EXCLUSIVE: CULTURE IS NOT A TREND — A CONVERSATION WITH JUSTIN HAYNES ON MET MONDAY, JAPANESE INFLUENCE, AND FASHION INTEGRITY

Met Monday - JUS1OH

Photo Credits:

Lead Photographer: @scottparkerphoto

Second Photographer: @snowtasticshots

Beauty Artist @changingfacesbeautybar

Hairstylist: @__adelesbeauty_byuallnaturals

Model: @fashioninity

Production Assistant: @martinegmaxwell

Assistant to the designer: imaniiabrahim

Hand Painted Fabric: @lesn101

Marketing Editor: @dtuneshoots

Designer/ Tailor: @theofficialjus10h ‍ ‍

#JUS10H - JUSTIN HAYNES

By Ezra Jones, Editor of Fstate Magazine
Source: Justin Haynes

Met Monday -JUS10H - Designer-Tailor Justin Haynes

Who he is

Justin Haynes is a global designer-tailor and cultural strategist operating at the intersection of fashion, identity, and discipline. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Tokyo Fashion Council’s Board of Directors and Vice President of The West Africa Fashion Council, positioning him as both a creator and a global cultural operator.

What he does

He designs garments that prioritize structure, longevity, and meaning over trend cycles. Through his brand JUS10H, Haynes builds fashion as a vehicle for cultural dialogue, not just visual consumption.

Why it matters

At a time when fashion often borrows culture without understanding it, Haynes’ work centers education, engagement, and responsibility, resetting the standard for what cultural representation should look like in global fashion.

Why now

With global attention shifting toward Japanese influence, especially around Met Monday, his perspective challenges surface-level interpretations and introduces a deeper, more accountable approach to cultural integration.

Why him

Haynes doesn’t just reference culture, he studies, engages, and lives it. His authority comes from practice, not just positioning.

THE CONVERSATION

Ezra Jones: Japanese culture is often referenced in fashion but rarely understood. How do you approach it?

Justin Haynes:
“for me, I believe Japanese culture is taking over part of the fashion and style culture because of a lot of the trends today that we see has come from the Japanese culture” … “oversizing… the streetwear, the colors of blacks and the denims… Not only that but we’re turning Kimonos into regular day wear… bringing that to the style of what everybody knows as the Met Gala… and doing… my own thing to bring the culture together and it not be forgotten is huge to me”

Ezra Jones: What inspired your Met Monday concept?

Justin Haynes:
“With me being on the Tokyo Fashion Council I just noticed…it gives me more awareness now…”
“I didn’t see a lot of the Japanese culture presented…”
“I came up with something called Met Monday”
“This will be something to bring honor to the Met gala but in an international editorial way… what it would look like if we were in Tokyo.”

Ezra Jones: How does sustainability connect to Japanese culture in your work?

Justin Haynes:
“It helps a lot… it’s really simple but it hold true to the sustainability factor…”
“For this to be a sustainable project and use sustainable fabrics but in a luxurious way and not a fast fashion way is what I want to show…”

Ezra Jones: Where does the industry get Japanese culture wrong?

Justin Haynes:
“I think they get it wrong in garments… construction… sourcing of models…”
“I think that the culture… we have to be very conscious of how we build the culture and how we make It inclusive…”

Ezra Jones: How do you ensure you honor culture instead of borrowing it?

Justin Haynes:
“I am very conscious of how and who I use… I make sure that there’s a wide range of culture’s races sizes…”
“I like to be able to make sure that it’s known and seen that it’s for everybody…”

Ezra Jones: Where does your work sit—fashion or cultural commentary?

Justin Haynes:
“Cultural commentary”

Ezra Jones: What do you want people to feel when they wear your work?

Justin Haynes:
“Confidence number one…”
“I want them to feel timeless… a garment nobody else has… that’s gonna last forever…”

Ezra Jones: What inspires your Met Monday designs?

Justin Haynes:
“No this is all off the top of my head… I wanted to bring a little bit of me into the Japanese culture… a fun sense of luxury…”

Ezra Jones: What separates studying culture from appropriating it?

Justin Haynes:
“When you study it, you know it and you’re able to present it…”
“If you’re not studying it you won’t know how to present it…”
“It goes beyond the posting… It is what is going to translate overall.”

Ezra Jones: How important is transformation in your work?

Justin Haynes:
“You shouldn’t come to me and leave the same way…”
“If you don’t take the culture and the status of JUS10H with you… I haven’t done my part…”
“It should last forever, timeless.”

Ezra Jones: How do you help people find identity through fashion?

Justin Haynes:
“Through education… I need the when, what why and how…”
“It’s time out for us as creatives to stop building stuff for the moment… build stuff that’s going to last forever.”

Ezra Jones: What does cultural integrity require?

Justin Haynes:
“Cultural means that you have to engage it… There needs to be an engaging factor…”

Ezra Jones: What is your responsibility in global fashion?

Justin Haynes:
“My responsibility is to keep doing what I am doing now: educating… leaving lasting impressions…”
“This is what I’m living”

Ezra Jones: Why do designers struggle with cultural work and commercial success?

Justin Haynes:
“They’re not investing in… marketing…”
“It goes beyond your iphone…”
“Can we build together.”

Ezra Jones: How important is community?

Justin Haynes:
“It’s very important… no man no person is an island…”
“I discern who really wants the opportunity to grow versus… likes and shares.”

Ezra Jones: What advice would you give on collaboration?

Justin Haynes:
“You have to ask the question why…”
“What am I going to benefit…”
“Some people aren’t meant to collaborate with you.”

Ezra Jones: What do you want people to understand about your legacy?

Justin Haynes:
“I want them to understand that I did it and I made it happen… I want them to visually see it”

Ezra Jones: What questions should people be asking?

Justin Haynes:
“What does it mean?… and then How?”
“How can I get involved in the culture?”

Ezra Jones: Final thoughts on Met Monday?

Justin Haynes:
“Just know that Met Monday… is going to grow… going to be big.”
“I want to make sure that… it’s going to keep going for the next ten to twenty years…”

Ezra Jones: Justin Haynes is not designing for attention, he’s designing for permanence. In an industry built on speed, he is building memory. In a culture built on visibility, he is building understanding.

That’s the difference

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