Thursday, September 23, 2010

Anything to Keep You Stylishly Mess-Free


JapanTown is pleased to introduce Anything, makers of custom maekake. Made of thick cotton cloth with long straps that are tied around the waist, maekake are aprons traditionally worn by craftsmen, laborers, and store staff. The name maekake derives from the words mae, or front, and kakeru, meaning to hang.

They aren't as common now but recently, maekake have been making a comeback as a fashion statement and as another form of advertising for companies. More practical in some settings than a T-shirt with the company logo, maekake have been attracting the attention of people outside of Japan.

As their name implies, Anything can customize maekake any way you want, be it short instead of knee-length or even neon green with "Kiss the Chef" printed on it. This company takes care of making these from beginning to end, from weaving the fabric to sewing each maekake in Japan.

Anything, founded by Mr. Ueda Sonoko, started out as a T-shirt company selling their products on the street, is now a worldwide clothing network. They are well-known throughout Japan for their "T-shirt painting festivals" held at local schools. Anything have since expanded their product lines to include other types of custom tops, hats, and even totes.

You can place your order for custom maekake here, or easier, just stop by Anything's booth this Sunday at the JapanTown Soul Food Festival!

Otokomae staff wearing maekake at the Healthy Food & Green Festival:



Some examples of Anything's maekake:
Maekake for dog lovers