A co-sign from Kanye West can work wonders for a brand—just ask Haider Ackermann or John Elliott, who both undeniably had their profile raised by 'Ye. But there's at least one brand that isn't doing back flips to be seen on the back of Yeezus. Tucked away in a New York Times profile of cult Japanese brand Visvim is this nugget from writer Guy Trebay on the label's popular footwear model, the FBT. "Even Kanye West was put on a waiting list." (He eventually got a pair, of course.)
One celebrity who never seems to get denied pieces from Visvim designer Hiroki Nakamura is John Mayer, who is a well-known fanboy. It's rumored that John Mayer owns "one to rock and one to stock" of every Visvim piece ever made, and he archives them in a warehouse. That rumor was only half refuted by Mayer, who told GQ, "I don't have two of every piece. I have a very healthy representation of each season." He did admit he has a storage space full of pieces, though. Mayer spoke on his love for the brand in the Times story. "Part of what makes Visvim so powerful is that it evokes something in you," Mayer told the Times. "My whole road case is Visvim. I’m taking all the checkered madras."
However, Kanye getting wait-listed is in-line with the rest of the brand's lowkey attitude towards advertising and marketing, which relies almost entirely on word of mouth.
The story also touches on Nakamura's attraction to more natural manufacturing—"Machine-made goods are perfect beyond the original goal"—and the influence of the U.S. on his design. You can read it in full here.
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