From nanamica To The World: Meet Eiichiro Homma
Sabukaru sat down with the man, the myth, the enigma, the legend, Eiichiro Homma, to talk about the countless projects he has been a part of.
From his vision, Nanamica and the two stores he has opened, TNF Purple Label, and everything in between, Eiichiro Homma is one of the community's most inspirational people to this date.
Eiichiro Homma is a well-known name within Sabukaru’s network.
He is the Managing Director of the nanamica brand and The North Face Purple Label, a big-time fashion and style veteran, and a self-pronounced lover of the blue, blue sea.
For over 20 years, Eiichiro Homma has been recognised as a pioneering figure of functional clothing in Asia and, through natural trend progression, the entire world. As it currently stands, his legacy is pretty great.
Homma lives in Tokyo, Japan, the hometown for both the respective technical outdoor brands, as well as our own office.
Through the tightly-knit community grapevine we heard that nanamica was planning on making some bold moves in the world’s largest metropolis, opening two stores in the Daikanyama area for new and old customers to pursue.
Wanting to find out more, and following up on a previous interview Sabukaru conducted in 2016, we got back in touch. Much was bound to have changed and much was to have stayed the same - especially with the brand’s minimalistic ethos.
Before diving into our conversation with Homma, we wanted to refresh our minds a little on the intimidatingly cool man’s past, impressive career trajectory, tremendous impact on the nanamica and The North Face Purple Label brands, and the functional fashion space in general.
In 1982, Eiichiro joined GOLDWIN, a Japanese sporting goods manufacturer and distributor specialising in outdoor apparel. For 18 months he spent his time working in the marketing department before being assigned over to HELLY HANSEN as a brand manager and designer for the Japanese market. And then, for 18 years, he worked on perfecting his hand for his original challenge.
Through GOLDWIN, Eiichiro was able to create relationships with brands such as The North Face, HELLY HANSEN and Filson before leaving to co-found the nanamica brand in 2003. The seed for establishing his original brand was sown since the beginning of his career; it was business structures changing on GOLDWIN’s end and an alignment of Eiichiro’s personal stars that borne Nanamica.
Nanamica loosely translates to ‘House of Seven Seas’. Eiichiro founded the brand with Imaki, his partner, both of whom had a special love for the sea. This might explain why, if you type ‘nanamica’ into the Google search bar, you’ll come across the following slogan: “ONE OCEAN, ALL LANDS’. It might also explain why the nanamica brand loves throwing in a good sailor’s stripe and windbreaker jacket here and there.
Whether for nanamica, THE NORTH FACE Purple Label or GOLDWIN Inc., Eiichiro Homma has been a monumental force for the technical manufacturing space, material development, creative direction, and cementing and popularising functional clothing into fashion’s ever-growing canon. He has also acted as the mediator between certain fashion trends worldwide, helping introduce Western sportswear aesthetics to Japan and adopting utility-focused American aesthetics for the Japanese population.
Nanamica continues growing, in recognition and in physical space. THE NORTH FACE Purple Label continues to make headlines. Eiichiro continues winning, at home and internationally. Read our interview with Homma below to find out more about his outlook on the urban outdoor industry, the intersections between performance gear, functional design, pure aesthetics and day-to-day life [especially amidst a pandemic[, the two new nanamica stores in Daikanyama, material development and more.
Heads up. There’s a special nugget of information at the very end that you’re going to want to get in on too.
Dear Homma-san. Thanks for talking with us. How would you describe the nanamica brand to someone who’s just discovered it for the first time?
Taking “Utility” and “Sports” as key words, nanamica intends to be a high-level mix of fashion and function. Keeping distance from passing trends, we make high quality items that can remain a part of people’s lives for a long time.
Same thing goes for THE NORTH FACE Purple Label? How would you describe it to a newcomer?
THE NORTH FACE Purple Label is a collaboration line with THE NORTH FACE in Japan, which is run by GOLDWIN. Taking the outdoor gear of THE NORTH FACE as a base and replacing elements with high fashion materials or keeping the base of traditional materials and Californian outdoor style roots but updating the size and fit, we make casual outdoor wear that mixes the fundamentals of THE NORTH FACE with the fashion of the current time.
Nanamica specialises in functional fashion. What makes something functional in your opinion?
Many casual clothing styles, in particular men’s casual, are inspired by sportswear, workwear, and military wear. Since my background is nearly 20 years of experience designing outdoor wear, we completely understand every functional feature of outdoor gear. This way we can produce functional casual wear without compromise.
How has the nanamica brand changed from 2003 to now, nearly 20 years since it was founded? And how have you changed with it?
Our philosophy hasn’t changed since 2003. The first 15 years, our size and fit were moving towards slim fit, then we have been changing it to a loose fit since people seemed to be tired with a slim fit after 10-15 years.
Do you think the pandemic has had an impact on how people are consuming and wearing fashion? Has it had an impact on the popularity of functional fashion, especially with the shift towards remote working?
