From fabric woven of the finest threads to the jetted pockets and bar-tacking stich details etched into our jackets, our clothing requires the art and expertise of skilled craftsmen to transform idea into product.
There is a certain quality to our designs that can only be expressed through a hand-made process. A maker’s enthusiasm is tangible in a pair of Japanese selvedge denim made from scratch, completed with vintage Talon zippers.
It is the Cantata way to seek out the highest quality traditional fabrics, classic mills, and storied artisanship.
Cantate – clothing that reflects the wardrobe concept of “Hare and Ke”.
The dichotomy of “Hare and Ke” is a traditional world-view of Japanese people. “Hare” – noticeably cheerful and formal situations or places – represents rituals, festivals, and annual events that are “non-ordinary”, while “Ke” represents the “ordinary” that is everyday life.
We visualize a wardrobe that can coexist in both “Hare” and “Ke” settings.
We once found a vintage jacket that was tailored at Savile Row. The tailor’s name was sewn inconspicuously inside of a pocket, as if to conceal the tailor and where the jacket was made. Flaunting a brand identity, we learned, is a breach of etiquette for British gentlemen.
Likewise, our brand name is sewn by basting threads, intended for it to be taken off easily before first wear – if so desired. It is our belief that the individual wearing the clothes should stand out the most, not the clothes themselves.
Our brand name, Cantate, is borrowed from classical cantate music – a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment. Cantate can make one experience feelings of “Hare” regardless of where they are, while simultaneously calming the spirit.
Exquisite garments that can make you feel the unordinary in the ordinary, all the while standing the ultimate test of time – that is the kind of clothing Cantate will continue to make.