Iron Heart
After 20 years of working in the garment industry in Japan, Shinichi Haraki established Works Inc a.k.a. Iron Heart in 2003 as a heavyweight Japanese clothing brand, initially aimed at the Japanese motorcycling community. Over the years and in partnership with the UK heritage community, the brand has become the pinnacle definition of bullet-proof garment construction. Originally made for bikers, Iron Heart pushes the design and construction of the clothing to the limit of what can actually be woven and sewn: “over-engineered is our starting point.” Iron Heart creates classic and timeless clothing crafted out of the finest materials to the highest standards by closely working from fabric development to garment manufacturing in Japan, informed by an eye to the ground with the cult community the brand has inspired. This is not reproduction clothing; rather the study of classic denim and workwear styles and constructing them for today’s lifestyle of flannels, denim, chambray, and leather pieces on time-tested military or riding favorites. From the selection of the type of cotton used, to the weave of the denim, The Works is actively involved in the full garment lifecycle. This also includes designing and producing bespoke fabrics. The mills and workshops used are mostly small and family-run, whose deep pride in their products matches that of the Iron Heart cult community their products have created.