File: Nanamica, from Japanese craftsmanship to urban techwear

As an avid reader of BonneGueule and now a contributor as No. 10, I had a surprising thought a few weeks ago: we haven't had the opportunity to discuss Japanese fashion in detail since 2013.

Far from being limited to selvedge textiles, the latter is characterized by a complex sensitivity where aesthetic concepts, Western influences and century-old know-how combine. Methodically presenting to you the workings of the Japanese clothing world quickly seemed excessive to me: from the street to the most prestigious fashion shows, it brings together many constantly evolving trends.

Wishing to remain playful while avoiding excessive popularization, I suggest you accompany me to discover three major contemporary Japanese labels: Visvim, Orslow and Nanamica .

During our trip, we will explore together the universe of the rising sun: its philosophy, its inspirations, but also its many specificities which make its strength today.

Before we begin, let me ask you a question: in winter, do you, like me, struggle to combine comfort and elegance?

A wool coat or a chunky knit may be excellent companions when temperatures drop, but they remain less effective than technical pieces like down jackets .

The problem is that these pieces designed to withstand the cold often have a clunky and variegated look, transforming their wearer into Bibendum. And some mornings, when the thermometer is at its lowest, many of us adopt the “onion strategy”.

This logic of accumulation of layers has been the norm for centuries but recently, science is shaking up the rules . After 1945, the golden age of consumption saw numerous military innovations applied to civilian use: the nylon from American parachutes was available in jackets, NASA's moon boots helped to tame Everest... Now, new materials far exceed the performance of natural fabrics .

At a time when, hand in hand, the chemical and textile industries are working miracles , men's fashion had to take up this new challenge: reconciling style and comfort, without compromise, in any situation. With Nanamica, it’s done .

Nanamica, thirty years of innovation

A recent brand? It's a long story !

Nanamica was only officially born in 2003, but its origins can be traced back to the early 1990s.

Then a young engineer at the sports equipment manufacturer Goldwin , Eiichiro Homma was passionate about the technical innovations of the Gore-Tex company, whose Japanese representatives he met on a daily basis.

Noted for his professionalism and meticulous attention to detail, Homma quickly made a name for himself in the world of sportswear design in Japan and met numerous outdoor clothing manufacturers. He is appointed head of Goldwin's marine division, responsible for designing perfectly waterproof products.

In close contact with The North Face laboratories and close to factories specializing in the development of innovative fabrics, the future creator of Nanamica is acquiring significant experience in the composition of pieces resistant to the most extreme conditions.

Alongside his professional activity, Homma carefully watches the evolution of men's fashion in Japan.

Japanese designers, amazed by the perfection of Christian Dior's “New Look” in the early 1950s, remained locked in an inferiority complex towards Western designers for a long time. But at the beginning of the 1980s, cartoonists like Hanae Mori or Hiroko Koshino experienced great success. Their collections combining European influences and local traditions are applauded in Paris and in New York.

From now on, claiming one's Japanese identity is no longer a taboo but a point of pride : a new generation of Asian creators is on the verge of asserting themselves on a global scale.

Motivated by this true national triumph, he matured his personal project: creating an independent brand, combining his experience as a textile technician with traditional Japanese know-how . At the beginning of the 2000s, this idea found a name: Nanamica, literally The House of the Seven Seas , in reference to the old name given by sailors to the oceans.

Multiple and original influences

The brand's outdoor philosophy is obviously drawn from Homma's multiple contacts with Olmes Carretti .

A pioneer of artistic work on pieces for sports use, we owe him numerous innovations in the fashion world: a new approach to the functionality of clothing, a fusion between aesthetics and technicality or even the use of garish colors, previously reserved to professional clothing.

Added to this is the admiration of the founder of Nanamica for the second generation of Japanese designers: the legendary Yohji Yamamoto , but also Rei Kawakubo or his disciple Junya Watanabe within the Comme des Garçons label.

In his office, Homma finally brings together military and sporting archives dating back to the beginning of the 20th century: American uniforms, hunting outfits and the first climbing equipment. Every functional detail is meticulously analyzed.

