John Mahoney is an American artist and designer, who fell in love with Japanese textiles when he visited Japan for the first time in 1993. But it wasn’t until 2016 – when he wanted to make a kimono-style coat out of a US Army blanket from WW2 – that he taught himself how to sew. He also taught himself how to make patterns, and he began making garments and accessories using vintage Japanese fabrics, shapes, and ideas. Every piece is different, and he makes every piece from up-cycled or dead stock materials in his studio in upstate New York. He calls it Nippon West.
