Fashion designer Kensuke Ishizu was born on October 20, 1911, in Okayama Prefecture. He passed away on May 24, 2005. After graduating from a local high school, he enrolled in the School of Commerce at Meiji University. He developed a deep knowledge of fashion while still a student, and after graduating, he worked in the fashion industry in China. After the war, he worked for the fashion manufacturer Renown. In 1951, he went independent and founded Van Jacket Co., Ltd., known as "VAN." He advocated the "Ivy League look," based on student fashion such as blazers and button-down shirts, and it became a huge hit. Many young people who wore the look gathered on Miyuki Street in Ginza, earning them the nickname "Miyuki-zoku." He also designed the red blazer worn by the Japanese national team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the uniforms for the Sankei Atoms (now the Tokyo Yakult Swallows). He also founded "Otoko no Furishoku Dokuhon," the predecessor of the men's fashion magazine "Men's Club." He was also the one who popularized fashion terms such as "casual," "T-shirt," "sweatshirt," and "TPO."

After Van Jacket went bankrupt in 1953, he was active in fashion production, criticism, and lectures. He passed away in May 2005 at the age of 93. Even after becoming bedridden, he refused to wear pajamas, and is said to have died wearing a shirt designed by Issei Miyake.