HOUYHNHNM

tall treeWe started with a harness, a tool to protect life, and even today, performance is at the heart of our collections, and we are still committed to craftsmanship and thoroughness. We see the brand store as a place to communicate the background of the brand.

From the beginning, we have been planning to open stores in seven major cities in Japan, starting with Harajuku. The Sakae area in Nagoya is a mix of Ginza and Harajuku, so we hope to reach out to people from all walks of life, from luxury to street fashion, as well as outdoor sports, as we did with the Harajuku brand store.

tall treeOur products are sold at a variety of stores, including select stores and professional outdoor stores. These business partners are all people who understand the value of our brand, so I hope we can create a good change through mutual coexistence and co-prosperity.

Each of these touchpoints can be used to provide in-depth knowledge of fashion, create opportunities to experience outdoor activities, and convey the brand's craftsmanship, as we do.

tall treeOne of the features of this store is its vast floor space of approximately 70 tsubo (approximately 1,860 square meters) spread over two floors, with a wide selection of products that only a directly-managed store can offer. The full lineup of every category, including "Essentials," "24," "Backpacks," "Footwear," and "Veilance," can be found here.

tall treeThat's right. The global team is in charge of the basics of store design, but we always try to include local inspiration. In Harajuku, we use the traditional Japanese technique of HANCHIKU as a motif, and in Kobe, the building itself is localized.

tall treeThrough the opening, I wondered if it would be possible to create an event that combined the outdoor, luxury, and street elements I mentioned earlier. That is when Mr. Kamiyama's name came up.

I myself had seen Mr. Kamiyama's work since his days at Famous. Even back then, he had both the essence of street fashion and a chic atmosphere, so I thought he was the right person for the job.

mountain where there are godsThank you very much. So you came to my atelier and we had a discussion and worked out what we were going to do.

tall treeWe told them that the brand would be based on a mountain motif, and that we had three concepts: design, craftsmanship, and performance, and asked them to proceed.

mountain where there are godsAbove all, it has a high spec. I myself like the outdoors and do camping and such, but I don't think I would be able to use it to its fullest extent. So, to tell the truth, I had not really been interested in using it that much.

But when I pick it up and look at it again, I am overwhelmed by the design and pattern making. And when you put the sleeve through it, it is beautiful. Even for backpacks, the level of perfection at the point of commercialization is extremely high. I think that is why products that are loved for a long time are created. I can feel the strength of will as a brand from these aspects.

mountain where there are godsI was able to visualize early on how I wanted to portray the mountains, so the project went surprisingly smoothly. If I had to raise it, I would say that the nuances of the design, craftsmanship, and performance strings were difficult. In the end, I adopted what looked like a doodle that I first drew in a rough sketch.

Also, it took a lot of work to hand-print 300 copies. After the design was finalized, we let it sit until the last minute (laughs).

tall treeI think this is the first attempt of its kind on a global scale. If we were going to ask Mr. Kamiyama to do this, we wanted him to face the highest peak of products.

mountain where there are godsThere are moments when such pressure turns into enjoyment. It is not a cheap product either. That is why we took the plunge and painted it. However, the prototype we are showing now has a completely different finish than the prototype (laughs).

tall treeI couldn't believe my eyes for a moment (laughs). (Laughs) But I am proud to say that we are satisfied with the finished product. The solid design of the Arc'teryx brand has a streetwise essence, yet it is still artistic.

tall treeIf I am honest, this is one of the weak points of [Arc'teryx]. There are extremely few graphics in the actual collection, and even patterns are rarely used. That is why we can say that this is an area of growth for the future.

In fact, I often talk about these things with our global team. However, they are craftsmen at heart, and although they understand, they tend to put the product first.

But I personally think we should do it, and if we can make a good match like this one, I will be proactive in proposing it. Because art and fashion may eventually lead to the day when we can wear harnesses, you know.

tall treeWe would like to be properly rooted in this area, build a community, and grow with neighboring stores and customers in the long run, while collaborating with neighboring pro stores to hold events.

However, we have just opened, so I would like you to visit us first, even if just out of curiosity. Best regards.