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? Green.
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? Tokyo is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I like spending time at the Futakotamagawa riverside on a summer evening. Sendai in winter. Hanegi Park. I enjoy walking the most, and it's the cheapest way to get around because you can take your time and take in the city's daily changes at your own pace. I wear temperature-regulating clothing to maintain a consistent body temperature.
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 thought it would be cold this evening, and I'm wearing this GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ hoodie from Palace Skateboards because I'm outside a lot at night, so I can retain my body heat. If I go indoors and it's warmer, I can take it off, but it's lightweight and easy to carry. It's so light! It's the best protection against the cold. It doesn't let any heat escape.
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 it at the shop where I work. It was a handy purchase. I need to be careful not to get it dirty, as it's white. I want to be covered in snow when I return to my hometown of Sendai.
GORE-TEX Studio: Why do you think functional clothing has become more popular in recent years? I think the pandemic changed what people wear, and it also changed how people spend their time. People started to get out in nature.
GORE-TEX Studio: How do you define comfort when it comes to technical apparel? To me, comfort means highly functional, and light.
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 recently got my driver’s license, so I want to buy a car after the winter. I want to take a road trip and go mountain climbing. My dad loves the outdoors, so I'm planning on going with him to Mount Iwate in spring and Mount Fuji in autumn.
“I think the pandemic changed what people wear, and it also changed how people spend their time.“