Founded in 1999, Hiroshi Kato’s namesake label showcases the tradition of Japanese craftsmanship through a contemporary American lens.

The Everyday Chino was a product I developed from concept to campaign. The pants were designed as the answer to one of our most frequently asked questions about Hiroshi Kato products: “Got these in any other colors?” My goal was to satisfy this gap in our market by creating a pant that looked appropriate in any setting and be comfortable enough to be worn daily. A true “no-brainer” that you could throw on no matter the occasion. In development, I landed on a 10.5oz Japanese oxford cloth fabric that Hiroshi Kato had previously used for a different pant. The pants were then garment-dyed and enzyme-washed to create the look and feel of something you’ve worn for years. Familiarity was a recurring concept in this project.

As for the campaign, I chose to convey the wearability of the pants by showcasing them worn in three key settings: at the office (morning), happy hour (afternoon), and at home (night). I wanted to create a sense of familiarity with potential customers, so I chose to shoot the pants in environments where they’d most likely be worn: Seattle’s tech hub of South Lake Union, the Ballard brewery district, and in the comfort of your own home. The campaign copywriting was designed to convey the versatility of a work/social pant hybrid in a friendly and relatable tone. Key excerpts are found below.