NoKipple Launch: High Quality, Low Volume

Just over two months ago, Iron Heart forum founding member, Jonathan Joseph, teamed up with one of the member’s behind the no-nonsense Mega Beatle Buster and HWDC2Gavin Smith (aka. Megatron1505), to bring a long standing dream to life. The duo wanted to bring their love for rare, artisanal clothing goods into the world of modern retail, so after years and months of ideation and planning, the team launched their online retail store, NoKipple.

NoKipple founding team (L-R) - Gavin Smith, Jonathan Joseph

NoKipple founding team (L-R) – Gavin Smith, Jonathan Joseph

The name is in reference to Philip K Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and appropriately translates to “No Rubbish”. The online store lives by the three fundamental rules that guide their decisions: 1) good people make good things, 2) good things endure, and 3) relationships matter.

It’s important to note too that Joseph and Smith happily admit there are plenty of high quality goods in the market that are well worth buying; their aim is not to spread rhetoric that is so common with numerous upstart projects. Rather, their goal is to represent artisanal brands that aren’t commonly found in the Western world that offer something new at the table.

Jonathan (center left) and Gavin (center right) with the Trophy Clothing team.

Jonathan (center left) and Gavin (center right) with the Trophy Clothing team.

Thus, for their debut, the NoKipple lineup consists of select, curated brands; including Elhaus, Jelado, Sagar, Trophy Clothing, and Tush. Each represents timeless quality with elegant details in a unique way, and also have a host of interesting people behind them.

Trophy Clothing

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Trophy Clothing is the brainchild of Masaki Egawa, an enthusiast of everything vintage related to motorcycles, clothing and music. Focused on the correlation of form and function, Egawa is determined to create products that are as durable and simple as possible, while still including complex details that will fascinate the wearer for months to come.

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Jelado

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Fellow vintage clothing lover, Yohei Goto, is the mastermind behind line Jelado. A real renaissance man, when Goto isn’t busy designing clothes or collecting vintage clothing pieces, he kick boxes competitively; perhaps contributing to Jelado’s wide scope and output. The brand’s collection includes jeans, shirting, jackets, outerwear, shoes, accessories with a focus in classic youth wear of the 1940’s and 50’s.

jelado shirt

jelado clothing patch

Elhaus

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Friends and colleagues, Raven and Eduardus, co-own Indonesian denim company Elhaus. Located in the hub of Jakarta, the two will be the first to admit that Indonesian denim does not have the same reputation as Japanese denim. However, as long as they are up and running, it is a personal goal of theirs to change this perception.

As a growing name in the Southeast Asia denim community, Elhaus has no problems with experimentation and tinkering. Aside from their creative skill set, their country possesses a rich textile history that allows the duo to push the boundaries on the clothes they craft.

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Sagara

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Also based in Indonesia is Sagara and it’s founder and owner, Bagus Satrio. According to NoKipple‘s Gavin Smith, when they asked how much of the boot-making process was automated, Satrio laughed and told him he couldn’t afford machines. From leather cutting to hole-punching to stitching, every boot and shoe is flawlessly constructed solely by hand.

According to Satrio, he will not sell Sagara products to physical retail stores as he claims he needs his products to reach customers in pristine conditions – people trying on his shoes or boots would ruin the experience he is trying to create with his products.

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Tush

Tush

Tush owner Tush Kawakami

Last, but not least,the sole founder of Tush is Tush Kawakami, an artisan leather master. A longtime friend and collaborator of Trophy Clothing owner, Masaki Egawa, Kawakami shares a passion for vintage motorcycles, clothing and music. Much like Egawa, Kawakami is also a perfectionist and as a result every single product that leaves his room is designed, sewn, cut and assembled by Tush, the epitome of made from scratch by hand.

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Though still very much in the early days of operation, it’s clear that NoKipple is dead set on fulfilling it’s vision through a curated offering of low volume, high quality goods. To learn more about their company and browse their selection, visit their website.