Van Jacket
Van Jacket is a Japanese menswear company and fashion brand that helped establish American Ivy style and modern menswear culture in Japan.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Van Jacket, commonly styled as VAN, is a Japanese apparel company founded by Kensuke Ishizu in Osaka. The company became one of the principal forces behind the introduction and localization of American clothing culture in postwar Japan. Initially concentrated on men's suits and conventional tailoring, Van Jacket shifted its emphasis during the 1960s toward the American Ivy look, adapting East Coast collegiate style to Japanese consumers and helping turn menswear into a broader lifestyle culture. Van Jacket's influence extended beyond garments. Its presentation of American traditional clothing included ideas about coordinated dress, appropriate styling, and conduct associated with particular situations. The company's T.P.O. concept—Time, Place and Occasion—gave consumers a vocabulary for thinking about clothing as part of everyday social behavior. Through stores, branded merchandise, publications, and associated activities, VAN developed an identity that connected jackets, shirts, ties, knitwear, casual clothing, and accessories with an aspirational image of educated, active American life. The brand became especially visible in the 1960s among young people associated with the Miyuki-zoku, a fashion-oriented group that gathered around Tokyo's Miyuki-dori Avenue. VAN clothing and even its paper shopping bags became recognizable status symbols. The company also cultivated an institutional and lifestyle image through its Aoyama headquarters and the VANGUARDS American-football team, an in-house club that reinforced its connection with American sports and collegiate culture. A major record of Van Jacket's approach to Ivy style was the 1965 photo book Take Ivy. A company-linked team including photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida, Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, and Hajime Hasegawa traveled to eight Ivy League campuses on the United States East Coast and photographed students in their everyday clothing. The resulting images documented an authentic, informal interpretation of collegiate dress and became an important reference for Japanese fashion. Decades later, the book gained renewed international attention after being circulated on an American fashion blog in 2008. An English edition published in 2010 by a Brooklyn-based publisher reportedly sold widely and was displayed by retailers including Ralph Lauren and J.Crew. Van Jacket's commercial expansion ultimately proved difficult to sustain. Sales peaked at 45.2 billion yen for the fiscal year ended February 1975, but the company then suffered from the oil-shock recession, intensifying apparel competition, and difficulty attracting a new generation of customers. Support was sought from trading companies and textile manufacturers, but Van Jacket applied for protection under Japan's Corporate Reorganization Law on April 6, 1978. A successor company was formed in 1980 to inherit trademarks and other intellectual property, renamed Van Jacket in 1981, and rebuilt with the efforts of former employees. That successor entered bankruptcy again in 1984. The business was acquired by Itochu Trading in 2000. Publicly available reference material does not establish the brand's current corporate structure or operating status with certainty.
History
Van Jacket was established by Kensuke Ishizu in Minami-ku, Osaka, as a company focused on men's clothing. During the 1950s, its principal business centered on suits and other tailored garments. Rather than simply reproducing existing Japanese formalwear conventions, the company increasingly looked to the United States for references as postwar cultural and economic links expanded. The decisive change came during the 1960s, when Van Jacket adopted American Ivy and New England collegiate influences. The company translated the visual language of Ivy League clothing into a Japanese retail and lifestyle proposition. Its approach included tailored jackets, shirts, ties, knitwear, and casual pieces, but its importance lay in the way it connected these products to a complete model of men's appearance and behavior. The phrase T.P.O.—Time, Place and Occasion—became associated with the idea that clothing should be selected according to setting and activity. Van Jacket's Ivy style became highly visible among young people in Tokyo. The Miyuki-zoku, a group associated with Miyuki-dori, helped make the look a recognizable youth-fashion phenomenon. VAN's paper shopping bag itself became a fashionable object, showing how effectively the company converted a commercial mark into a cultural signifier. The brand also expanded its identity through its Aoyama headquarters and VANGUARDS, an American-football team organized as an in-house club. In 1965, a team connected with the company produced Take Ivy. Photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida worked with Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, and Hajime Hasegawa on a project that documented students at eight Ivy League campuses on the U.S. East Coast. Rather than presenting only formal or ceremonial dress, the photographs emphasized the everyday details of collegiate clothing. The book became a lasting visual reference for Japanese interpretations of American traditional style. Van Jacket remained prominent into the 1970s, when its influence extended beyond a narrow fashion subculture. Its commercial performance reached a reported peak of 45.2 billion yen in sales for the fiscal year ending in February 1975. The business then deteriorated. The oil-shock recession weakened consumer demand, competition in the apparel market intensified, and the company struggled to attract a new customer base. Van Jacket sought assistance from trading companies including Marubeni and Mitsubishi Corporation, as well as textile manufacturers such as Toyobo and Kanebo, but these measures did not prevent reorganization proceedings. On April 6, 1978, the company applied for protection under Japan's Corporate Reorganization Law, effectively entering bankruptcy proceedings. A successor, Van Jacket New Co., Ltd., was created on December 3, 1980, to inherit trademarks and other intellectual property. It was renamed Van Jacket Co., Ltd. on March 25, 1981, and was rebuilt with the efforts of former employees. The founder was no longer primarily responsible for management, and the successor company later went bankrupt again in 1984. Itochu Trading acquired the business in 2000. The brand's cultural legacy experienced a revival outside Japan in the late 2000s. After Take Ivy appeared on an American fashion blog in 2008, interest in the book spread among designers, retailers, and historians of menswear. An English edition followed in 2010 and reportedly sold 50,000 copies worldwide. The book appeared in stores such as Ralph Lauren and J.Crew and was discussed as a source for renewed or neo-Ivy interpretations. Van Jacket's historical importance therefore rests not only on its former commercial scale, but also on its role in making American traditional menswear a durable part of Japanese fashion culture.
