The story of NANAMICA New York in the words of two people who shared a voyage together.

The story of how NANAMICA New York was created, spun in the words of two people who shared the voyage together.

Long before the recent outdoor boom, "nanamica" has been advocating the urban outdoor lifestyle. Nanamica has established sales channels in 24 countries and made its name known around the world. In August 2020, the company finally opened its first overseas store. The location chosen was the metropolis of New York City. Despite the raging waves of the Corona disaster, Nanamica New York was able to open its doors. We interviewed Eiichiro Honma, the president of the company, and architect TAICHI KUMATAICHI, who designed the store, about their arduous journey.

Photo_Yuko Yasukawa

Text_Masahiro Kosaka

Edit_Keisuke Kimura

I thought SoHo would allow me to settle down and do business for a long time.

Nanamica New York opened on August 23.

Nanamika has had its sights set on global expansion since its inception.

Honma:Actually, three or four years ago, I was looking for a place to open my first overseas store in London. At that time, we were already distributing our products to more than 20 countries, with the UK being the first among them. However, Brexit was almost decided at that time. ...... So the next thing I thought of was the United States.

Did you feel that wholesaling alone wasn't enough?

Honma:At that time, it had been 10 years since we started overseas expansion, and although we were gradually becoming known, once we stepped outside the industry, brand recognition was still very low. When you are dealing with select stores, the product variation is limited to two hanger racks at the most. Therefore, we felt that the only way to have our products seen on a flat level was to open stores overseas as well.

The Gore-Tex stainless steel collar coat, which is synonymous with Nanamica, is also extremely popular in the United States.

So, you went to New York, not Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Honma:We could have gone to California, but we are strong in outerwear, and we thought New York would be the best place for our clothes in terms of compatibility in daily life. We felt that Wooster Street in Soho, where we will be opening our new store, would allow us to do business in a relaxed manner, regardless of trends.

What is your impression of Wooster Street?

Bear:It is an area between my home and office in New York where there are many unique stores and galleries. However, it is not like Aoyama in Tokyo, where you have to be fashionable to walk around. There is a university nearby, so you can see students walking around in sweatshirts. It is a very nice block.