“Kumamoto City has a history of attracting high-end fashion. In 1985, the designer menswear store Paul Smith opened up their first store in Japan in the city, leading all the way up to today when the American boutique Need Supply Co. will open its second Japanese store in Kumamoto later this year. Considering their first store was opened in Shibuya, going right to Kumamoto second has to be indicative of something.”
I was completely unaware of this history. On the other hand, I have heard that the people of Kumamoto think of themselves as “wasamon.” “Wasamon” is Kumamoto dialect for people who “like new things” and, according to the following Wikipedia page, it’s a characteristic of Kumamoto:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/熊本弁 「わさもん（早生者）」 … 新しいものが好きな人の意。これも県民性の一つにあげられる。
– Kirk
