YOKANG: Styl-ism

I know how excited some of you get when I write about $70 t-shirts, so today, in your honor, I’m going to up the ante and give you something you’re really going to love. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the $186 dollar tee-shirt. Based on the traditional dying techniques and patterns of the Ryukyu Dynasty, YOKANG’s tees, skirts, and Converse Hightops, are starting to see some heavy hype in the Tokyo and Paris design scene. The dyeing process, called Bingata, reflects the unique culture of Okinawa, a characteristic evident through comparison of the patterns and textures of YOKANG to the traditional Japanese kimono. Aside from the layers of historical meaning in a YOKANG piece, most of them also offer the wearer a tasty side-dish of badassness. I’m sorry to say it, but the pricey shirts are super good-looking, and offer the wearer a sort of a gargoyle-ish charm. The winged shirts (check the Guardian Deity (pictured) and the Asian Phoenix) are my faves, followed by the most of the Converses, especially the Tribal Phoenix. So take a look, then leave me another snarky comment about how lame expensive tee-shirts are. I can handle it.