Senui is a one-person operation, specializing in handmade shirts and shirt-jackets. Designed, run, and produced entirely by Hiroyuki Kato at a small workshop in Japan, the name Senui is taken from traditional kimono construction details - in Japanese, Senui means "backstitching", referring to the vertical seam that runs down the back of a proper kimono. Each Senui shirt is finished with a singular seam running down the back, as opposed to having multiple side seams, creating a much more elegant silhouette and gentle drape.

The Cover Shirt is halfway between a dress shirt and an overshirt, with an elegant shape that's been exaggerated into an oversized silhouette. It has two welted flap pockets on the front, sitting above a curved shirttail hem with pleated gussets at the side. The fit is relaxed, with a roomy torso and dropped shoulders, as well as a classic collar and wide sleeves that taper when buttoned at the cuff.

It's got precise single-needle construction throughout, a detail evocative of bespoke dress shirts and traditional European tailoring, with light tonal buttons and bartack reinforcements. Like other Senui shirts, it lacks any side seams, with the paneling predominantly visible through the back — featuring a singular vertical seam, a horizontal dropped back yoke seam, and two small gathered pleats coming off the yoke for shaping.

It's made from a remarkably soft 100% cotton poplin fabric with a lightweight canvas lining through the entire inside. It's been finished with a rinse, handling the initial shrinkage and creating subtle puckering at some of the seams. Fairly lightweight, it's a good layering fabric, more suited to warmer weather if worn alone, but easily kept in rotation all year long if stacked with other more seasonally-appropriate textiles & garments.

Fits true to size with a relaxed body. Wash cold and hang dry.

• 100% cotton
• Lightweight vertical stripe fabric
  
• Fully-lined
• Button placket and cuffs
• Two welted front pockets with flap covers
• Curved shirttail hem with gussets
• No side seam construction
• Vertical back seam
• Dropped back yoke
• Pleated back for shaping
• Tonal buttons
• Classic collar
• Roomy sleeves with tapered cuffs
• Clean finish interior
  
• Custom woven labels
• High SPI single needle stitching
• Wash cold and hang dry
• Relaxed fit
• Made in Japan by a single operator
• Produced for Standard & Strange by Senui