After 2021’s North America Roadshow GORE-TEX Studio has visited 13 like-minded individuals in different cities across Japan to talk about their personal backgrounds, local climates, favorite spots, and GORE-TEX. As a visual component, each host picked her/his favorite GORE-TEX outfit to be portrayed in. The result is a showcase of diverse styles and subcultures, captured for the GORE-TEX STUDIO JAPAN ROADSHOW.
GORE-TEX Studio: How would you describe yourself in one sentence? I am a creative director and editor-in-chief, mainly working in the field of fashion, art, and culture.
GORE-TEX Studio: Tell us a bit about your city’s climate. What are your three favorite outdoor spots in the summer and the winter? What is your favorite method of transportation and why? How do you prepare for bad weather if you spend time outside? Nobody is ready for Tokyo weather. We are basically in a concrete city in the rainforest: humidity, endless rain, and sun in winter. This city is the ultimate challenge for any wardrobe, and many days the weather can’t be tamed, and your gear loses the battle. Accept defeat. Dry fast.
My favorite season is full-blown summer. It is so hot, so humid, everybody hates it. I love it, it’s just insane. I ride my bike and everything around me is melting. A ride on my bike feels like a detoxification retreat. I always ride my bike, if possible. You can easily get everywhere here by bike, it’s faster than by train or car. It seems absolutely stupid to me that everybody isn’t riding a bike. It is so much better than any other method of transportation.
Preparation for bad weather is a challenge here. Of course, you can wear a rain jacket. It will protect you on a normal rainy day. But there is absolutely zero chance of staying dry when it rains. This is island rain, and the density is kind of astonishing. You will end up wet. So, the smartest solution is clothing that dries fast or even keeping a second wardrobe in the office.
GORE-TEX Studio: What are you wearing today? Why are you wearing it, and did you have a particular weather scenario in mind when choosing this piece? What do you love most about your GORE-TEX product? I am wearing a Junya Watanabe Eye Fishtail GORE-TEX Rain Parka. It is super light and very simple, it has a classic cut that hints at smart fashion design. I must have worn this one at least 500 times in the last five years. It is the one jacket I grab when I go out and it rains. My go-to friend and helper. It’s already pretty damaged as is most of my clothing. One button fell off, there is dirt here and there. I use my clothing.
My clothing is like my bike, it’s pretty worn out, fixed here and there and taped, but still fully functional and useful. No need for it to look box-fresh.
GORE-TEX Studio: Where and when did you get this? Do you have any special memories connected to this item? If you could go anywhere, where would you like to take this piece? I got this from Grailed in January 2018 for $250 USD. I think it’s one of the first times Junya used GORE. I have taken this piece everywhere already [laughs].
GORE-TEX Studio: Why do you think functional clothing has become more popular in recent years? First of all, because it’s functional, people will stick to it even if they came across it via a trend. It’s kind of the same as the running shoe trend that started years ago, Why would a normal person go back to shoes without cushioning? Why would someone wear a jacket without weather protection? On the cultural side, I would say the North of England is the OG of what we now call “Gorpcore,” a trend that is currently represented by new kids on the block running cool Instagram pages about their passion for functional clothing.
GORE-TEX Studio: How do you define comfort when it comes to technical apparel? For me, a good piece of clothing needs to feel good, and support my daily needs via simple gadgets. I do not need a hundred pockets, but instead four or five well-placed pockets, two of them with zippers.
GORE-TEX Studio: What are you looking forward to in the next six months, and are there any upcoming challenges that you're excited about? I want to keep building on the Sabukaru rocket ship. We have so many goals, I am quite patient, but at the same time, I’m aiming high. Challenges are basically just money. As long as I can pay my team, we can run forward forever. I will work hard on that.
“My clothing is like my bike, it’s pretty worn out, fixed here and there and taped, but still fully functional and useful. No need for it to look box fresh.“