45R

45R was founded in 1977 in Tokyo by Yasumi Inoue as 45rpm — a small workshop producing indigo-dyed denim and natural-fibre clothing using traditional Japanese craft techniques (aizome indigo dyeing, kasuri weaving, hand-stitching) brought up to contemporary menswear-and-womenswear proportions. The brand was rebranded from 45rpm to 45R in 2008, with the abbreviated name reflecting a slightly broader product proposition while keeping the founding craft thesis intact. The 45R vocabulary settled around several recurring elements: hand-indigo-dyed denim across multiple weight and weave variations, hand-knitted Japanese-cotton sweaters, sashiko-stitched outerwear, kasuri-weave cotton shirts and trousers, and a colour palette anchored to natural-indigo (the brand's defining colour — multiple depths from light indigo through near-black), washed ecru, oxblood, and the brand's recurring use of natural-undyed cream tones. Production has remained primarily Japanese, with much of the indigo dyeing and weaving done at traditional workshops in Tokushima, Okayama, and the broader Western Japan textile region. The brand is independent and family-controlled by the Inoue family. 45R operates approximately 50 retail stores globally — anchored to the Tokyo flagship in Aoyama, plus the broader Japanese department-store and select-shop network (Beams, United Arrows, Ships), Paris (Rue Saint-Honoré), New York (Soho), London (Mayfair), Hong Kong, Taipei, plus the 45rglobal.com e-commerce platform launched in the 2020-era global expansion. The brand has been one of the defining Japanese indigo-and-natural-fibre artisanal-menswear brands of the post-1977 generation, with the unbroken commitment to traditional craft techniques anchoring the broader Japanese-textile-revival conversation.