MAN/WOMAN Conversations #02 – By Sprezza
- April 1, 2025
- 4:19 pm
Mots de Clayton Chambers – Photos de Jameson Pepper
Tell us about your career in apparel and what led you to start Nanamica.
I joined Goldwin in 1982, right after graduating from university. After a year in the marketing department, I was assigned as head of the Helly Hansen brand, a licensed business for the Japanese market.
My role encompassed designing the licensed collection, brand marketing, and retail store design. I held this position for almost 20 years.
My career ambition was initially to create something original rather than work with licensed brands. However, this early opportunity to manage Helly Hansen allowed me to gain extensive experience in design, merchandising, marketing, and retail design.
The priority in my life was always to establish an original brand—to create something from zero to one.
After leaving the Helly Hansen business in 2001, I spent several years managing collaborations. The early 2000s saw a boom in co-branding between fashion apparel and technical sportswear brands.
While this was interesting, it wasn’t fulfilling for me. I founded Nanamica in 2003 after finding a great partner in Takashi Imaki, my company’s former design head.
Together, we began creating interesting pieces for the fashion market.
Nanamica means “House of the Seven Seas.” How does this name reflect your design philosophy?
Sailing is my hobby, and I’ve always loved the sea, beach, and marine sports. I started surfing in high school, and after joining Goldwin, my role with Helly Hansen naturally led me to sailing.
While many of my colleagues in Goldwin’s Outdoor Business Department (which also handled The North Face) enjoyed backpacking and climbing, I was drawn to maritime pursuits.
My partner Takashi shares this passion for the ocean—he lives in Shonan Beach, facing Sagami Bay in the south part of the Kanto region.
While we don’t produce marine wear specifically, our design philosophy speaks to those who appreciate the beach and sea. Standing on Shonan Beach facing the Pacific Ocean, we imagine the connections to Hawaii, Los Angeles, and beyond. The oceans connect the world, which inspired us to look at the global market to tell the story of our brand.
With your background in technical sportswear, how do you balance incorporating advanced materials and technology while maintaining originality in clothing?
Sportswear is typically designed based on objective rationalism—if you have an ultimate objective, all designs tend toward the same solution, like Formula 1 racing cars.
However, humans need something more original and individual. While maintaining technological functionality, we can adjust yarn shapes and hand feel to create a relaxed or modern, sharp look, depending on customer preferences.
Just as we don’t want to drive a racing car daily in the city, we can design emotionally comfortable wear while maintaining functionality without compromise. It’s about finding that balance between classic aesthetics and technical performance.
As you work for Goldwin and with Nanamica, how do these brands complement each other?
Goldwin is a sportswear company that produces highly functional garments for specific purposes, such as backpacking, climbing, swimming, and running. Their value lies in creating the ultimate quality for specific objectives.
While they make technical sportswear that looks cool for everyday use, it’s designed without compromise for actual sports performance.
Nanamica, on the other hand, creates fashionable daily wear that’s comfortable but doesn’t compromise on function.
Although the reality of how people use both brands might be similar, the starting points differ. Nanamica’s team typically comes from a fashion background, having graduated from art or design schools, while Goldwin’s staff often have sports marketing or training backgrounds.
Nanamica represents the mature integration of these two different values—fashion and function—into one vision.