From a Tasmanian farm to a Hokkaido shrine - one suit, one philosophy.

 

M.J. Bale's single-source woolgrower Simon Cameron often cites the concept of "interdependency" when he talks about his Kingston farm - the sheep depend on the native grasslands, the grasslands depend on the sheep, conservation depends on farming, and farming depends on healthy ecosystems. Everything connects to everything else. It is, as we discovered on a recent visit to Otaru, Hokkaido, a near-perfect description of Shinto.

We had travelled to Japan to visit our master tailor Kaneko Kenichi, whose team was making our new Kingston Made in Japan collection, arriving later this year, using both hand and machine - a 1930s-inspired shawl collar tuxedo, classic navy suit and ties. What we didn't expect was to find Simon Cameron's farming philosophy - and the soul of M.J. Bale - explained by a Shinto priest.