Accelerating Sustainability & High-Tech Processing

What stood out overall this season was the shift to sustainability and high-tech processing of natural materials like down and wool. This, along with the strong performance of specialized factory-manufactured brands closely related to winter sports like hunting and skiing, also stood out.

© birds-nest
Continuing from last season, WOOLRICH, which exhibited an ice show installation and its collaborative line with BEAMS at a special booth at the press gate entrance, and Barbour, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, also had their usual booth, displaying reissued models from their archives and other hotly anticipated content. Items announced included the second installment of last season's much-talked-about collaboration with Engineered Garments' Daiki Suzuki, as well as a director's jacket in collaboration with film director Ridley Scott.

© birds-nest
© birds-nest
Furthermore, HERNO, which continues to enjoy strong sales with a 20% increase on the previous year, has set up a new booth in addition to its regular booth in the main pavilion to exclusively showcase its high-performance sartorial line, LAMINAR. In addition to promoting the functionality of the previous Gore-Tex, the company promoted the expansion of the Laminar lineup, which has evolved to include fashionable features such as water repellency and breathability by attaching a membrane to the inside of a wool coat.

© birds-nest
HERNO / © birds-nest
ROSSIGNOL x Philippe Model © Francesco Guazzelli
Furthermore, the prestigious French ski brand ROSSIGNOL continued to present its clothing line at its booth at the main venue, Fortezza da Basso, but also unveiled its new sneaker capsule collection with Philippe Model, which was announced for this season, at Villa Victoria on the outskirts of Florence.

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SAVE THE DUCK / © birds-nest
PLUME / birds-nest
Downwear, which enjoyed strong sales from last season, continued to attract strong attention from buyers this season, and each booth was bustling with activity. SAVE THE DUCK, which offers animal-free down without feathers but instead uses a special polyester filling called "PLUMTECH®," and Canada's MOOSE KNUCKLES set up special booths on ground level to actively promote their products. Italian coat brand PALTO announced PLUME, a new brand using recycled down "PURE." ECOALF, which offers a collection made 100% in Italy using only recycled materials, also held a dual exhibition of its capsule collection in the "IPLAY" zone inside Fortezza da Basso and at the external venue, Palazzo Strozzi.

ECOALF / © Francesco Guazzelli
"The market for down jackets was strong worldwide in the autumn/winter 2017-18 season, so I imagine each brand has put a lot of effort into planning for the autumn/winter 2019-20 season," said Homma Eiichiro, president of nanamica, which is exhibiting in the "Touch" zone, and the brand itself has also proposed new down jacket items. Among the Japanese brands exhibiting, Y. & SONS commented that "through continued participation, we have definitely deepened our ties with our business partners," and HIROMI ASAI, which, like Y. & SONS, is seeking to develop the market with traditional Japanese culture and techniques, exhibited jackets made from Nishijin-ori hand-sewn silk tweed, Tochio Tsumugi silk from Niigata, and embroidered persimmon tannin dyed textiles. They also said that they are increasingly working with select shops.

HIROMI ASAI / © AKAstudio - collective
Y. & SONS / © birds-nest

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