Sun Surf Lot SS39277 / SPECIAL EDITION “Crane Fly Away”

Title: “CRANE FLY AWAY”
Vintage: MUSA-SHIYA THE SHIRTMAKEREra
: Late 1940sMaterial
: Rayon crepePrint
: OverprintDesign
pattern: All-over pattern (oriental design)

This work depicts a crane taking off dynamically, with the entire shirt as a canvas. Even among oriental designs, there are very few works in which one motif is depicted extensively over the entire shirt, and as they are highly sought after by collectors, they are often traded at high prices. This shirt also has a rare design in which the paulownia crest (a family crest used by the Imperial family, etc.) is printed on top of the printed crane using silver pigment.

Musashiya Shorten steadily increased its customer base through advertising in major newspapers and other media from the 1920s. Many tourists visited the shop, and orders began to come in from all over the world, including South Africa and Argentina. In the 1930s, the company was incorporated and aimed to make further progress, but due to the effects of the Great Depression, in 1934 it sold its business along with its store to the import trading company Fujii Junichi Shoten. He moved to South King in Honolulu and established “Musashiya the Shirtmaker”. He continued to manufacture aloha shirts energetically after that, leaving behind many historic pieces.

SUN SURF SPECIAL EDITION

Aloha shirts are a symbol of paradise Hawaii. Their origins are deeply connected to Japanese immigrants, and there are vintage aloha shirts with not only tropical patterns but also Japanese patterns. In the mid-20th century, when Hawaii was established as a tourist destination, the demand for aloha shirts as souvenirs increased dramatically. Designs and patterns became more diverse, and many works were created. In the process of collecting vintage aloha shirts, it is a special gem that you can rarely come across. In honor of the textile designers who created these masterpieces that are being lost with the passage of time, we perfectly reproduce their charm with all their luxurious multi-colored prints, powerful designs, and details that differ depending on the manufacturer and era. That is the Sun Surf Special Edition.

Made in Japan