"Shopping Japan With Four Pins" is an ongoing series in which Amardeep Singh takes us on a tour of the country's best shops. See them all here.
Japan is a mystical, seemingly mythical place when it comes to clothing, at least for myself and my circle of apparel-concerned friends. In a culture that fervently pursues subcultures so often to the point that it feels wrong to still call them "subcultures" (so I'll use air-quotes), any and every style of clothing seems to have an excess of killer brands you've never even heard of making clothing so cool you completely stop buying clothing in real life altogether. From goth ninja to #malewear to subtle-future-tech-jawn-2k19 (which I think is, loosely, where I could see myself falling into if funds and patience were readily available), it's hard to be into a "subculture" of clothing and not hear of a Japanese brand that's smashing that "subculture" out of the park, both in terms of looks and in terms of prices. So for you, avid Four Pins readers and fans and also people who tweet harsh derogatory things about Four Pins articles, I'll be traveling through the streets of Tokyo to find and display some semi-familiar brands and some likely-completely-unheard-of brands, and the shops that house them. But also for myself. Fine, largely for myself.
Part I: White Mountaineering, Shibuya
What better way to start a series like this than with a brand Four Pins has talked about extensively before, and possibly my personal favorite brand right now, White Mountaineering. (Didn't you see the little note up there about subtle 2019 jawns?) Known for their use of highly-advanced technical fabrics in almost every piece in the line, designer Yosuke Aizawa keeps the silhouettes and styles surprisingly timeless. As ridiculous as the fabric specifications might be, there's little in the way of ridiculousness in the way they're utilized in the garment styles, and that's a very good thing if you're not trying to necessarily stand out in a crowd simply because of your clothing.
The White Mountaineering shop in Shibuya is situated a comfortable distance from the hectic, overwhelming Shibuya crossing and Shibuya station (think Times Square in New York times 3, with all the action happening in 5 different planar dimensions, simultaneously), which is fitting for the look and presentation of both the store and clothing. Sitting underneath their studio and offices which house most, if not all, of the dozen or so people part of the White Mountaineering team, it's an immaculate store covered in deep wood tones, metal and lots of natural light. The clothing, sitting on custom, laser-engraved metal hangers, jumps out of the environment, especially when you give it a touch, with nylon that feels like wool and wool that feels like a deep, dark abyss. While one of the only shops of it's kind in the area, it's definitely worth a trip inside, even if you weren't already in the neighborhood. Carrying a few Japan-only exclusives, the full collection, the White Mountaineering BLK collection (for extra-technical, technical garments) and White Mountaineering Wardrobe (a more modest, reduced version of the main collection), there's enough GORE-TEX in here to shield a small village from danger.
The standouts: the last remaining pieces of the perfectly executed White Mountaineering x Barbour collaboration, as well as a GORE-TEX wool (who even knew you could GORE-TEX-ify wool?) fishtail parka that has been continually updated throughout the years, available in both black and blood red. Check to find out where your closest stockist is, but, if you're in the U.S., don't get your hopes up. There are currently only 2 accounts, or 3 if you're counting Haven in Canada.
White Mountaineering
2-7 Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
+81 3-6416-5381
Amardeep Singh is a writer and photographer living in New York. You can see more of his work here and follow him on Twitter here.
