Nexus Seven's 15th anniversary. A passionate talk session that goes behind the scenes of the gems of collaboration items. CASE3_DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN
As previously reported in Finamu, "NEXUS SEVEN," which celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2016, has created a variety of anniversary items this season. In this feature, we asked Tomohiro Konno, designer of NEXUSVII, and the creators of each item to reveal the background of their creation. This time, we take a closer look at the collaboration with "DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN," which we covered in a previous issue of Huinum.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)This dialogueAs I asked you at the time of the "KONNO" project, you and Mr. Yamada were classmates in high school, right?
mountain field: Yes, that's right. I have known him since my first year of high school. I have been living in Osaka since graduation and working for my current company (Descente). However, it was only in the last few years that I met Konno and started working with him again.
When we interviewed you the other day, it was about two years ago. This will be your third film.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.): Yes, the second one was an inner down that becomes a pillow case.
mountain fieldI still get requests for that one.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I'd love to make it again. I'd love to make it again.
mountain fieldMr. Matsumura of Yoshida Kaban, who visited us this time, was introduced to us by Konno.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)Mr. Kuwabata has been in charge of Yoshida Kaban for more than 10 years. For this "Ortherine" project, Mr. Matsumura, who also works in the planning department, has been put in charge. Yoshida Kaban sometimes changes the person in charge of planning depending on the project.
pine villageYes, that's right. Other planning staff members are in charge of collaboration items for Nexus Seven. I am a little bit of a generation apart from the two of you, but I think my boss, Kuwabata, put me in charge of this project because he thought that the items I was planning for the standard line would be rather similar to Ortheline's manufacturing.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)： First, I went to the head office of Yoshida Kaban to select a bag that would be the base for accessories to be attached to the down. I chose a few, and it just so happened that Matsumura-kun had worked on them.
What is the direction of your manufacturing?
pine villageI am not really conscious of it, but I am often told that it is "solid. In the products I make with Ortheline, I am always thinking about how to give form to what Mr. Yamada has in mind.
How many times have you worked with Ortheline and Yoshida Kaban this season?
mountain fieldThis is the third time I have worked with you. The first time was for a down I made with Konno, and that was when we started working together. That was in the fall/winter of 2003.
mountain fieldThe tote bags we released in the 16AW collection had interior parts made by Yoshida Kaban and seam-sealed at our Mizusawa factory, and were finally finished by Yoshida Kaban again.
pine villageThe use of both companies' production backgrounds is a rare example of a special order. I think this is a true collaboration. Basically, with most special-order items, we receive the design and finish it at our production facilities.
When did the "Ortherine" brand start?
mountain fieldThis is the fourth year for this season, since it is the fall/winter of 2012.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I know it feels like longer, but somehow it's still only been that long.
mountain fieldI'm amazed at Konno's 15 years of experience, though.
Now then, I would like to ask you to explain while actually looking at the product. Before that, we asked freelance buyer Michihiko Kurihara to explain about the original "Monster Parka" in advance.
-Once again, please tell us about the "Monster Parka".
chestnut fieldThe item is for special forces of the U.S. military and belongs to the "PCU (Protective Combat Uniform)". On the other hand, the item for civilian soldiers is called "ECWCS (Extended Cold Weather Clothing System)". Both are available from level 1 to level 7, but while the level 7 ECWCS has only a short type, commonly known as a "happy suit," the PCU is made in two types, short and long. This is unique to Special Forces.
-At any rate, the size is large.
chestnut fieldYes, it is. It's big enough to be worn over a backpack. There is a company called "Sekuri" that makes one, and even an XXS is very large.
Photo_Shinji Seizawa
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I've never bought one before even if I found one at a flea market because they are too big, but now that they are coyote in color, I'm getting more comfortable with the size. However, now that they are coyote color, I've become more comfortable with the size.
chestnut fieldMonster Parka: The second generation of the Monster Parka, this type has a much improved shape. This is made by a manufacturer called BEYOND. I myself started stocking them in the U.S. about two years ago. At first, I wondered if they would sell. But with the recent trend toward oversizing, they sold out quickly, and now I can no longer stock them at a price I can sell them for in Japan.
-How much is it?
chestnut fieldThe regular price in the U.S. was about $450, but last year there was a price change and the price went up to about $550. The general public is not allowed to buy products officially delivered to the U.S. military, but this "BEYOND" was normally available on the company's Web site. I believe that "Sekuri" was also available on the company's website for a while. Both of them seem to be out of production now.
-I see.
chestnut fieldECWCS is made by a wide variety of manufacturers, but PCU is made by a very limited number of manufacturers. The only manufacturers of PCU are [Sekuri], [Beyond], [ORC], and [Patagonia].
-When did this itself come about?
chestnut fieldI think it was around the end of the 00s. When SECRET was making them, they only made alpha green, but when BEYOND started making them, they started making coyotes as well. The difference is that coyote is for the Marine Corps, and alpha green is for other military use.
Photo_Shinji Seizawa
-I hear it is called the strongest outerwear in the U.S. military.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I think it's cool. I think the name "Monster Parka," which looks strong, comes from the fact that it looks like a monster when worn, but the naming is also cool.
