Common threads: Hiroki and Kelsi Nakamura’s textile collection

Their extraordinary collection of textiles and objects is both an archive of craft and a source of continual discovery and inspiration.

When Hiroki Nakamura founded visvim in 2001, he set out to make everyday clothing with the soul of the vintage garments he loved growing up. His collections begin with research into American and Japanese workwear, but they are not exercises in nostalgia. He is drawn to utilitarian pieces by the desire to create robust, hardworking garments that are earnest in purpose, grounded in lasting comfort, and immune to shifts in trend.

“These items had been designed for a specific purpose, and that purpose gave them a kind of honesty I found irresistible. How do you design something for everyday life that carries that same authenticity?”

To achieve this synthesis, Nakamura’s investigations delve into the meticulous and sometimes forgotten craft techniques that originally spirited vernacular workwear into being, as well as the textiles and objects he and his wife and collaborator, Kelsi, discover on their travels. In their Edo-period Tokyo home, these pieces form a living collection, rich with patina and mysterious backstories.