People have lost the opportunity of having physical contact with other people during this difficult time. Having to remotely work and be in lockdown with restaurants and bars closed for more than two years changes people’s values when consuming fashion. What we have recognized is a tendency toward buying less stuff but at a higher price and from better quality brands. Another phenomenon is people prefer to buy more comfortable home wear which has a well balanced design with higher comfort. Recently we have been offering a ‘Home-Office Wear’ series.
You’re opening two new nanamica stores in Daikanyama, one for men and one for women. With nanamica’s approach being to create ‘genderless designs’ for everyone, what inspired the opening of two different stores for the two genders?
Yes, our fundamental concept is genderless and ageless. However, there are some particular women’s items and fits in addition to unisex items. The real coordinations are sometimes different from men’s style, even if some items have overlapped each other. Another reason is our Daikanyama store is too small for all our categories.
Will store design differ largely between the two stores, and what other differences will visitors be able to spot other than the clothes on offer?
The two stores may look different. However, a key concept of both stores is ‘An urban beach house’. We create simple and comfortable spaces with a distinct Japanese touch, using materials that people who love the ocean would appreciate. In addition to these fundamentals, the women’s store is using white as the key colour to highlight the women’s line with a simpler and cleaner look.
Some people might feel both stores are less characteristic. That must be the right impression that we are aiming for. We think the merchandise should be the leading part. We are expecting our customers to remember our merchandise and not the interior design after they leave for outside.
More and more women are getting into functional fashion and brands such as nanamica. Why do you think this is and has this had an impact on how you design for your brand?
Our fundamental is genderless and ageless. However, we have also recognized the phenomenon that women are getting into functional fashion. Hence, we organised a women’s design team last year and launched the Daikanyama Women’s Store (D.W.S.) this March. Today, the traditional value of gender has disappeared. Women can behave and dress exactly as they want, not as they are expected. This means that women’s priority is not only looks but also physical comfort from clothing.
How do you design for the everyman's lifestyle and the seasons? Is it with Japanese weather and lifestyle in mind, or do you take a wider, more global approach?
We are always seeking out every change of real lifestyles. Our brand is not a high fashion brand, and we think the important aspect should always be the human being. When we find even small changes in their real lifestyle, we try to produce better clothing which can support their new lifestyle.
Today the nanamica brand is sold in 24 countries in the world. We definitely recognize some particular preferences in each continent. However, since we are a Japanese brand, we think nanamica should be the western clothing designed in a Japanese sense.
What is nanamica’s approach to material innovation and where does it come in on the list of priorities when creating functional and simple clothing for the everyday?
As far as functional materials - in particular synthetic materials - are concerned, the most competitive fabric mills are in Japan. My background was working in the Outdoor Sports division of GOLDWIN INC. which is a sportswear company and an owner of THE NORTH FACE trademark in Japan and Korea. This gives us a close relationship with Japanese fabric mills.
Nanamica doesn’t follow trends and creates with function in mind. With the constant drive to innovate and create ‘better’, how does nanamica stay true to that statement, not finding itself moving too quickly with the times?
That is due to our own true mentality and philosophy. Before we started nanamica back in 2003, I had experience of producing clothing which I didn’t like but were sold well.
When a customer bought such merchandise, I said “thank you for your purchase,” but at the same time I thought in my mind that “the merchandise wasn’t good.” That was total treachery to the customer who bought it.
When I founded nanamica, I decided we would never produce any merchandise which we don’t like.
At what point in the process does the conversation around materials come into play? Is it extremely integral and precedes design (you pick a material to create with and then think about the garment) or does the design precede the material selection?
Usually, we start the fabric development first, since it takes longer lead time for development, test, and procurement of sample yardage. Another reason why we start fabric development first is for functional clothing. An innovation of materials is the most effective point to achieve the next level of clothing.
What occasion/lifestyle setting are you keen to design a garment for but have not yet tried your hand at it?
An active sportswear such as a running and training gear for daily life must fit nanamica, and it seems to be necessary for our real lifestyle. In terms of technicals, it must be easy for us to produce good active sportswear. However, we have not yet produced this under our brand.
You’ve been asked a lot before about what inspires you. We want to know how you allow yourself to stay open to inspiration?
Fashion itself might be a logical mechanism of the balance of majority and minority. I try to consider whether the same style should be tiered when it becomes majority. Hence, I am always seeking the opposite side of current success.
What are some of your favourite books? And some of your favourite films? They don’t have to be in English - our readers are curious and worldwide.
For a book I would say ‘IKUSANGA’, a memoir by Ryuzo Sejima. For the film, The Killing Fields.
When you’re not working on nanamica and THE NORTH FACE Purple Label, what can one find Eiichiro Homma doing? Where is he and why?
At sea, enjoying sailing.
Do you have any advice for our readers on how to live life to the fullest?
Watch the video clip of Steve Jobs commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.
About The Auhtor:
Nova is a writer, creative and sneaker enthusiast from London, UK. For Sabukaru she’ll be covering anything sportswear and streetwear related, in-depth histories of how certain niche trends and traditions originated, and deep dives into the interconnection between popular culture and contemporary aspects of our lives.
