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Human Made Goes Public On Tokyo Stock Exchange
Images courtesy of Human Made // Illustration by Kate Walker
Japanese streetwear brand Human Made made history by becoming the first streetwear label to go public, debuting on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Why It Hits: Streetwear has come a long way since its start in California’s surf and skate culture and NYC’s hip-hop scene — and its official rise as a fashion movement in the 1990s with the launch of Supreme and A Bathing Ape. Outside the US, Japan has long been the epicenter of the style — and now gets to lay claim to being the first to drop an IPO.
Between The Threads: Human Made, founded by KENZO creative director NIGO, is known for selling clothes at top-shelf prices. Now, it can boast the same for its stock.
Human Made’s shares were up 13% by the closing bell of their IPO debut.
The brand raised $113.8 million from the offering.
The company plans to use the funds to expand its brick-and-mortar footprint and invest in a portfolio of brands.
Final Order: The demand for Human Made isn’t surprising, given the brand has steadily grown as a successful business for years — “quintupling its sales and revenue since 2021 and achieving a 28 percent operating margin, on par with luxury fashion labels,” per Business of Fashion. The reason for that is twofold: NIGO’s timeless design choices and the creative input from the company’s second-largest shareholder, Pharrell.
That was always going to be a strong recipe for building a powerhouse.
Future Style: We wouldn’t be surprised if an American streetwear label makes the IPO jump next. Our money’s on either Supreme or Kith.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.