History of the waist pouch.
Westfield:Does "Nerdy Dogs" carry quite a few waist pouches?
Akimoto:I think we have a lot of them. Under the name "Nerdy Dogs," the store is called "Used Outdoor Clothing Clothing & Bags" under the name of the store. Bags" under the name of the store, so we put a lot of effort into our bags. To begin with, the name "waist pouch" is not used in the outdoor scene. Waist bags, hip bags, and so on. If you want, a waist bag and a hip bag are two different things.
Westfield:そうですよね、ぼくも今回一緒くたにして持ってきました。
Akimoto:The one you are wearing right now is a Patagonia HipVolt model, but each brand has a different name and model name, but I think you can tell them apart by the details to some extent.
Matsukawa:I would like to know the detailed definition.
Akimoto:I can't give a general definition, but if you divide them by size or whether they have padding in the back or not, if they have padding, they are classified as waist bags.
Matsukawa:The way outdoor brands recommend wearing it is different from the way it is worn in the context of fashion.
Akimoto:It's a long story, but can we talk about history?
Westfield:I want to hear it, I want to hear it.
Akimoto:I think it was probably "Gregory" that first introduced the waist bag as a fashion item in Japan. Originally, waist bags were used in the U.S. for outdoor activities such as mountain climbing and motorcycle riding, but since "Gregory" arrived in Japan around 1986, some fashion-conscious people started wearing Tail Mate bags on the slant instead of the waist around 1986 or 1987. I think that this style became popular in the early 90's.
Matsukawa:Heh.
Akimoto:ここからはあくまでもぼく個人の憶測なんですけど、テールメイトの初期型、いわゆる“茶タグ”、“紫タグ”のモノは斜め掛けする用につくられていなくて、ストラップが片引きなんです。元々はウエストにつけるアイテムなので、そのディテールで十分だったんです。
Westfield:I see.
Akimoto:I think that the straps became longer and double-pulled around the time of the "blue tag" in 1993, probably with the Japanese market in mind.
Westfield:Very interesting! That's as good as it gets.
Akimoto:I'm not a wearer, so I'm here to leave my mark (laughs).
Westfield:Do you sell a lot of waist bags at "Nerdy Dogs"?
Akimoto:Oh no...it's not an item that sells that often.
The waist pouch is not exciting enough to talk about in the context of vintage clothing...?
Westfield:It's not like waist pouches are going out of style! (laughs). It's not an item you buy with much of an eye. They are useful, but they probably won't be in the limelight. It's nice to have that reserved feeling of not trying to stand out.
Matsukawa:That's right, you just wander into a vintage clothing store, and if you think, "Oh, that's nice," you buy it.
Akimoto:In the store, it's something that customers who don't have the clothes they want but want to buy something pick up (laughs).
It's like a hot snack from the convenience store. I just had it in the back of my mind and would buy it if I found a good one.
Matsukawa:That's exactly how I feel (laughs).
Westfield:I don't get all happy or sad, you know, on my waist pouch (laughs). I don't get that excited within myself, and I don't get excited around others. If everyone wore waist pouches on the street, it would be bizarre!
Matsukawa:It doesn't matter if waist pouches are not in vogue (laughs). It's fine to be an oddball association.
Westfield:That's the point, after all. They don't have the ability to do that!
I would not think of putting it in the most conspicuous place in a store display.
Akimoto:Gap filling.
All:(Laughter)
Westfield:But as far as convenience goes, it's the best of the best, so even if it can't be mainstream fashion, I think I can appreciate it in that aspect. Because I always do it when I go to the park with my kids, for example. If I don't want to drop my valuables because I'm taking care of my kids, a waist pouch is very convenient. It also frees up both hands.
Akimoto:I have an image of people who engage in otaku activities in Akihabara using it, and it certainly looks convenient.
The fact that even people who are not so interested in fashion are using these products means that they are well known for their functionality, don't you think?
