Journal
THE STORY OF INDIGO T-SHIRTS
SUGAHARA ON INDIGO T-SHIRTS
For more than a quarter of a century, Sugahara has stood at the center of 45R’s product development. Specializing in knitwear and cut-and-sew pieces, he is involved in every stage of creation—from raw fiber selection to yarn development, pattern drafting, sewing, and even the final toile sample. Few people understand the brand’s making process as completely as he does.
— 45R’s way of making clothes is said to be unusual.
Sugahara:
Most apparel companies work in divisions. Fabric comes from one supplier, planning from another team, patterns from somewhere else. At 45R, we do things differently. We begin with yarn development and follow the process all the way through to the finished garment.
When we decide to make something, we start by choosing the cotton itself. What kind of fiber? Which mill? Which machine will spin the yarn? What gauge should we knit at? How many twists should the yarn have? How thick should it be, and how much irregularity should we allow? We even determine which month it will be released and in what color.
I draft the pattern myself. I sew the first sample myself.
Because the process isn’t fragmented, we can take responsibility for the garment from beginning to end. That continuity is essential to 45R.
— Indigo T-shirts are central to the brand.
Sugahara:
We have developed at least thirty-five original indigo recipes over the years, including shades inspired by traditional Japanese colors such as Nando and Gunjo. The exploration eventually led us to cultivate indigo on our own farm.
Indigo is not an easy material to work with. The dye permeates knitting machines. It requires careful maintenance. Factories are, understandably, reluctant. Production numbers cannot simply be increased at will. Still, we continue—because indigo changes with the wearer. It becomes their color.
I prefer garments that look better after years of wear than they did when new.
— What defines a 45R T-shirt?
Sugahara:
It begins with yarn. We source cotton from respected regions around the world and select fibers suited precisely to the garment we want to create. Rather than using perfectly uniform yarn counts, we sometimes choose fractional counts. Cotton fibers are naturally irregular. Embracing that irregularity gives the fabric life.
A 45R T-shirt has texture on both sides—subtle unevenness front and back. That dimensional quality is part of its character.
We also study vintage T-shirts that have survived for decades, including their construction on the inside. Using 100% cotton sewing thread allows the seams to settle naturally into the body fabric over time. These details matter. They help a garment endure.
He points to the neckline of an indigo T-shirt worn for decades—the collar softened by time, shaped by years of wear.
45R does not heavily fix the dye. Indigo may touch the skin at first, a choice made so the blue can continue to age beautifully over time.
— You often speak about clothing that remains.
Sugahara:
Many garments today are treated as consumables. But some pieces cannot be thrown away. They age into something personal. Those are the kinds of garments I want to make—pieces with essential design and quality that allow them to become future vintage.
At 45R, we believe the wearer completes the garment. Natural materials should feel fresh when worn—almost newly harvested. And when human hands add the final touches—button attachment, bartacks, careful pressing—the garment gains fullness.
If it looks better after years of wear than it did on the day it was bought, then we have done our job.
Sugahara has worn and lived with these indigo T-shirts for over two decades at 45R. No two are the same—each has grown differently, shaped by his daily life and time.
