Brand profile
The Flat Head
Nagano-based Japanese Americana label making fade-focused raw selvedge denim, flannels and horsehide outerwear on vintage shuttle looms since 1996.
NaganoOrigin
UnisexFocus
Workwear / HeritageStyle
$$$Price
4 brands like The Flat Head like Beams Plus, Filson, Engineered Garments →
What to know about The Flat Head
The Flat Head is a Japanese heritage label founded in Nagano Prefecture in 1996 by Masayoshi Kobayashi, a former vintage-store owner who deconstructed old American jeans to learn construction. It builds raw selvedge denim, flannels, loopwheel tees, Type III jackets and Shinki Hikaku horsehide outerwear, weaving custom fabrics on vintage Toyoda shuttle looms and using proprietary machinery for details like rivets. The original company filed for bankruptcy in 2019-2020 and Kobayashi stepped down; investor Sirius Ventures took over the apparel business and relaunched a tighter core range still made by original craftsmen.
Shop The Flat Head
Shop all The Flat Head ↗Available atIron Shop Provisions · Cultizm · Franklin and Poe · Redcast Heritage Co.
If you like The Flat Head
76% matchBeams Plus
Tokyo take on the same Ivy/workwear archive
What changes: Styling-led and fashion-cut rather than heavyweight repro construction
74% matchFilson
The original US source material — wool cruisers, waxed Tin Cloth
What changes: Outdoor outfitting heritage, no raw denim or fade culture
72% matchEngineered Garments
Japanese eye on US workwear, looser and more designed
What changes: Patternmaking and volume over fabric weight and fades
66% matchNeighborhood
Tokyo indigo and biker heritage, heavier branding
What changes: Streetwear-facing graphics, less fabric-purist
Brand facts
- Founded
- 1996
- Origin
- Nagano, Japan
- Price
- $$$
- Typical prices
- T-shirts $95–$140 · Shirts $281–$335 · Jackets $374–$2275
- Focus
- Unisex
- Styles
- Workwear / Heritage