88% matchBeams Plus
Tokyo take on US military and Ivy archetypes
What changes: Broader Ivy/preppy remit and larger retail scale
Brand profile
*A VONTADE
Tokyo menswear label reworking vintage US and European military and workwear archetypes into pared-back, Japan-made everyday garments.
TokyoOrigin
MenswearFocus
Workwear / HeritageStyle
$$$Price
4 brands like *A VONTADE like Beams Plus, Universal Works, Nanamica →
What to know about *A VONTADE
Military patterns, softened and simplified
Yamakawa reworks vintage American and European military, workwear and dress archetypes — fatigue jackets, chinos, cargo pants, open-collar shirts — into plainer modern cuts.
Made in Japan, not licensed out
Production stays domestic in Japan under Drive on Track Co., Ltd., which is a large part of why prices sit above basic workwear labels.
Built to break in
The name is Portuguese for making oneself comfortable, and the clothes are detailed for hard everyday wear rather than a pressed, finished look.
If you like *A VONTADE
88% match
80% matchUniversal Works
Mid-century workwear redrawn in easy, roomy cuts
What changes: British sources, mostly overseas production, lower price
75% matchNanamica
Same-vintage Tokyo label, technical fabrics over repro
What changes: GORE-TEX outdoor engineering rather than military repro
72% matchMargaret Howell
Pared-back utility shapes in serious natural cloth
What changes: Designer pricing, British workwear-meets-tailoring register
Brand facts
*A VONTADE is a Japanese menswear label founded in 2003 by designer Kazuyuki Yamakawa and run from Tokyo under Drive on Track Co., Ltd. The brand reworks vintage American and European military, workwear, dress and sportswear archetypes into pared-back modern silhouettes, producing fatigue jackets, chinos, cargo pants, open-collar shirts, anoraks and jersey basics domestically in Japan. Its name, Portuguese for making oneself comfortable, signals a focus on tough, detail-driven everyday clothing meant to improve with wear. It operates Bricklayer, its Nakameguro flagship, plus international stockists including Namu Shop and Beams.
- Founded
- 2003
- Origin
- Tokyo, Japan
- Price
- $$$
- Typical prices
- Jeans $206–$226
- Focus
- Menswear
- Styles
- Workwear / Heritage, Minimalist / Contemporary