So, please tell us how you actually went about making this one.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)Mizusawa Down is a brand that aims to create the "strongest outerwear. Mizusawa Down is a brand that aims to create the "strongest outerwear," and when I thought about what could be combined with it to create the truly strongest outerwear, the "Monster Parka" immediately came to mind. However, at first, we started to communicate with them without mentioning the name "Monster Parka. It's hard to say "full special order" out of the blue, isn't it (laughs). (Laughs.) So we started with something like "Stand Collar," right? I started with something like that. My goal was "Monster Parka" from the beginning (laughs).
mountain fieldWe started out with an exchange like that, based on the in-line items in "Ortherine," but things ended up changing quite a bit (laughs).
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)Yes (laughs). In the end, I had them make me a monster parka (laughs).
mountain fieldIt's almost like a full model special order.
Each ¥140,000+tax
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)The Monster Parka is originally an over parka to be worn after layering, so it has a large internal dimension when worn alone. If there is a space between the body and the down, cold air will enter the space and the warmth of the down will decrease at once, and the original functionality of down will be lost. Based on this, we made this silhouette after repeated modifications. Furthermore, while following in the footsteps of the "Monster Parka," we took a step further and created everything from the fabric used to the down and the structure of the inside to complete the product this time.
mountain fieldI was wondering what I should do when I first saw the original story. The sleeves and the construction of the sleeves are very American and thudding.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I think it's true. It may indeed be functional, but the silhouette when worn is not beautiful. Anyway, through repeated trial and error, I had it fixed over and over again (laughs).
mountain fieldBy the way, how did you evaluate the exhibition?
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I'm very happy with it. This is the first time we are wholesaling items using Mizusawa down. Even though each piece costs about 150,000 yen, we have received quite a few orders, including from people in the industry and vintage clothing enthusiasts. Unfortunately, due to circumstances at the Mizusawa factory, we will only be able to sell a limited number of 100 pieces in both colors and all sizes.
It's not easy to make a full-model custom order on this scale, is it?
mountain fieldI think so. I didn't do much. We tried to make a sample once, but it turned out to be completely different from the "Monster Parka. The stand collar is the same, but we made it tighter. So, the finished product doesn't have any face.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.). it was.
mountain fieldThe first one we made still had the face of the model we used as a base, but there were several revisions from there, so we thought it would be faster to have them come over here already.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I went to Osaka to ask for a correction and to get down on my knees (laughs).
We asked you about this at our last interview, but could you tell us again about your interactions with Yoshida Kaban?
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)When we first decided to collaborate with "Ortheline," we wanted to use a "military" theme for the skewer. When I thought of that, I wanted to use orange for the lining. When I thought of black and olive for the front and orange for the lining, I could only think of "Yoshida Kaban" (laugh). (Laughs) So I contacted Mr. Kuwabata. At that point, I had only a vague idea of wanting to make a detachable bag.
mountain fieldSo we went to the Yoshida Kaban headquarters for a meeting to discuss specifications.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.): At first, there were a few reckless ideas.
pine villageI had never done anything like this before in my career, so we had a lot of discussions about it. Also, there would be no point in us working with them if they were not functional when detached. We were discussing the idea when we saw a series of bags with detachable pockets, and we thought, "This is a good idea. From there, we built on that as the basis for our ideas.
-I see.
pine villageThe first step was to determine how much weight it should be able to bear, how easy it would be to put on and take off, and how easy it would be to put things in and out of the pockets when worn, since it was to be attached to the down interior.
mountain fieldAt first, some people wondered if it was really safe since it would be attached to the interior. Some people asked, "Is it really safe since it is attached to the interior?
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I think that's right. The only bag with the "PORTER" brand logo is on the back, so some people thought it would sell better if the "PORTER" logo was on the front. However, we wanted to make the most of the "minimalist" concept of the "Ortelaine" line. In that case, I thought it would be better to keep the "PORTER" name off the front, as well as our name. Once I consulted with Mr. Kuwabata, he said, "No, it would be better without it," so I was able to proceed with the project with peace of mind.
pine villageWe also had a travel concept in mind. We also envisioned that the pocket could be detached and kept close at hand when traveling on airplanes.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)Down: When you go indoors, you definitely take off your down jacket. That's where this idea came from. If you store your valuables in the detachable pouch, you can leave your down in the pouch or leave it somewhere else, and just remove the pouch, keep it at hand, and put it back on when you put it on. What is also wonderful about this item is that the silhouette of the pockets does not collapse when viewed from the outside.
-Certainly. These pockets are convenient because they can be worn any way you want. I feel that the comfortable way to put it on varies depending on the dominant arm.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.): In fact, this gimmick came in quite handy during the trip.
mountain fieldI thought, "Well, this kind of collaboration tends to be "changeable". But we were able to create something so good the first time down that we felt there was no need to change.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I think that's right. So if you have the previous down, you can also add four pouches (laughs).
-The result is a different kind of downwear with a different appeal from the previous one, which was in an authentic style.
the recently departed (and buried or cremated, etc.)I think it's great. I actually wear the "Monster Parka," which is called the strongest outerwear in the U.S. military, and I have completely upgraded it by adding improvements to all the parts that I wish were even better. I believe that the basis of manufacturing is to first have a beloved original item, and then add and subtract what you would like to have done better.
