Edwin Himself is Edwin Negado » On my desk: “The Hobo Style” by Porter Classic

On my desk: “The Hobo Style” by Porter Classic

January 9, 2011

During the Great Depression, high unemployment rates around the country lead to the rise of America’s hobo culture. By definition, a hobo is a migratory worker. They lived nomadic, day-to-day lifestyles with little-to-no money. Life was tough for these guys and they pretty much had to make ends meet with the limited resources that they had on the road. On top of the DIY aesthetic of their garb, hobos went as far as creating their own written code.

Last year, Leo and Katsu Yoshida of Porter Classic wrote a book called The Hobo Style. Published in association with the Hobo Museum, the book is a visual archive of the lives they lived and the items they carried along the way.

Over the holiday break, my friend Ted {Jyumoku} had the pleasure of running into Leo and Katsu at the Porter Classic shop in Tokyo. Before they parted ways, the Yoshidas relayed a copy of the book to me and were kind enough to sign it as well. Thank you gentlemen! More about Porter Classic here and here.