The premise is simple: if the technical characteristics of sports clothing make them extremely practical pieces for everyday use, they are aesthetically limited and cannot be used with more classic pieces.

Furthermore, at the beginning of the 2000s, traditional fashion seemed incapable of effectively integrating new functionalities into pieces intended for urban use. Discussing this problem in an interview with the Canadian store HAVEN in 2014, Eiichiro Homma declared:

A large number of designers use sportswear, the military world or workwear as an essential source of inspiration for their men's pieces. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are content to transpose the details from these influences into their collections without asking themselves their real usefulness or the reason for their existence. At Nanamica, we want to know why these details matter in order to give them real meaning.

How does Nanamica combine technical capabilities and tradition?

A particular attachment to local aesthetic codes

Homma chose to collaborate with designer Takashi Imaki: in 2003, he offered a collection combining the latest textile technologies with a deliberately refined stylistic universe.

Japanese buyers recognize themselves in the high-end details of Nanamica products, which respect the codes of wabi-sabi . This philosophical concept derived from Shintō praises imperfect beauty, born from the work of time . It can be defined in opposition to Western aesthetics based on symmetry and the quest for eternity.

Technology at the service of classic pieces

While they were very successful on the national market, the Nanamica collections diversified from 2004 to include increasingly daring creations.

Let's discover two key pieces from the brand together: the CoolMax t-shirt and the Cordura bag.

These two tops are made in an identical CoolMax architecture. Made from a technical polyester blend, this material is based on a fiber that is four times more breathable than classic cotton.

On the left, this top is intended for purely sporty use: garish blue color, contrasting armpits, plated sleeves... Impossible to integrate it into your wardrobe!

On the right, this Nanamica t-shirt is a relevant piece as a first layer in winter, under a shirt or a chunky knit for example. Its technical composition allows you to better manage sudden changes in temperature or effort, for example if you take the bike to go (late, like me) to class.

Little anecdote: while stripes have been shunned by Western fashion for several years, they are often exploited by Japanese designers, particularly in the workwear movement.

The brand also attaches particular importance to the design of Cordura bags and luggage. This fiber, developed by the chemical company Dupont De Nemours, is primarily intended for the civil and military industry.

Widely used in the design of uniforms, it comes in different categories ranging from simple nylon canvas to high-end wool blend. With abrasion resistance up to 20 times higher than classic cotton , Cordura guarantees Nanamica bags exceptional durability accompanied by a very interesting patina.

The rise of Nanamica internationally: a consecration

New audiences attracted

Serious things only started very recently for the brand. With the opening of sales to the European and North American markets, Nanamica is considerably expanding its audience and establishing itself as a must-have in the Japanese men's wardrobe.

Presented for the first time in Europe at Pitti Uomo in 2010, the label has enjoyed great popularity marked by its distribution in the most prestigious Western boutiques: End in Newcastle, The Norse Store in Copenhagen or Très Bien in Malmö.

The mastery of technical fabrics and the purity of lines impresses a European market in full transformation: labels like Norse Projects or Maharishi are only just reaching maturity.

Faced with the success of the “aux Septs Mers” brand, Eiichiro Homma chose to limit the points of sale in order to maintain impeccable quality. For the designer, maintaining a special relationship with his clients is an absolute priority: “a face-to-face, eye-to-eye exchange”.

A brand that continues to evolve

Nanamica grows, she also matures. The guidelines are becoming clearer and particular attention is paid to internal finishes , guaranteeing optimal comfort of use: for example, it is one of the first labels to systematically dedicate an internal pocket to smartphones, in addition to the wallet pocket.

We can illustrate this stylistic evolution by comparing the different editions of the “Cruiser Jacket” throughout the collections. A cult piece from the brand, this winter jacket becomes more sober from year to year.

In around ten years, Nanamica has become one of the main representatives of Japanese fashion in Europe. The collections evolve each year towards products with ever more advanced technical capabilities .

Strengthening its cooperation with Japanese local industries, Eiichiro Homma wishes to further highlight their immense professionalism in production.

The Nanamica style: easy pieces with character

We have just discussed the history of the brand together: its influences, its development, its technical particularities… Now, I offer you an overview of its aesthetic universe.

