VISVIM (Japan)

In the mid-90s, a group of Tokyo friends with a shared interest in skate/punk/music/design invigorated the Japanese fashion scene with their unique sensibilities and fueled the Ura-Hara (back streets of Harajuku) Movement, eventually developing into a global bellwhether on pop culture.
Among this group of tight-knit “outsiders” -- which included Hiroshi Fuijiwara (Fragment), Nigo (A Bathing Ape/Bape) and Jun Takahashi (Undercover) -- was Hiroki Nakamura, the man who has gathered a cult following amongst creative people around the world with his now decade-old brand Visvim.

Visvim is, in essence, a clear extension and reflection of Nakamura, a soft-spoken, fashion-loving naturalist.
Having spent time in Alaska when he was nineteen, Nakamura is passionate about camping, snowboarding, whale-watching, just the magnificence of mother nature in general. But he also has this to divulge about his experience in America's last frontier: “I was the only one who thought about what colours to wear while packing. Everyone else tried to pack light, I needed choices, I cared about the products and colour matching.”
And Nakamura collects stuff, too. Stuff that are old, but still in good shape, thanks to the regard for craftsmanship back in the day.
And so it is said that Visvim is solely driven by Nakamura’s quest for the ultimate in style, quality and comfort.
Within just a short time of its debut, and despite Nakamura’s unhurried, meticulous production methods, Visvim has soared to the top of Japanese luxury streetwear market and is now dominant in its genre.
In the years since, many folks have said many things about Visvim -- believers and skeptics have had their fair share of comments. Good (“visionary”, “artisanal”), neutral (“interesting”), or not so enthusiastic (“overpriced"), all remarks in the extreme are a marker of how influential Visvim has become.
As for us, well, we’ll stick to this: You cannot possibly appreciate Visvim until you see, touch, and feel the distinctive aesthetics and exacting quality. Plus, I mean, um, when you have Eric Clapton endorsing it (he describes Visvim as his everyday wear in his autobiography), I guess you know they totally rock :-)


A video interview of the laid-back, polite Nakamura by celebrated fashion blogger Diane Pernet of A Shaded View On Fashion:-

P.S.
And why is the brand called Visvim?
“In the beginning, I didn’t want the brand’s name to have any meaning. I like the letter V, so I went through a Latin dictionary and saw “vis” and “vim” next to each other, and both had similar meanings of power and energy. I also like how it looks visually. Even upside down, it forms two mountains and two dots.”
(So now you know :-))