Look closely at any typically “American” article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have taken the classic American look—known as ametora, or “American traditional”—and turned it into a huge business for companies like Uniqlo, Kamakura Shirts, Evisu, and Kapital. This phenomenon is part of a long dialogue between Japanese and American fashion; in fact, many of the basic items and traditions of the modern American wardrobe are alive and well today thanks to the stewardship of Japanese consumers and fashion cognoscenti, who ritualized and preserved these American styles during periods when they were out of vogue in their native land.

In Ametora, cultural historian W. David Marx traces the Japanese assimilation of American fashion over the past hundred and fifty years, showing how Japanese trendsetters and entrepreneurs mimicked, adapted, imported, and ultimately perfected American style, dramatically reshaping not only Japan’s culture but also our own in the process.

作者丨W. 大卫•马克斯（W. David Marx）

文化记者、职业撰稿人、作家。先后毕业于哈佛大学东亚研究系、庆应义塾大学商学院。作品见于GQ、The New Yorker、POPEYE等刊物，现居东京。

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译者丨吴纬疆

世新大学传播研究所硕士，自由译者。译有《自恋时代》《在上帝之城与魔鬼共舞》《旅行的异义》等书。