ABOUT
Post O’Alls (Post Overalls) is a reimagined workwear brand founded in 1992 in Manhattan, New York City. Designer was Takeshi Ohfuchi, and the brand made its official debut in January 1993 at MAGIC show. Season was Fall/Winter 1993, The brand concept was to propose pre-WWII American workwear in a mood that suits the current times. The brand boasted a unique balance between classic vintage inspiration and modern sensibility.
Back then, pre-war American workwear was virtually unknown, and even vintage clothing in general was appreciated only by a small number of highly discerning individuals and designers. Post O’Alls started literally from scratch by researching and reproducing intricate sewing techniques, details, and classic pattern-making methods that had already gone. They also studied the types of threads and sewing machines used in vintage days.
Although the term “pre-war” refers to more than 50 years before the 1990s, the entire industry had changed dramatically by then. For example, side seam gussets on shirts—a common feature today—had long gone, as had classic pullover-style shirts (shirts before the front-opening style were pullovers). Details like chin straps on collars had also disappeared. After World War II, as industries focused increasingly on productivity, inefficient methods were eliminated.
Post O’Alls dissected deadstock vintage garments for study and interviewed old-timers in the industry to relearn these lost techniques, redefining every element from the ground up. On top of this, the brand introduced original ideas not found in vintage garments and designed the way puckering and wrinkles would appear after wear and washing for extra presence.
Designer Takeshi Ohfuchi’s interest in fashion was sparked early, influenced by his parents who were fashion editors. Through his childhood and teens, he experienced various styles including hippie, Ivy League, European, rock, outdoor, military, and surfer fashions. In the late 1970s, as a mid-teenager, he became captivated by vintage American clothing, initially drawn to beautifully faded vintage capital “E” Levi’s denim. In his early 20s, he had a shocking encounter with a pre-war denim coverall jacket at a vintage store in Harajuku, Tokyo. The jacket’s stunning indigo blue tone, unique unseen details, unmatched comfort, and lost silhouette opened an entirely new world to him.
Although he had been searching and wearing vintage jeans and jackets from Levi’s, Lee, and Wrangler, this was something else entirely. He quickly became deeply fascinated with old workwear. By wearing various vintage workwear pieces daily, he realized that pre-war workwear was completely different—not just in comfort but also in the feeling of wearing it—from contemporary clothing and even vintage apparel from the 1940s to 1960s.
As he searched through old photo collections and gathered pre-war catalogs to verify dates and styles, he gradually became more and more fascinated by the clothing, design, and fabrics of the 1910s to 1930s. Art Deco has been already one of his favorite styles, but his interest expanded further into the industrial aesthetics of that era—such as Streamline and the Machine Age—which laid the foundation for Great American design. Eventually, he found himself prioritizing coveralls as a designer. Around that time, he had also started wearing tweed jackets and suits, so hip-length coveralls felt more natural than the shorter garments he used to wear in younger days, like denim cowboy jackets or flight jackets. Above all, the most enjoyable part was the possibility to create his own way of wearing them.
Takeshi always enjoyed seeing what vintage workers wore in old photos, but not always excited by seeing the way workers wore, nor did he follow any fashion trends for vintage workwear, since it had never been a trend before. With no preconceived notions or established styling rules, he felt free to define his own approach. Furthermore, his love in military and outdoor wear deepened his passion for vintage workwear as he discovered they are all historically evolved from workwear platform.
In 1987, Takeshi moved to New York, the epicenter of American fashion. There, he hunted vintage garments, sold them, frequented flea markets, worked, and studied at fashion school. His vintage collection and knowledge grew steadily. After graduating from the Production Management Major at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he established the brand in New York at age 30.
Now, over 30 years later, Post O’Alls has created a unique world where flavors from the past and present, east and west collide. Designer Takeshi Ohfuchi still buys and wears vintage clothes today. To him, the charm of vintage lies not only in its design and details but also in its distinct fit and the mood which creates—qualities born from the pattern-making magic. To recreate that magic, he continues searching for fits that match his mood every day.
Back then, pre-war American workwear was virtually unknown, and even vintage clothing in general was appreciated only by a small number of highly discerning individuals and designers. Post O’Alls started literally from scratch by researching and reproducing intricate sewing techniques, details, and classic pattern-making methods that had already gone. They also studied the types of threads and sewing machines used in vintage days.
Although the term “pre-war” refers to more than 50 years before the 1990s, the entire industry had changed dramatically by then. For example, side seam gussets on shirts—a common feature today—had long gone, as had classic pullover-style shirts (shirts before the front-opening style were pullovers). Details like chin straps on collars had also disappeared. After World War II, as industries focused increasingly on productivity, inefficient methods were eliminated.
Post O’Alls dissected deadstock vintage garments for study and interviewed old-timers in the industry to relearn these lost techniques, redefining every element from the ground up. On top of this, the brand introduced original ideas not found in vintage garments and designed the way puckering and wrinkles would appear after wear and washing for extra presence.
Designer Takeshi Ohfuchi’s interest in fashion was sparked early, influenced by his parents who were fashion editors. Through his childhood and teens, he experienced various styles including hippie, Ivy League, European, rock, outdoor, military, and surfer fashions. In the late 1970s, as a mid-teenager, he became captivated by vintage American clothing, initially drawn to beautifully faded vintage capital “E” Levi’s denim. In his early 20s, he had a shocking encounter with a pre-war denim coverall jacket at a vintage store in Harajuku, Tokyo. The jacket’s stunning indigo blue tone, unique unseen details, unmatched comfort, and lost silhouette opened an entirely new world to him.
Although he had been searching and wearing vintage jeans and jackets from Levi’s, Lee, and Wrangler, this was something else entirely. He quickly became deeply fascinated with old workwear. By wearing various vintage workwear pieces daily, he realized that pre-war workwear was completely different—not just in comfort but also in the feeling of wearing it—from contemporary clothing and even vintage apparel from the 1940s to 1960s.
As he searched through old photo collections and gathered pre-war catalogs to verify dates and styles, he gradually became more and more fascinated by the clothing, design, and fabrics of the 1910s to 1930s. Art Deco has been already one of his favorite styles, but his interest expanded further into the industrial aesthetics of that era—such as Streamline and the Machine Age—which laid the foundation for Great American design. Eventually, he found himself prioritizing coveralls as a designer. Around that time, he had also started wearing tweed jackets and suits, so hip-length coveralls felt more natural than the shorter garments he used to wear in younger days, like denim cowboy jackets or flight jackets. Above all, the most enjoyable part was the possibility to create his own way of wearing them.
Takeshi always enjoyed seeing what vintage workers wore in old photos, but not always excited by seeing the way workers wore, nor did he follow any fashion trends for vintage workwear, since it had never been a trend before. With no preconceived notions or established styling rules, he felt free to define his own approach. Furthermore, his love in military and outdoor wear deepened his passion for vintage workwear as he discovered they are all historically evolved from workwear platform.
In 1987, Takeshi moved to New York, the epicenter of American fashion. There, he hunted vintage garments, sold them, frequented flea markets, worked, and studied at fashion school. His vintage collection and knowledge grew steadily. After graduating from the Production Management Major at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he established the brand in New York at age 30.
Now, over 30 years later, Post O’Alls has created a unique world where flavors from the past and present, east and west collide. Designer Takeshi Ohfuchi still buys and wears vintage clothes today. To him, the charm of vintage lies not only in its design and details but also in its distinct fit and the mood which creates—qualities born from the pattern-making magic. To recreate that magic, he continues searching for fits that match his mood every day.