The bandanna became popular in the United States for several reasons. A multifunctional and inexpensive accessory, it also acquired a political significance. In 1775 Martha Washington gave her husband George a bandanna with an image of one of his battles. She thus defied the British ban on textile printing and established a trend—bandannas as a social, advertising or sporting element. During the following decades different social groups such as cholos, bikers and rappers gave it a meaning of its own and from there it has jumped to streetwear and luxury.
Japan is a key country for preserving some of the American designs and manufacturing methods. Kapital began by mixing American denim with traditional Japanese techniques, but expanded its horizons by including other iconic American imagery. Born in Asia, the bandanna traveled through Europe, became a myth in America and, from there, arrived in Japan with new ideas.
Inside Kapital’s headquarters in Kojima is The Elephant Brand Bandanna Museum, an idea of brand founder’s son Kiro Hirata that compiles a century of bandanna history in 250 pieces selected by Jonathan Lukacek of Bandanna Almanac. The museum is also the origin of many Kapital designs, in which the bandanna is used as part of patchworks on shirts, jackets, hoodies, joggers and socks.
