Nanamica’s NYC store nods to a Japanese beach house
Japanese menswear brand Nanamica has collaborated with New York-based architect Taichi Kuma on its Soho boutique
Although fashion labels have been quick to offer pieces that newly bridge the gaps between work, life and leisure, the Japanese menswear brand Nanamica has championed a holistic approach to dressing since it was founded in 2003. Originally conceived to provide high functioning apparel that suits both city and outdoor wear, Nanamica’s president and founder Eiichiro Homma expanded on that philosophy with a slew of collaborations with brands such as North Face Purple Label, Dr. Martens, Champion and Woolrich.
After a period of re-establishing the brand’s identity in the 2010s, which included presenting it on its own at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and Pitti Uomo in Milan, Homma opened Nanamica’s first mono-brand boutique in Tokyo in 2019, with plans to replicate its success in New York later that year.
‘Our concept has always been a high-level mix of fashion and function,’ says Homma, an avid surfer, while explaining the significance of having a presence in the United States. ‘Most of the designs are based on American sportswear. We add the latest solution in terms of fabric, apply a modern fit and add some small, Japanized features. It may look simple and neutral at first glance. However, we believe people must find the difference and value of Japanese sportswear in every small element. New York has long been considered a melting pot of multi-cultural fusion, we always planned to have a store there, since the beginning of the company.’
Although planned for the later half of 2019, logistical and renovation challenges, along with the onset of the global pandemic and New York City’s subsequent lockdown, just two weeks before the project could be completed, put the endeavor on hold.
Opened quietly in August 2020, the Nanamica boutique in New York’s Soho neighbourhood is an homage to its name. ‘Since Nanamica means ‘Houses of seven seas’, we always intend to include some marine inspiration into our designs,’ shares Homma. ‘The brief [that] I provided [prospective] designers for the New York store was simply, the frame of Japanese beach house.’
To realise the concept, Homma worked with the New York-based architect Taichi Kuma, who created the store’s alluring gabled structures, interspersed with translucent panels of corrugated plastic, in an expression of being by the seaside. ‘Daiki Suzuki of Engineer Garments introduced me to Taichi,’ Homma recounts. ‘Although I already had ideas and direction for the New York store, I immediately wanted to work with Taichi after meeting him in New York. Aside from creating the frame of a Japanese beach house, my other request was [for the space to exude] Japanese sensibility.’
The latter is achieved effortlessly. The light-filled and airy space elegantly mixes simple materials such as light oak, plastic and mirror, for an elevated feel. In such environs, Nanamica’s collections, displayed mostly along the interior’s periphery, speak for themselves. Its spirit for collaboration also endures - its newest limited edition pieces include a waterproof jacket and hat made from Gore-Tex and konbu (Japanese kelp) for Tanner Goods.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Kiko Kostadinov’s Tokyo outpost is a fashion store like no other
Bulgaria-born designer Kiko Kostadinov tells Wallpaper* why he chose Tokyo to open his first store, which sets to ‘pervert the traditional mould’ and features collaborations with artists such as Ryan Trecartin
By Orla Brennan Published
-
This season’s menswear collections capture a brighter mood
The shape of things to come with the best of the S/S 2024 menswear collections, an enlivening amalgam of colour and play
By Jack Moss Published
-
Ya-man’s Tokyo store is ‘an immersive, almost psychedelic experience’
Ya-man, the Japanese beauty brand known for its tech-focused devices and gadgets, opens an otherworldly HQ in Ginza, Tokyo
By Daven Wu Published
-
Obayaty is a new design-led brand creating make-up for men
The Obayaty founders discuss their elevated vision for the brand’s debut range make-up for men
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Year in review: top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023, selected by Wallpaper’s Hannah Tindle
Our top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023 span from Prada’s make-up debut to Japanese hair styling and the secrets of Björk’s nail artist
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Japanese hair art: Yumeko Yume’s retro Osaka salon
An Osaka salon is the next stop in this photographic odyssey, exploring vibrant and varied Japanese hair art
By Makoto Kikuchi Published
-
A warped take on officewear, courtesy of this season’s menswear collections
Re-balance your work-life wardrobe with menswear pieces from Valentino, Fendi, Dior and more, captured in a playful series by photographer Dorothy Sing Zhang and stylist Ben Schofield
By Jack Moss Published
-
‘Is it real, is it not real?’: this season’s conceptual menswear moments
From Loewe’s light-up LED vest and plughole-covered bags to the imaginative flights of Virgil Abloh’s swansong at Louis Vuitton
By Jack Moss Published