Americana Chic

Tokyo Designer: Fok-Yan Leung

This article in the Feb 9 Newsweek magazine caught my eye. I find that this applies not only to men but also women's current style and contemporary way of thinking. I see myself falling into the Americana trend as well. The yearning for American made clothing and style has brought "globalization full circle".

"For the foreigners who instigated the fad, sturdy American gear has long evoked a distant, idealized culture. As a child, Suzuki would watch "The Graduate" and obsess over Dustin Hoffman's parka and Jack Purcells. "Americana represented a new, almost utopian viewpoint for me," he says. With the recent decline in our security, industry and standing, that nostalgia for a prelapsarian America (and the durable domestic goods that defined it) seems to have settled over the stylish set here at home. "Ironically, it's largely because of overseas interest that Americans can now wear real American stuff".

"They're recognizing that heritage and quality are precious in our disposable Wal-Mart world."