Brand Profile: Visvim’s Rise to Power

Photo: Mariko Tagashira

It’s true what they say, “You’ve gotta break a few eggs to make an omlette.” In the case of Visvim'Japan’s revered independent shoe and mature streetwear company'cracking the standard $300 price mark was well worth it, considering the quality goodness. Creative Director Hiroki Nakamura’s careful craftsmanship has the whole world in mind with this spring’s “Folk” series of moccasin-like shoes. They’re all chemical-free, which is why we tapped the environmentally conscious Nakamura for Complex’s first Green Issue. Check out a gallery and a bonus Q&A with the candid designer after the jump.

Interview: Sky Gellatly

Why did you start your independent brand in a market dominated by the big dogs?

Visvim began as a reaction to a market of mass produced footwear, but more simply than that we just wanted to make the kinds of shoes that we wanted to wear. There were very few smaller footwear companies at the time of our launch, and when we first started we were simply filling a niche in the footwear market. There will always be niches that larger companies have some difficulty reaching, so I saw such an opportunity for the kind of products that I wanted to wear and make and launched the brand. Sneaker are just sneakers; they don’t have meaning. People mostly wear sneakers because, although designed for sports, they are comfortable in daily use. But we wanted something that was very comfortable, but didn’t look sporty and with a bit more meaning, and with a definite higher quality.

Why do you think independent sneaker brands are proliferating these days? Could you speak on this for the Japanese and the US markets?

I think when it comes to being a small company, the key point is this: being independent isn’t the key, making good quality product for the people who wear it is. Companies making good product will succeed. It doesn’t matter if a company is large or small, corporate or independent, it just matters if they are doing something well. People will always notice.

Do you think that there is a reaction among trend savvy consumers today against brands like Nike, Adidas, etc?

Again, honestly, I have no idea. The thing with trends and people who follow them is that change will remain constant. Maybe one day collecting footwear is trendy to do, but it might not be the same another day. Trends are fickle in nature. But I feel that people who understand quality in materials, design, and development will be attracted to brands who focus on those same things.

As a company, we very much respect large footwear brands because in many ways they’re capable of doing things that we cannot do. We see incredible product being produced daily, product that we might never be able to produce. But at the same time, there might be something that we do that would be difficult for them. It’s up to the customer to decide which is more appealing. I do think, though, that customers are seeking something new and different and something that feels unique to them. The designer’s role is to design good product, that’s all. I just want to make our product better.

Do you use your footwear as a fashion item that gets men interested in your entire line?

That’s a very interesting question. We approach or clothing line with the same focus and development goals as our footwear, so maybe some of our customers have noticed this and started buying other product. As a shoe company, footwear always comes first, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see our footwear as a “gateway” product. It was a natural progression for us to expand from footwear into clothing and backpacks because, like the start of the company, we wanted to design what we wanted to wear. We like making really comfy shoes, and we think our tees or sweats or jeans are really comfy, too. I think people will always like designs that are basic or classic, so there will always be a market…Good product will last for a long time