When the topic of archive fashion comes up, many brands come to mind, ranging from the grungy Number (N)ine to avant garde Issey Miyake, to name a few. However, the brand Visvim doesn’t come to mind immediately for most, with a majority of the brand’s offerings not striking people as fitting neatly into what archive style is. This, in my opinion, overlooks the potential of Visvim’s offerings, along with the craftsmanship, luxury, and exclusivity of the brand. Due to a multitude of factors ranging from founder Hiroki Nakamura’s upbringing, to the attention to detail in every piece, Visvim will almost certainly be incorporated into what is considered as an archive fashion brand, and should already be. In his own words, Visvim’s founder stated, “I like to make things with that strength (of vintage items)" in 2013, and when combined with other factors of the brand, it makes complete sense that Visvim will become coveted in the future and incorporated into archive style as well.

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Visvim was launched in 2001, with the initial offerings mainly being the FBT sneaker. Both a tribute and recontextualization of the traditional moccasin, the shoe featured a moccasin essentially put onto a sneaker sole. This synthesis of new and old in Visvim’s early footwear would prove to become quite popular, with Visvim going from merely being a footwear brand to a full fledged fashion brand, with clothing becoming available in 2005. Early clothing of Visvim leaned into being performance minded yet vintage inspired. Drawing on American cultural icons such as Taxi Driver and old military wear, Nakumura would rework garments to be functional, able to age well, and full of nods to the vintage inspiration. As time progressed Visvim expanded its reach with the brand becoming more available in western markets, and the amount of products produced each season grew, with the quality and craftsmanship improving at the same time. From the launch of its women’s line in 2013 to its reach with celebrities such as John Mayer, Visvim has rapidly expanded from being a niche label to a luxury designer brand. With the label's offerings, profits, and notoriety only seeming to grow by the year, Visvim almost certainly will continue to reinterpret American classics for years (if not decades) to come.

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Writer: Isaac L. Davis