Kapital is a father and son brand that was originally founded in 1985 in the Okayama Prefecture in Japan. In the beginning, Kapital was started by Toshikiyo Hirata (Father) after traveling abroad to teach Karate in the United States where he fell in love with mid-century American denim. Upon his return to Japan he moved to Kojima, Kurashiki where he immersed himself in the denim industry, soon becoming obsessed with the manufacturing process of denim. After a few years back in Japan, he opened his first denim factory in 1984 specializing in replicating the quality of mid-century American-made denim.
Toshikiyo’s son Kiro decided to team up with his father in 2002 to navigate the brand into more contemporary times. Since then the two have trusted one another to work separate areas of the brand (Kiro in design/marketing & Toshikiyo in production). Kapital has progressed under their collaborative efforts into a more integrated entity while retaining its core expertise as one of the best denim manufacturers in the world.
Although Toshikiyo’s obsession lies with denim and this remains as the brand’s core, it isn’t the only thing they specialize in. Ever since Kiro joined, Kapital have taken a turn for the better, the brand has expanded into other spaces; experimenting with dyes (natural and synthetic), cut & sewed garments, hand overstitching, as well as much more including the incorporation of Kiro’s obsession, bandanas! He says “for me personally, jeans and bandanas are both essential items when talking about work-wear… In my generation I want to put as much passion into bandanas as my father put into jeans”.
