Before visvim Sport, Hiroki Nakamura Worked Out in His Underwear
Brand: visvim
Key Pieces: The wool basics are crucial to the visvim Sport collection but the lightweight GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY pullover jacket, tonal black FKT Runner sneakers, and branded gym bag lend extra weight to the affair.
Buy: visvim's site and flagship stores from July 17.
Editor's Notes: visvim founder Hiroki Nakamura's detail-obsessed design practice has attracted workwear aficionados and Kanye followers alike but gym rats may be the next crowd to jump on the brand's bandwagon. Well, probably not, but maybe the vis heads will hit the weights a bit more now that Nakamura is rolling out visvim Sport, an athleisure collection designed to his usual extreme standards of quality.
"I used to go to the gym, but... I realized the reason I don't go anymore was because I didn't have anything I enjoyed wearing," Nakamura said in a statement. I don't like the slippery feel of synthetic fabrics, so I have to work out at home in my underwear. That's why I wanted to create sportswear I want to wear."
If you're wondering what Nakamura used to wear when tossing around vintage medicine balls at home: yes, visvim used to make underwear. However, you can now expect to see him sweating in visvim Sport's washable wool basics, cut in shapes that recall '50s-era workout gear.
Wisely, visvim isn't wading into the technical athleisure battle between juggernauts like Nike, Under Armour, and Lululemon; it's instead creating workout-friendly garments that uphold its usual retro inspiration — even the lookbook features old school exercise gear.
This initial drop includes an oversized black T-shirt, tank top, and two flavors of shorts — boxing-inspired or swim-ready — plus the aforementioned pullover jacket, sneakers, and bag. As usual, the garments are as high-end as anything that bears the visvim tag.
"We chose wool as the main material, which was used in old sportswear before the creation of synthetic fibers," Nakamura continued. "The 17.5 micron wool sourced in New Zealand is very breathable, but also comfortable to wear. This is a functional and classically designed sports collection interpreted for modern use."
The high-end raw wool that visvim sourced for this endeavor is more organic than much of the performance merino wool utilized for most contemporary athleisure but they both share similar properties: they're sweat-wicking, quick-drying, breathable, stretchable, and odor-fighting.
