Hiroki Nakamura has used his exceptional aesthetic sense to evolve the craftsmanship of visvim. In recent years, his creations have incorporated the warmth and character of the vintage items he collects into his products. We spoke to him about his passion for crafting these items.

--Visvim is known for its meticulous attention to detail. Tell us about the direction of your recent craftsmanship.

When I'm abroad, I often feel that everywhere I go in the world, everything seems flat and similar. So, wanting to try something new, I launched a concept shop called F.I.L. Indigo Camping Trailer (I.C.T.) a year ago. We have a directly managed store in GYRE in Omotesando. It's an experimental store that offers products with a human touch amidst the increasingly uniform nature of shopping malls and commercial facilities. At I.C.T., we offer items that are difficult to market commercially, such as hoodies dyed with natural indigo and then mud-dyed, a series with vintage bandanas sewn onto them from our collection, and old indigo fabric. We wanted to open a store in the mall that's filled with personal touches, curated through a personal eye. - Visvim items have unique features, with each button having a different color and faded, or unevenness in the fabric. I think that's because the character and passion of the maker shines through in each piece. For example, the 14SS collection was inspired by American quilts. I've always loved American quilts, because you can feel the maker's love for their family and children in the stitching. Up until now, I've been inspired by vintage sources like Amish clothing from the American East Coast and Japanese rags, but I've noticed that the same item can have a different feel. Is that because the character and passion of the maker shines through? We want our thoughts and philosophies—our feelings for the wearer and the environment—to flow through Visvim's clothing.

--Why do we strive to create personal pieces?

How can we create products that resonate with people? We do so through trial and error, growing and discovering new things along the way. As I studied how to make good things, I realized that the way things are made is completely different from how it was in the past. The production system has changed from handmade to mass production by machine. Handmade items incorporate a personal element. The thoughts of the maker are conveyed, cherished, and passed down. I think that this holds the secret to creating products that resonate with people.

--How do you create personal pieces?

How can you inject individuality into today's machine-made products? In the past, each piece was made by a single person, and the stitching reflected their individuality and emotion, to the point that you could imagine, for example, "Was this part done when the person was hungry?" But now, production is done on an assembly line, so the pieces end up becoming standardized. It's difficult to create organic differences using machines, and even if we were to use the same methods as in the past, the results would never be exactly the same because the inner workings and the times are already different. Since we're creating something new, we want to keep moving forward with our craftsmanship. We think in terms of a timeline, and want to ensure that, when we look back on it in the future, we think that good things were still being made in today's world. To achieve this, we're considering combining modern technology with handcrafts.

--Are there any specific items in this collection that utilize technology and handcrafts?

For example, this Gore-Tex jacket. Normally, lamination makes it smooth and flat, but we wanted it to have some texture, so we had it mud-dyed on Amami Oshima and sewed on a vintage bandana. We had an original houndstooth tricot lining and attached hand-printed tape. We designed it with the hopes of creating a product that combines modern technology with handcrafts.

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