I went shopping...
A quick reference list for later. Japanese-heavy, as it should be.
BRANDS
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Yosuke Aizawa. Tama Art grad. Started in 2006. Has done Moncler W, Burton Thirteen. "The field in which we wear clothes is all outdoors" — and he means it.
Goldwin
70 years of Japanese ski heritage. Technical without trying too hard. If you know, you know.
gnuhr
Nur Abbas launched this in Portland in 2023. His CV reads: Margiela, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Yeezy, Goldwin 0. The gear reflects it. Hyper-functional, zero excess.
MONOLITH
Japanese bags. Rational, functional, durable. Clean lines. Works as hard in the office as it does on the trail.
Yamatomichi
The UL hiking people. They make their own gear and actually use it. Obsessive about weight. Backpacks are notoriously hard to get.
CAYL
Korean. "Climb As You Love." Technical gear that works in Seoul and on granite. Growing quietly.
SHOPS
Windthrow (Seattle)
Curated, field-tested. Freeze-dried food next to imported Japanese apparel. Part gear shop, part clubhouse.
F/CE. at ROOT (Tokyo)
Husband and wife team. Each collection is based on a country they've visited. Travel bags and functional apparel.
Outsiders Store (UK)
Arc'teryx to Gramicci to Montbell. Solid edit. No filler.
and wander at mix.tokyo
Founded by two ex-ISSEY MIYAKE designers in 2011. Lightweight, breathable, weather-resistant. Japanese outdoor at its most refined.
Also: awd-bag collection