- 2010
English edition of Take Ivy released
[1]A Brooklyn-based publisher issued an English edition, broadening the book's international audience.
- 2008
Take Ivy experiences online revival
[1]The 1965 photo book gained new international attention after being featured on an American fashion blog.
- 2000
Business acquired by Itochu Trading
[1]Itochu Trading acquired the Van Jacket business.
- 1984
Successor company enters bankruptcy
[1]The rebuilt successor company went bankrupt again.
- 1981
Successor renamed Van Jacket
[1]On March 25, Van Jacket New Co., Ltd. was renamed Van Jacket Co., Ltd.
- 1980
Successor company established
[1]Van Jacket New Co., Ltd. was established to inherit the former company's trademarks and intellectual property.
- 1978
Corporate reorganization filing
[1]Van Jacket applied for protection under Japan's Corporate Reorganization Law on April 6.
- 1975
Reported sales peak
[1]Sales reportedly reached 45.2 billion yen for the fiscal year ending in February 1975.
- 1965
Take Ivy documents Ivy League clothing
[1]A Van-linked team created the Take Ivy photo book after visiting eight Ivy League campuses in the United States.
- 1960
Shift toward American Ivy style
[1]During the 1960s, Van Jacket moved from a primarily suit-oriented business toward American Ivy and New England-inspired menswear.
Products and positioning
American traditional and Ivy-inspired Japanese menswear with a strong lifestyle, collegiate, and cultural identity.
Menswear
VAN Ivy menswear
Van Jacket's central product world consisted of American traditional and Ivy-inspired men's clothing. It adapted collegiate East Coast references for Japanese consumers through tailored jackets, suits, shirts, ties, knitwear, and coordinated casual garments. The range was presented not merely as individual apparel but as a system of dress connected to setting, activity, and personal lifestyle.
Fashion publication · 1965
Take Ivy
Take Ivy is a 1965 photographic book produced by a team associated with Van Jacket. It records students and everyday clothing at eight Ivy League campuses in the United States. Its documentary approach made it an enduring reference for Japanese Ivy style and, after its later international rediscovery, for global menswear enthusiasts interested in authentic collegiate dress.
Lifestyle merchandise
VAN branded merchandise
The VAN identity appeared on shopping bags and other brand-associated merchandise. These objects became part of the brand's cultural impact, particularly during the 1960s, when carrying a VAN paper bag could itself signal membership in a fashionable youth culture.
Marketing campaigns
- 1965Take Ivy
Japan · United States
Van-linked collaborators documented everyday clothing at eight Ivy League campuses, creating a visual and editorial expression of the brand's American traditional positioning.
Outcome. The book became a lasting reference for Japanese Ivy style and later gained an international following.
Brand decisions
2000
Itochu Trading acquisitionM&ABackground
Following the successor company's renewed financial difficulties, the Van Jacket business became available for acquisition.
Action taken
Itochu Trading acquired the business.
Aftermath
The acquisition preserved the brand's corporate and intellectual-property continuity, although the available reference does not establish its current operating structure.
1980
Create a successor companyStrategyBackground
The original Van Jacket company had entered reorganization proceedings, but its trademarks and intellectual property retained value.
Action taken
Van Jacket New Co., Ltd. was established to inherit those assets and was renamed Van Jacket Co., Ltd. in 1981.
Aftermath
The brand was rebuilt through the efforts of former employees, although the successor later went bankrupt again in 1984.
1978
Seek protection under corporate reorganization lawOtherBackground
After its 1975 sales peak, the company faced recessionary pressure following the oil shock, increased apparel competition, and difficulty attracting new customers.
Action taken
Van Jacket filed for protection under Japan's Corporate Reorganization Law on April 6, 1978.
Aftermath
The original company effectively entered bankruptcy; a successor was later established to preserve trademarks and other intellectual property.
Sales. 45.2 billion yen (Fiscal year ended February 1975; later deterioration before the April 1978 filing)
1960
Move from suits toward American IvyStrategyBackground
The company began as a men's clothing and suit business, but postwar interest in American culture created an opportunity to broaden its fashion proposition.
Action taken
Van Jacket shifted its emphasis toward American Ivy and New England-style clothing, linking apparel with a broader men's lifestyle.
Aftermath
The shift helped make VAN a leading force in Japanese fashion during the 1960s and 1970s.
Recent events
- 2010
English edition of Take Ivy published[1]
Product launch · Other
An English-language edition of Take Ivy was published by a Brooklyn-based publisher and became influential among international fashion audiences.
- 2008
Take Ivy gains renewed international attention[1]
Campaign · Other
The 1965 Take Ivy photo book was circulated by an American fashion blog, helping revive international interest in Van Jacket's documentation of Ivy League style.
- 1980
Successor company inherits Van Jacket trademarks[1]
Other
Van Jacket New Co., Ltd. was established to take over trademarks and other intellectual property held by the former company.
- 1978
Van Jacket files for corporate reorganization[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Van Jacket sought protection under Japan's Corporate Reorganization Law after a sharp deterioration in performance attributed to the oil-shock recession, stronger apparel competition, and difficulties in building a new customer base.
Sources1 sources
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