8.15 August Fifteenth isn’t technically a new kid on the block. Designer Kazushi Ota has been based in the basement at 184 Franklin for about four years now, working on private labels for clients such as Urban Outfitters (under his corporate entity, Designings), as well as his own label (8.15 August Fifteenth, which is sold at Barneys). But tomorrow he’s reopening an 8.15 August Fifteenth shop there for spring/summer, and given that most folks will walk by the entrance without noticing it, just like we did when it was open last winter, a little fanfare seems in order.

Although Ota now lives in Westchester, he lived above Walker’s when he first moved from Japan in 1988. “I was looking for the working space in Tribeca and thinking about our brand name for a while. And I found and got this space on Aug. 15 2006. I knew it was the day in 1945 was the day World War II officially ended in Japan and found the first day of the Woodstock festival in 1969.”

Ota decorated the 300-square-foot space with fixtures he made at  his 1836 farmhouse and antiques that had been in his garage. The clothing—Ota handles the menswear, while his design assistant, Reiko Horii, works on the women’s line—emphasizes classic American motifs, but in stylish cuts and fabrics, such as a fishing vest in olive linen. It’s highly wearable, cool without trying. Ota describes his goal as to make clothes are “utilitarian and comfortable,” like “well-used tools.”

8.15 August Fifteenth is at 184 Franklin (bet. Hudson and Greenwich); info@augustfifteenth.com, augustfifteenth.com. The shop is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, as well as by appointment.