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Blackmeans
Basic information
Overview
blackmeans is a leather brand that launched in Japan for the Fall/Winter 2008 season. Against the backdrop of the opening of a Tokyo sales office for a leather apparel sewing factory in Gifu Prefecture, it began as a factory brand with Yujiro Komatsu, Takayuki Ariga, and Akitomo Ariga working as a product-processing team, and became independent from the factory in 2011. Today, Yujiro Komatsu and Akitomo Ariga are responsible for design, and the brand offers men’s and women’s apparel, shoes, bags, accessories, and other items, with leatherwear at its core.
Concept
Creating and proposing fashion and styles unconstrained by conventional ideas, from the perspective of Japanese Hardcore Punk.
Sub-brands
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blackmeans BASIC LINE 2008
In blackmeans's official collection structure, this is a derivative line presented as “BASIC LINE” separately from seasonal collections (e.g., 2025 A/W). Retailers’ product descriptions also refer to motorcycle jackets and leather pants as “items from the basic line.” It is positioned as a category for the brand’s basic leather items, distinct from its seasonal design proposals.
A basic line supporting staple leather items
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blackmeans HIROSHIMA DENIM 2014
A denim brand/line launched by blackmeans with the cooperation of GUY. On its official website, “HIROSHIMA DENIM” is presented as a separate category alongside seasonal collections and BASIC LINE. It is linked to the activities of the free zine “TO FUTURE,” published every August 6 and ongoing since 2004, and states that it sends a message from Hiroshima in hopes of a future without war and allocates part of its sales to these activities and to relief donations for disaster-affected areas. Retailers list it as “blackmeans Hiroshima Denim.”
A denim line connected to the communication of messages for peace