Collection: retrospective by Silver Magazine

NEW YORK PHOTO STORY

retrospective by Silver Magazine

06.25.2025

Someone once said that a hairstyle is more indicative than clothing. However, as a man, I never wanted to be that kind of man who constantly worries about his hairstyle and peeks in the mirror. With such a shallow obsession, I never set my hair with hair cream or anything like that, and I always wore a hat. However, when you grow up, there are some situations where you can’t always wear a hat. 

 Then one day, through a close friend, I was introduced to HAIR OIL by LINC ORIGINAL MAKERS.  A classic bottle design that was far from the fleeting trends.  When I tried it out, it blended well with my hair, and by evening, my hair still felt right. Rather than styling your hair, you can blend in with your true self and groom yourself as it is. Since then, I have been a fan of LINC’s products.

LINC ORIGINAL MAKERS opened its first directly operated store in Brooklyn, New York in last year, taking one step forward to become a global brand as it shares its Japanese roots. I wonder how LINC’s products will be evaluated by the world with the quality from Japan and a witty sense of the quiet appearance.

Things that link person to person

The origin of the brand

LIP BALM, that was the beginning. Blessed with friends, the founder valued human connections and was always thinking of others. Lip balm was a necessity for him, and he was always trying different lip balms. Then he noticed that conversations were being made from those lip balms.

LINC was born from the simple idea that if I made my lip balm, it would be a chance to connect people with others. As it turned out, LIP BALM was not just a simple moisturizing item, but also a small device designed to be a conversation starter and a “trigger” that connects people. A LIP BALM pulled out of a pocket without saying a word can be the start of a conversation. That was the scene LINC envisioned.

In the early days, LINC didn’t have an online store. After much trial and error, they were confident in the quality of their products. They believed that the products and the atmosphere of the brand, which they confidently believed to be authentic, could only be conveyed in person. Believing this, they decided to establish a physical store. To convey the “body heat” of the brand correctly. Not to reach everyone, but to reach the right ones in the right way.

The hair care products are only available in trusted hair salons and are highly evaluated in the professional field. Conveying the warmth of the brand through face-to-face sales, coupled with the professional use of the products, eventually led to spreading the brand to the general public. The quality of the products has been praised by world-recognized hairstylist Tomo Jidai, who uses the LINC products in his workplace. The company's sincere attitude toward quality has earned it the support of professionals.

LINC's product designs evoke old Europe: classical, warm, and human touch. LINC's goal is to make something that becomes more beautiful with time, not to just create a transient trend. The development of fragrances is similar to the act of tracing memories. The founder's own past experiences, such as the memory of her brother's perfume, become the axis of the fragrance, appealing to the nostalgia that lies deep within us all.

The brand that started with a single LIP BALM has now expanded to lifestyle brand that handles fragrance, hair care, body care, and skin care, and is entering a new phase.

Bringing Products and Thought to the Heart of the World

Brooklyn, New York, was chosen as the location for the first overseas store opening. The world's largest city, where cultures from around the world intersect, was LINC's test to see if the brand's philosophy would work. The store that LINC opened there is not just a sales base, but is positioned as a cultural crossroads through mediating LINC. The concept of LINC as a bridge that connects people has remained unchanged since the brand's establishment.

Still be in someone's bag even 100 years from now.

Making products with sincerity and delivering them carefully.

Honest and delicate products, which are unique to Japanese brand production, will spread throughout the world and connect people with each other.

LINC is a brand that will continue to be there whenever you need necessities at the moment people connect, even 100 years from now.

That is LINC's wish and philosophy.

Silver Magazine No.28
Photo Maru Teppei
Text Takuya Chiba
Edit Yutaro Okamoto