The DESCENDANT store is located a short way down a side street in Harajuku/Omotesando, Tokyo, and inside, towards the back of the store, the THINC PROJECT is displayed in the curated space known as the Den.

The THINC PROJECT was launched in 2021.
This is a project led by the director of STUMP Magazine and apparel brands WTAPS and DESCENDANT, Tetsu Nishiyama.
It is not an apparel brand, but rather an experiment and initiative, with the name "THINC PROJECT" coined through combining the words "think" and "Inc."

The theme of the project focuses on giving a second chance to surplus materials and samples, as well as to deadstock items that might seem fine at first glance but are rejected during quality control processes due to minor scratches or stains.

Most of the THINC PROJECT apparel on display in the Den has been washed and tumble-dried with American-made dryer sheets to give it a texture and feel that differs from brand-new items. The space where these pieces are exhibited is reminiscent of a second-hand clothing store, or perhaps someone's closet.

Another detail that sets THINC PROJECT pieces apart from ordinary apparel is that each item comes with a tag containing a comment, written in the director's own words, about the item's individuality and the stories behind its design.

“In the heyday of CDs, when you went to the soundtrack section at Tower Records, each CD had a little paper insert filled with comments and thoughts from the staff. It was invaluable information. I still have kept some of those inserts to this day. I think that kind of experience was something unique to that era, and it really conveyed the staff’s genuine love for movies and music. With the THINC PROJECT, I wanted to create a similar experience. I hope that those who see the items and comment tags find a little quiet joy in it, and perhaps it also gives them a reason to visit the store again.”

Presently, most of the materials that form the basis of the THINC PROJECT come from products made in-house, but the goal is to eventually work with external materials as well. The scope of the THINC PROJECT isn’t limited to clothing, as we have also worked on bags, used clothing hangers, and, on occasion, even upcycled furniture, so the range of items is quite broad. What connects them all is the focus on taking things we encounter in our daily lives and thinking about how to inject new interest and enjoyment into items and materials that might otherwise have gone to waste.
“Before raising our voices to send a message to society about the environment, we wanted to focus first on what we can do ourselves. That’s why I feel that it’s our responsibility to give a second life to the things we create.”

Since the brand began in 2014, DESCENDANT’s care and quality tags have included this message:

“Please hand me down to the next generation.”

Looking back at that, the ideas behind the THINC PROJECT may have existed since the beginning.

Give shape to ideas
as soon they are conceived

This winter, the THINC PROJECT will focus on WTAPS items for the first time.
This will be in order to infuse new individuality into and reintroduce to the stage this selection of WTAPS clothing.

What if the collar was removed?
Then remove the front zipper and simplify the cuffs.
Add a screen print logo to the back.
Without deciding on a finished form or a clear endpoint, the process involved working directly with the garment at hand, by cutting into it with scissors and gradually refining it by hand.
During the process, the piece came to resemble a Japanese haori, with the final design drawing from the image of a hanten.

“WTAPS has had matching hanten coats for its crew for a long time. In the past, we would all wear them to the Tori-no-Ichi festival or to the first shrine visit of the New Year, and we would also wear them to welcome customers during the New Year’s first sales, so hanten and WTAPS have always been closely connected.”

This hanten, made of polyester taffeta, blends Japanese and Western design elements and fastened at the front with magnets, is finished in a form entirely different from the original model.

“In the end, I just love this part of the process and coming up with ideas through the hands-on feel of cutting and pasting. This approach works because everyone is really skilled, knowledgeable, and works fast, which are things I can’t do myself, so I really have a lot of respect for them. There are people who enjoy the clothes we create this way, and that, in turn, becomes my own inspiration. There’s no lofty theme or grand scale, but it’s this kind of work that I enjoy, and I feel that’s what drives the THINC PROJECT as a whole.”