KARHU, a long-established Finnish sports brand, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. The brand, which is attracting attention as a third force in the sneaker scene, has released a collaboration model with the London sneaker store "FOOTPATROL. We interviewed Shingo Arai, store manager of BEAMS T Harajuku, which carries the brand in Japan. What is the reason why CALF is beginning to make its presence felt in the crowded fashion scene?
He is the store manager of BEAMS T Harajuku. He is also known as a passionate sneaker freak and has been involved in recent sneaker-related projects at BEAMS.
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Anyway, the shoes are very artistic.
In today's sneaker market, leading select stores are just as important as world-renowned sneaker stores. Mr. Arai is himself a passionate sneaker freak and one of the people behind the project. When he saw the "KARHU x FOOTPATROL FUSION 2.0" at first glance, he was taken by it.
new wellI felt that this was indeed "Foot Patrol. I think the design is inspired by the outdoors and nature. For example, if a Japanese select store or sneaker store collaborated with Foot Patrol, they would not have come up with this color scheme. I think the coloring is only possible because it is a European brand, or rather, a Finnish brand and a British store.
A variety of materials are used: perforated nubuck for the instep, pigskin suede for the heel, and ballistic nylon for some of the upper sides. The seamless design down to the smallest detail is another attraction of these shoes.
new wellThe lace loops are designed for hiking shoes, and the toe and heel tabs are made of reflector material, which is very artistic. The insole has the Foot Patrol logo, and the shoe box is specially designed.
Considering the cost, they have done a good job in a place where it would not have been necessary to go that far. I can feel the passion for this collaboration from each and every part.
I feel like matching it with an outdoor brand.
The base of the collaboration is the "FUSION 2.0," a reissued version of the popular "FUSION" model that debuted in 1996, with a voluminous form reminiscent of the 90s and European-style outdoor colors. It is Arai's style to combine it with outdoor brand wear.
new wellI thought that I wanted to match these shoes with "Patagonia" as soon as I saw them. The coloring has the feel of the American outdoors from a European perspective, and I thought that if I wanted to style the shoes in my own way, it would be right to match them with Patagonia, including the color matching with the Patagonia logo. When I actually tried it on, it really felt right.
CALF is a brand with potential.
Despite its 100-year history, CALF is not well known in Japan. What kind of presence does the brand have for Mr. Arai?
new wellI honestly didn't know it existed until recently, when a collaboration model with CONCEPTS appeared in 2015, and I remember thinking, "Whoa, something new is coming out.
Then, this year, I collaborated with PATTA. It was based on Fusion 2.0, just like the Foot Patrol, but it was so cool that I bought it right away (laughs).
In the past few seasons, shoe brands that are considered a third force have been making various moves and enlivening the scene, and I think Calf is a brand with tremendous potential.
He knows how to please the sneaker freaks.
new wellThe selection of collaboration partners for "Concepts," "Pata," and "Foot Patrol" is just superb. Dover Street Market also carries the brand.
Of course the products look great, but they also fill in the outer moat as if they know how to please sneaker freaks.
I am curious to see what kind of tricks they will come up with in the future, and I hope we can get involved at some point. We are confident that we can do something interesting (laughs).
