BETWEEN MINDFULNESS & UTILITARIAN CUTS - THE STORY OF CMMAWEAR
sabukaru is excited to team up with innersect to present the next generation of players in the functional fashion realm. Dubbed “Section 31026”, sabukaru will host 10 of our favorite brands at a 700m2 booth at the upcoming convention from January 15 to January 17, 2022. Celebrating this special occasion, we’re presenting each brand through an in-depth article. Welcome to Section 31026. Welcome to the functional future.
All images courtesy of CMMAWEAR
Deriving from the founders Giz and Val’s experiences living in bustling and eclectic cities like Tokyo and Seoul, Korean brand CMMAWEAR showcases a cutting-edge take on utilitarian garments. While the designs may seem avant-garde and very fashion-forward at first, a deeper look into the brand and the clothes themselves reveals that the pieces themselves are not just designed for designs sake but are actually born from utility and practicality for daily life.
Giz, who you might know from his YouTube vlogs showcasing his pick-ups, daily life, and some of Tokyo’s best spots from fashion to food, is no stranger to the business having worked for the luxury fashion industry for the past few years. Having founded the brand just last year alongside his partner Val who leads the creative direction, CMMAWEAR is already one of the most talked about brands from the burgeoning Korean scene. To know more about the brand, we caught up with Giz to hear more about his vision, ideas, and what the future has in store for CMMAWEAR.
Can you walk us through the origin story of CMMAWEAR? What made you start the brand in the first place and motivated you to switch up from solely consuming/buying to actively producing fashion?
The name CMMAWEAR is a mixture of 'becoming aware of' and 'comma+wear', as a reminder to take a pause and learn who you are in life, expressed with clothes.
I have been part of a corporation working with luxury brands for the past few years in addition to my individual freelance work through social media. I gradually became aware of my unique points and what I can offer to the industry which eventually led to having the confidence to start something on my own.
The transition from consuming to producing was smooth as one of the thought processes I go through when developing the designs is to think about what has been missing in my wardrobe.
Next to product photos, your Instagram feed consists of a lot of “mood photography”. What kind of mood are you going for and how does this mood translate into the clothing pieces?
Val oversees the aesthetics of our Instagram. The pictures that we post are all photos that Val took over the years of us traveling together. We thought it’s an interesting mix between what we saw as beautiful then and what we see as beautiful (our designs) now. It’s not a mood created with intention, but we want to use it to show more of our personality to what we think is joyful in life, past and present.
In your last “Walk in the Woods” collection you mixed everyday silhouettes with a refined utilitarian twist. Can you run us through the vision behind the collection and explain how your thoughtful cuts & material choice create utility?
We chose the whole “woods” concept/mood where we often go to relax and find inner peace as the city life of Tokyo can get overwhelming sometimes.
The utilitarian twist is something that entirely stemmed from what I felt necessary in my everyday life in Tokyo. I rarely carry a backpack in Tokyo because of the small spaces and often the train gets insanely crowded thus, I needed many pockets (bigger the better).
The shin pockets in the hourglass pants were made as I often cross my legs which makes it uncomfortable to reach to your side pockets.
The hidden pockets on the sleeves of the first work jacket were made for the metro cards to save the time from reaching into your pockets for your wallet during the rush Tokyo rush hour.
The “Knitted Hood” is already a CMMAWEAR fan favorite item. Can you share the inspiration behind this piece and explain the reasoning for hand-knitting it in South Korea?
The knitted hood is one of the designs created from 'something missing in the wardrobe'. The time of creation was when I transitioned from living in Tokyo to Seoul last winter.
Unlike winter in Tokyo, where it mainly stays over 0°C, winter in Seoul can go as low as -20°C, and a warm hat that covered my face was a must.
Conventional balaclavas were not a satisfying option for me as they can be very tight on the face. Some designs reveal only the eyes of the face, which felt stuffy. Thus, I wanted to make something that fit looser, more like a 'hood' rather than a mask hence the naming and creating our 'knitted hood''.
I believe many customers had similar needs, which resulted in the piece becoming popular.
Next to CMMAWEAR, you also run quite the successful YouTube Channel. How do you split your time between the two endeavours? Are there any lessons that you learnt from running a successful YouTube channel that you were able to transfer to CMMAWEAR?
YOUTUBE was created to show my every lifestyle of Tokyo and at the same time showcase my unique taste in clothing pick-ups. There were many brands that I wanted to introduce that were difficult for the mass or overlooked by most. I wanted to work as an “antenna" to 'receive' those brands and 'transmit' their design language to the viewers so more people can easily perceive and eventually create its scene.
My Daily Life in Tokyo (work, eat, shop, coffee, etc) by Gizmo Tokyo Fashion
What I learned through running the channel was that there is quite a big gap of information between the consumers and designers on what makes that piece a good quality or what makes that piece worth the price point. Thus, having my media helps as I can help bridge this gap so that customers get a helpful insight.
You used to live in Tokyo for 10 years. How did the city inspire and influence you and your fashion taste?
Tokyo is a very big part of me. It was my first time living abroad independently and combined with my previous experience living in the US and Korea it opened my mind to a lot of different things. Fashion wise, as you are constantly surrounded by a variety of clothes at your arms reach, over time I could naturally develop my own unique taste and style.
After living in Tokyo for quite some time, you’re currently living in South Korea. How would you describe the Korean style and how does it differ from the Japanese?
Both cities have a great style on their own, but one of the main differences between the two would lie in the diversity of silhouettes; Tokyo is a bit more experimental than Seoul.
When you walk around Harajuku, Omotesando, or Shibuya you can encounter all sorts of styles/silhouettes such as street, vintage, luxury, avant-garde, Americana, or just crazy “Harajuku style”.
I look forward to the expansion of the Korean Fashion scene as there are so many great brands in my generation that are pushing the boundaries of the current scene and competing at a global level.
Contrary to the vast majority of eCom sites, your online store is only open for releases and stays closed the rest of the time. What’s the reason for this?
The main reason is to create a unique shopping experience for our customers. We like to surprise them with different concepts and colors in coordination with the product release.
We hope to hold physical pop-ups where consumers can fully experience our brand when the world recovers, and travel restrictions are lifted.
What's next for CMMAWEAR in the short-run? What is the grand vision/goal for the long-run?
Ultimately, CMMAWEAR is a lifestyle brand/creative concept. In the future, we want to expand to create a crossover with interior design/web design/ furniture/home goods, etc. Our short-term goal is our little secret ;)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME! WE’RE VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE FOR YOUR AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WELCOME YOU IN SECTION 31026 AT INNERSECT!
Founded in 2017, Innersect is one of the biggest streetwear festivals globally that takes place from January 15 to January 17, 2022 in Shanghai.
