Viral Hooks
Trending short videosOrigin story of a streetwear brand.
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@sonofthecheese_store

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@sonofthecheese_store How did Son of the Cheese start? A concrete pool in an empty Tokyo lot. When Kaito Yamamoto was 29, working dead-end jobs, he poured a concrete pool in Meguro. Named it after his dog and threw BBQs for skater friends. Same people every day. Drinking his beer. Still there when he came home from work. He didn’t build something just to waste away. So he filled it with water. That decision changed everything. Models and photographers found it. It became Tokyo’s “Little America.” From that pool: the Son of the Cheese flagship store in Shibuya, above Buy Me Stand serving grilled cheese sandwiches. Kaito said building that pool changed his entire life. Son of the Cheese has always been a brand for the self-made. Tag someone building their own thing👇 #sonofthecheese

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Performance

Views
62.6K
Likes
4.2K
Comments
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Engagement
6.8%

Video #15608 · Carousel

Origin story of a streetwear brand.from @sonofthecheese_store

[01]

Overview

A 14-slide photo carousel that tells the origin story of the Tokyo streetwear brand 'Son of the Cheese'. It follows the founder, Kaito, from building a DIY concrete pool for his skater friends to pivoting it into a social hub, which ultimately led to the creation of his brand, a flagship store, and a diner.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Hook with bold claim
  2. 2Introduce underdog protagonist
  3. 3Reveal the radical pivot
  4. 4Show the massive payoff
  5. 5Define the brand ethos

[03]

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[04]

Classification

Format
Carousel
Concepts
Origin Story CarouselJourney DocumentationBrand Manifesto
Elements
Text Overlay
Account
BrandPersonal Brand
Topics
EntrepreneurshipStreetwearBrandingLifestyle

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 45%

This pool changed Tokyo streetwear forever.

Verbal hook · 35%

How did Son of the Cheese start? A concrete pool in an empty Tokyo lot.

Visual hook · 20%

An unusual, DIY-style concrete pool in a cluttered Tokyo backyard, creating immediate curiosity about its purpose and story. The bold, contrasting text overlay further grabs attention.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

How did [brand or movement] start? [unexpectedly ordinary object or action] in [unlikely place].

  • — How did Gymshark start? A screen-printing machine in a garage in Birmingham.
  • — How did the biggest food truck empire in Austin start? A broken-down van in an empty parking lot.
  • — How did the most followed pottery account on TikTok start? A secondhand wheel in the corner of a studio apartment.

[07]

Hook and payoff

The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back

Hook

Connect an ordinary object or mundane action to a massive industry or cultural shift to create an immediate curiosity gap.

Payoff

Translate the narrative into a core brand philosophy or tagline, inviting the audience to identify with the underlying ethos of the story.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Origin Pivot Blueprint

Hooking the reader with a massive outcome tied to a mundane object, then telling a chronological underdog story centered around a single, counter-intuitive pivot that birthed an empire.

  1. 1

    The Underdog Origin

    Introduce the protagonist at a relatable low point, taking scrappy, unconventional, and DIY action to build something from scratch.

  2. 2

    The False Summit

    Establish an initial level of success or completion that ultimately proves unfulfilling or misaligned, creating narrative tension.

  3. 3

    The Radical Pivot

    Reveal a counter-intuitive, disruptive decision that destroys the initial 'safe' success in pursuit of a greater vision.

  4. 4

    The Catalyst Reaction

    Detail the unexpected, explosive positive results and new demographics attracted by the pivot.

  5. 5

    The Empire Expansion

    Showcase the tangible, scaled-up results (businesses, products, legacy) that were born directly from that single pivot.

  6. 6

    The Full Circle Reflection

    Reiterate the premise from the opening hook, validating the initial bold claim with the evidence just presented.

Themes

  • self-made success
  • community building
  • creative pivoting
  • hustle culture

Techniques

  • narrative storytelling
  • archival photography
  • visual essay

Trends

  • brand origin story
  • photo-based storytelling

Post caption

How did Son of the Cheese start? A concrete pool in an empty Tokyo lot. When Kaito Yamamoto was 29, working dead-end jobs, he poured a concrete pool in Meguro. Named it after his dog and threw BBQs for skater friends. Same people every day. Drinking his beer. Still there when he came home from work. He didn’t build something just to waste away. So he filled it with water. That decision changed everything. Models and photographers found it. It became Tokyo’s “Little America.” From that pool: the Son of the Cheese flagship store in Shibuya, above Buy Me Stand serving grilled cheese sandwiches. Kaito said building that pool changed his entire life. Son of the Cheese has always been a brand for the self-made. Tag someone building their own thing👇 #sonofthecheese

Text overlays

  • statement · photo_0

    This pool changed Tokyo streetwear forever.

  • story · photo_1

    Kaito was 25 years old. Back from 5 years in America, working random jobs but going nowhere

  • story · photo_2

    He bought an old trailer, rented a weird piece of land in Tokyo. Called his skater friends & poured concrete by hand

  • story · photo_3

    He named the space “Son of the Cheese” - after his dog, Cheese

  • story · photo_4

    He created his own place in Tokyo.

  • story · photo_5

    Skaters loved it, drinking his beer. Crashing at his place. But this wasn’t enough for Kaito. He didn’t want to just kill time.

  • story · photo_6

    So he filled the pool with water. No more skating.

  • story · photo_7

    Suddenly, girls in bathing suits, fashion photographers, nearby hotel guests wandered in. The pool attracted magazine features.

  • story · photo_8

    Kaito made the space. The right people found it.

  • story · photo_9

    From that pool, he was able to build the Son of the Cheese flagship store

  • story · photo_10

    Below the store, diner “Buy Me Stand” - serving his favorite grilled cheese sandwiches

  • story · photo_11

    Kaito often said building that pool changed his entire life.

  • statement · photo_12

    This is the spirit of Son of the Cheese.

  • branding · photo_13

    For the self-made. SON OF THE CHEESE

Origin story of a streetwear brand. | Viral Hooks