On a small square a short walk away from Osaka’s busy Kita shopping and entertainment district lies Coppoletta, a combined fashion shop and bar. The entrance literally as narrow as the door, this is one shop you will never find unless someone tells you about it, or you’re seriously lost. You’d be missing out on a truly cool place to go shopping and hang out all at the same time.

Designer and owner Yoshinori Nakamura fell in love with the Coppola when he lived in Italy. After his return to Japan it was almost natural that he’d start his unique combination of wine bar and Coppola specialty shop. “I liked designing Coppola and I wanted to run a bar, but I couldn’t make up my mind.” So he did both.

At Coppoletta you will find a very large collections of Coppolas

The Coppola’s shape makes it very distinctive. It is more puffy than ordinary hunting caps and its form is slightly asymmetrical. This allows it to give your outfits a big accent.

To some this may sound like it’s difficult to wear these unique caps. But Coppoletta owner Nakamura is happy to take you by the hand. “There are few people who know what fits them at first sight, and can decide what to buy, so I happily assist.” He will gladly show you how to wear the Coppola and which designs and colors fit you best.

Nakamura doesn’t stick to strict rules. “There is no rule to how to wear the Coppola,” he told me. “It is up to the person, and the Coppola itself will change to fit the wearer. The longer you are with a Coppola, the more it will suit yourself.” Because its design is not influenced by short-term trends, and because a Coppola is not married to a season, you can enjoy your Coppola anytime and for many years on end.

Coppola the Japanese way

Coppoletta has an amazing collection, many of them hidden away in drawers. Customized orders are accepted. You can choose a design that you like, specify colors and materials and Nakamura will have it made to size. “Getting a correctly sized Coppola is very difficult, but very important.”

What makes Nakamura’s Coppolas especially attractive is how he has applied his Japanese sense of design and aesthetics to this traditional Sicilian headgear. This often creates amazing results, like this burgundy red Coppola, partly made of the skin of stingrays. The way the light plays with the rough skin is a joy to the eye.

A Coppola partly made of rough stingray skin.

Be sure to check the inside of the Coppolas too. There is a cute secret there. Nakamura designs not only the outside of the hat, but also the hidden lining. For each Coppola he uses a different textile and pattern. It is this wonderful attention to detail which makes a Coppola designed by Nakamura a true Japanese original.

Nakamura’s attention to detail extends to the inside of his Coppolas

Go and check this shop out. Give yourself some extra time to try on many different designs and then relax with a delicious glass of wine at the small and quiet bar in the back of the store. Small snacks are on the menu, too, so you can sit here for hours while talking with Nakamura about the kind of Coppola you would like him to design next.

Yoshinori Nakamura, Coppola designer and owner of Osaka based fashion shop and wine bar Coppoletta.

Name: Coppoletta
Address: 3-6-4 Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka (大阪市北区豊崎3-6-4)
Hours: 15:00-24:00
Closed: Mondays
Phone: (+81) 06-6375-5286

Top photo: Coppoletta—a wonderful place to escape for fashion lovers