Yokosuka Dobuita — pattern design, embroidery, production
SUKAJAN
PATTERN
DESIGNER
Hiromichi Yokochi
Fierce,
but never too serious.
Brands and projects we have drawn for
- GU
- PUMA
- EXPO 2025
- MONSTER HUNTER
- TOKUGAWA ART MUSEUM
- KAN-JAN®
ABOUTAbout
It began with a jacket I wanted myself.
A designer who only draws sukajan patterns
Sukajan — the souvenir jacket — was born in Dobuita Street, Yokosuka, where US servicemen bought embroidered jackets to take home after the war. I moved here in 2008, opened a studio on that street, and have drawn nothing but sukajan patterns since.
I study the patterns of the 1940s and 50s, the earliest years of the form, and draw new ones in that vocabulary. I lend pieces from my own collection of postwar souvenir garments to museums — including Pride of Yokosuka: Exhibition of Souvenir Jacket “Sukajan” at the Yokosuka Museum of Art in 2022, the first exhibition on the subject held at a public museum in Japan.
I draw the way the needle moves: laying down stitch marks as I fill each area, so the lines I draw become the direction of the thread. That is why the pattern holds up once it is embroidered.
WHAT WE MAKEServices
From one jacket to a full production run.
Three ways to work with us
01 — Full order
A single jacket, made for you
We draw the pattern from scratch and finish it with yokofuri hand embroidery — a craftsman guiding the machine by hand, so no two pieces are ever identical. Bring a motif, a story, or nothing at all.
02 — Brand / OEM
Collaboration and production
Pattern design, embroidery data, sample making and production, handled through one contact. We have taken brand collaborations all the way through to national retail.
03 — Design only
The pattern, as data
If you already have a production line, we deliver the artwork alone — built for embroidery or for print, with thread colours specified.
You do not need to have a design. Telling us what you want on the jacket is enough.
PRICEPrice
Published, so you can budget.
Indicative prices
| Quantity | Using a stock body | Body made from a pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 1–49 | ¥165,000 and up per piece, design included, tax included | ¥220,000 and up per piece, design included, tax included |
| 50–99 | ¥38,500 and up per piece, design fee separate | ¥49,500 and up per piece, design fee separate |
| 100+ | ¥18,700 and up per piece, design fee separate | ¥27,500 and up per piece, design fee separate |
Figures are the lower bound and move with embroidery area, colour count, complexity and fabric. A formal quotation follows once we have confirmed stock and scheduling with our fabric and sewing partners.
LEAD TIMELead time
Booked in order received.
Three to four months
From reservation to delivery. Each jacket is made one at a time, so orders are taken in the order they are booked. The making itself takes about a month — the rest is the queue.
If you have a date, tell us first. Depending on the season we can sometimes deliver in as little as one month, for a rush fee. If we cannot make your date, we will say so straight away.
Everything can be done online
Briefing, rough approval, revisions and weekly progress reports. You do not need to be in Japan, or come to Yokosuka.
We ship internationally
Overseas orders are welcome. All correspondence can be in English.
Documents in order
Contracts covering copyright, the scope of the licence and prohibited uses are prepared under the supervision of our legal counsel.
SHOPShop
Visits are by appointment.
ICHI Dobuita, Yokosuka
Our shop stands on Dobuita Street, where sukajan began. Come and see the real thing: the difference between hand and machine embroidery, the weight of the fabric, the depth of the stitching. None of it reads in a photograph.
| Address | Ai’s Bldg. 1F, 3-11-7 Honcho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0041, Japan |
|---|---|
| Phone | +81 90-9924-4608 |
| Nearest station | Shioiri Station (Keikyu Line), 3 minutes on foot |
| Visiting | By appointment. Please email us before you come. |
| Online store | ichi-dobuita.square.site |
CONTACTContact
Tell us what you want on the jacket
Quantity, where you want the embroidery, roughly how many colours, and the date you need it. That is enough for us to come back with an estimate.