-quality, well-fitting shirts at an accessible price point. The company’s success story, born from a shifting Japanese retail landscape and a commitment to craftsmanship, demonstrates a unique business model prioritizing direct manufacturing and classic designs. This approach has allowed the brand to thrive for over three decades, expanding from a single storefront in Kamakura, japan, to a global presence with locations in Shanghai and New York.
Yoshio Sadasue found himself at a crossroads when the men’s fashion company he worked for closed its doors. Soon after, he was approached by several firms in the fashion industry for consulting work. But it was a simple lunch with a former company president that sparked an idea that would define his career. The president lamented the lack of specialized shirt stores for men in Japan, mirroring a popular trend in America and Europe, and wondered if anyone could step up to elevate men’s style in the country.
Sadasue took the president’s words to heart and began formulating a business plan for a men’s shirt specialty store.
In 1993, at the age of 53, Sadasue opened a small shirt shop in Kamakura, the hometown of his wife, naming it Kamakura Shirts (later rebranded as Maker’s Shirt Kamakura). The move tapped into a growing demand for quality menswear, a trend that continues to shape the fashion landscape today.
Premium Quality Shirts at an Accessible Price
Sadasue researched shirts from various brands, considering what he would want in a shirt himself. He admired the quality of brands like Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers, which typically retailed for around 15,000 yen. But he envisioned offering a similarly well-cut, comfortable shirt for around 5,000 yen – a price point he believed would appeal to a wider audience.
Kamakura Shirts initially priced its shirts at 4,900 yen (currently starting at 6,900 yen). This affordability was paired with a commitment to meticulous craftsmanship and “Made in Japan” quality.
The brand’s tailors employ a refined “overlock stitching” technique, using fine needlework and a precise sewing process so that the inside and outside of the shirt appear nearly identical.
Image: www.itohari.jp
The yarn used to weave the shirts is also of high quality. Yarn number refers to its thickness; a higher number indicates a finer thread. Finer yarns create a lighter, more comfortable fabric. However, producing these finer yarns requires advanced spinning techniques and precise quality control.
Generally, yarn counts of 60 or higher are considered fine and are used in premium shirts. However, Kamakura Shirts uses fabrics woven from yarns of 80 or higher. Most of the brand’s shirts use yarns of 100–120, while some luxury models use yarns as fine as 400.
The shirts don’t use typical plastic buttons; instead, they’re made from shell, which is highly heat-resistant and becomes more lustrous with ironing. Luxury models feature buttons made from mother-of-pearl, adding an extra touch of brilliance.
The shirt designs are tailored to the Japanese physique, considering neck length, shoulder width, sleeve length, wrist circumference, and waist size, ensuring a flattering fit even with simple designs.
But how does Kamakura Shirts maintain these prices despite the meticulous production and high-quality materials? The answer lies in a revolutionary approach to pricing and manufacturing.
A Disruptive Approach to Pricing and Production
Most Japanese clothing brands have complex production and sales processes, relying on intermediaries for yarn sourcing, weaving, and distribution. These brands typically produce large seasonal lots, store them in warehouses, and then distribute them to retail stores.
Kamakura Shirts, however, has cultivated strong relationships with numerous sewing factories in Japan. They directly source materials and utilize “direct manufacturing,” working directly with factories. Sales are primarily through their own retail stores, bypassing wholesalers. Finished products are shipped directly from the factories to the stores, reducing inventory costs.
Kamakura Shirts minimizes unnecessary costs and cuts out middlemen to offset higher material costs. Typically, a brand’s product cost accounts for 20–25% of the retail price, with a buffer for unsold items. After a season, brands often discount these items by 30% or 40%.
However, Kamakura Shirts employs a different strategy. The brand’s product cost accounts for around 60% of the retail price. To put it simply, while another brand might sell a shirt for 10,000 yen with a 2,000 yen product cost, Kamakura Shirts sells a shirt for 5,000 yen with a 3,000 yen cost.
This approach carries the risk of unsold inventory, but they mitigate it by designing “classic” shirts – timeless, simple designs – and limiting quantities of fashion or patterned items.
Having its own network of partner factories allows Kamakura Shirts to control production quality and volume. When stores receive customer data and demand information, factories can adjust production accordingly, minimizing stock and seasonal losses. This allows the brand to maintain its accessible pricing.
Kamakura Shirts has never reported a loss since its inception. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when stores were closed, the brand increased sales through mask production and online channels, bolstered by a loyal fanbase.
Today, Kamakura Shirts operates 25 stores across Japan, as well as two locations in Shanghai and New York.
“In an age of scarcity, simply being able to buy something was a source of happiness. But once basic needs are met, happiness shifts from ‘quantity’ to ‘quality.’ And because satisfaction with quality is endless, we must continue to raise the level of our products.
“Even though we focus solely on shirts, the number of people who understand and appreciate them will continue to grow. Therefore, we will not compromise and will continue to create even higher-quality shirts.”
Yoshio Sadasue
Founder, Kamakura Shirts
Website: kamakurashirts.com