We are going to look at the main lines of six outfits entirely composed by Eiichiro Homma. Taken from Nanamica lookbooks, their primary function is to transmit the spirit, the vision of clothing defended by the label.

However, they are full of details that can be used on a daily basis and very interesting ideas for developing your style.

The effectiveness of simplicity & the play of volumes

The outfit on the left illustrates very well the qualities of a beautiful wool coat in a winter outfit. Here, the raised tailored collar really energizes the whole look. This peacoat also brings a maritime touch which gives a stylistic direction to the look. When putting together your outfit for the day, it's easier to select a key piece , then build a set around it using basics.

Using a pair of gloves and matching ankle boots is not trivial: they establish a subtle contrast with the rest of the outfit , giving it a slight sophistication and structuring the proportions. Behind these refined cuts lies the use of very specific materials: a Windstopper pea coat ensuring increased comfort in bad weather, or a CoolMax shirt regulating heat.

On the right, it's a lesson in mastery, both in terms of cuts and colors. The lagoon green is softened by natural tones. The three-layer layering would seem very massive if it were associated with a semi-slim outfit: the carrot cut balances the volumes.

The width of the cuts brings real comfort to the outfit . This is a variable that is too rarely exploited by European brands, and that's a shame. The Gore-Tex "Soutien Jacket" provides protection against the rain and can be adapted to many circumstances: imagine it worn over a suit during mid-season rains.

Mix styles & understand the potential of white pants

The first set navigates between two universes. We can see several western sartorial details there but different elements bring a “workwear” touch . The absence of padding on the shoulders creates a natural line, reinforced by the rolled up sleeves, revealing a blue oxford shirt which ensures the link between elegance and nonchalance. The sobriety of the colors reinforces the versatility of the outfit: this is its strength.

Now let's look at summer looks. Inherently lighter, these incorporate Western codes with a completely Japanese originality. Fortunately, wearing white pants is not reserved for Italians!

Here, he fits in completely relaxed accompanied by a pretty pair of Paraboot . The bronze-colored Gore-Tex raincoat, combined with an ecru sweater, subtly breaks the monotony of white. The ribbed edge of the sweater is really an essential element of this outfit: it discreetly highlights the proportions at the waist, where a belt would create a more significant demarcation.

Generous cuts - typical of Japanese designers - are welcome: white pants chosen too slim limit the immense potential of this piece . The comfort of the volumes could also have allowed the addition of an intermediate layer: a denim jacket or a thrift store M65, for example.

Integrate patterns without overdoing it & dare to use yellow

This assembly demonstrates excellent mastery of the gingham pattern, which is sometimes difficult to match. Built around a relatively daring jacket, the outfit plays on blue and white tones to create visual harmony, avoiding too-much . Small interesting detail: notice the two chest pockets, which structure the jacket by highlighting the shoulder line.

The cuts, more classic than the previous examples, are judiciously adjusted to the model: with a dominant pattern, make sure you have pieces perfectly adapted to your body shape . Socks, important, recall the colors and highlight the shoes. The hems could nevertheless have been made lower.

The color yellow is too often underestimated in the men's wardrobe. In winter, it is easy to construct an outfit by playing with volumes and numerous textures, but in summer, the options are quickly limited. A very simple alternative is to integrate bright tones to enhance your look : yellow is in my opinion the easiest to match. It goes very well with blue, gray or khaki.

As part of this outfit, yellow is used dominantly, creating a very strong visual effect. When choosing pieces, I remain relatively reserved: combining “preppy” influences with certain sportswear elements like this pair of running shoes is a very dangerous exercise! More simply, yellow can be used in small touches in daily outfits ; through a pocket square or a pair of sneakers for example.

The final word

By discovering Nanamica, we have already traveled a long way together.

From 80s Haute Couture to ultra-resistant fabrics, the first stage of our Japanese journey ends here. We can already identify some keys to interpreting the Japanese stylistic universe: a particular relationship with the Western world, attachment to local know-how, the importance of comfort...

Our next stop will take us to the world of Visvim and its founder Hiroki Nakamura: there we will encounter a very different aesthetic, full of adventure and multicultural influences.

See you soon for the next episode!