In recent years, White Mountaineering has replaced the functionality of outdoor activities and sports with the keyword of travel, and has sought to have new life experiences by going to various places through clothing. It is not just about dressing up, but about being yourself depending on the occasion. It's about creating a style, but it also involves creating a product that actually has meaning.
For example, on the way to his mountain atelier in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, which is two and a half hours away from Tokyo, he is conscious of the operability of his car or motorcycle, and is looking for clothes that can be layered while feeling the temperature difference at an altitude of 1,200 meters, and he prioritizes the idea of enjoying life as much as fashion, such as listening to music and playing sports, and designs while experiencing the comfort of both city life and mountain life. Utilizing that experience, he was involved in the direction of a large villa and hotel that opened in Karuizawa this spring, and this feeling has become even stronger.
In fact, this lifestyle has become possible thanks to technological advances that connect cities and mountains via the cloud, making it possible to work from anywhere. This year marks my 24th year in the fashion world, but it has become a completely different way of doing design. This technological evolution has not only brought about great advances in terms of information, but also in manufacturing, with the development of the product itself, such as functional materials and stretchability, and the improvement of the production process through 3D design and CAD. The work of a designer has entered an era where it is not just about technological advances, but also about responding to such evolutions.
However, I think the meaning of wearing Western clothes is completely different.
For me, the most important thing is to travel, and the joy of dressing up when I travel and changing my style for different occasions have not changed for decades. I have a strong desire to separate technological evolution from what I seek in my creations, and to connect it to the joy of wearing.
Through this collection, I imagined journeys to the sea, mountains, grasslands and undiscovered cities.
It has been 19 years since we defined "all fields where clothes are worn are outdoors," and we have gained a lot of experience through making clothes.As this experience has been sublimated into our current style, we have come to feel that the theme is "Unplugged," based on the ideal and suggestion of unplugging and enjoying a journey.
