What are the intersections of city, sports, and culture as captured by photographer Taro Hirano? He has stylishly captured FC Tokyo’s third jersey.

Europe has a head start when it comes to the intersection of sports, fashion, and culture, but I feel that gap has been steadily narrowing in Japan in recent years.

Taro Hirano, a photographer well-known to Fuinam readers, has shot a new photo series featuring FC Tokyo’s “2026/27 Season 3rd Kit.” This project isThis is the fourth timeThat's how it works.

While the 1st KIT depicts “light (blue, red, and dawn-colored),” the 3rd KIT expresses the “foundation—the force that supports the capital” and the “moment of change” that underpin that light.

Featuring the signature gray of New Balance—the team’s uniform supplier—and designed to evoke the Tokyo sky as it transitions from night to morning, the design has a sleek, urban look.

And it was Taro Hirano who captured powerful shots of the players wearing the 3rd KIT. The visuals, imbued with the authentic street vibe that thrives in the metropolis of Tokyo, stand in stark contrast to previous soccer team creative work—and, quite simply, they’re cool.

In Japan, too, the culture of wearing uniforms as everyday clothing is gradually taking root, and I think this visual might help further that trend.