・Wool and nylon

Yoshi: Speaking of fabric, when we decided to make a T-shirt, it was difficult to maintain the shape of a 100% merino wool, and it would twist and shrink after washing. It would also end up feeling thick.

Hagi: If it's 100%, you can feel the weakness of the fabric.

Yoshi: But there was something I used as a reference, and I really liked it, and I've been wearing it for almost 10 years, and it doesn't have any holes or become too wrinkled. In fact, the stitching has worn out and burned and changed color, but the fabric itself hasn't deteriorated. I've used it in the city and when I go hiking with a backpack. The T-shirt that changed my concept of wool is 79 % wool and 21 % nylon.

Nishi: I happened to come across a fabric with the same ratio. It's common for wool to contain polyester.

J: What are the properties of nylon?

Yoshi: It's hard, but it keeps its shape.

West: Resistant to wear.

Yoshi: It also has hydrophobic properties. It hates water and repels it.

J: Do you play wool too?

Yoshi: Wool feels good at first, but once it gets wet and soggy it's hard to dry. By mixing it with nylon instead of 100% wool, it dries quickly.

・Sensationalists and Sensationalists

Hagi: What did you think of the two of you while working together, J?

J: Nishioka-san's instincts seem to be right. I have no proof, but it just feels right.

Yoshi: He's cautious. But he's also a guy who goes by feel. He's like Shigeo Nagashima. He gets results, but if you ask him to explain it, he'll say that if he hits the ball that comes at him with a whoosh, he'll hit a home run.

J: I (Yoshida) am also a sensory type, but it's a little different.

Yoshi: I'm a very intuitive person, but sometimes I end up going in the wrong direction.

J: But the good thing about it is that they jump in first.

Hagi: What do you mean?

J: He's the first penguin. There are so many penguins on the ice, and you never know what kind of dangers there are in the ocean. But, without any basis, he's the first one to jump in, and he has the power to break through. But there's not much basis for that.

Nishi: Are you praising me or criticizing me? (laughs)

J: Working for a large company, I might not have the same sensibilities as Nishioka. Because it's like this, it's like this. I think I'd be worried if I did this, but I don't think I should say that here. I want to make use of Nishioka's intuition. I think it's good to challenge myself, listen to what others have to say, be flexible and change direction, and just keep going. I want to keep believing and doing my best. Without being bound by conventional wisdom.

Yoshi: Nishioka-san will be updated soon.

J: At work, I had a boss who was always saying different things, but I never thought that way. When I watched him, I could see why he changed. But to people who only saw the end, it probably seemed like a sudden change.

Yoshi: There are signs before the table is about to be overturned. (laughs)

・Evolving every day

Yoshi: We also have beanies. A knit cap that covers the ears is a must-have item for the UTMF (Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji). Unlike the T-shirts, we didn't order a special fabric, and it's not merino, but since keeping warm is a priority, we made this one with 100% wool.

It comes in two colors, gray and khaki, but there's a bit of a tricky problem.

Nishi: It's the same pattern, but the gray one feels smaller due to the difference in the stretch of the fabric. I'm wondering if I should sell it as a product.

Yoshi: They're not deep enough. They expose the area under your ears. They fit well, but I wish they were a little deeper.

Nishi: It's already finished. The question is how to sell the smaller size.

J: It would be great if we could have a conversation in the store and have people who understand what we are talking about buy it. For kids and women with small heads.

Nishi: It's wrong to release something that we're not happy with. However, we are considering what to do with this small gray one.

Yoshi: We will be remaking the gray version, so the release will be delayed a little. Sorry. *Scheduled for release on September 30, 2023

Yoshi: They made many prototypes and made many fine adjustments, but in the end it just didn't work out.

J: The reason we can make course corrections like that is because we can see the faces of our users. I think that's a good thing. I want our customers to have a lot to say. There's no definitive answer, so I release it and listen to what our customers have to say, and I expect it to change, so I draw out a pattern myself. It's not an easy answer, and I think we shouldn't make assumptions.

Nishi: We have to keep evolving every day. I'm still studying fabrics and patterns.

J: We feel like we're doing what we think is best at the moment. We feel there's potential for it to continue evolving. We'd like to interact with our customers and get to know them better and find out more about the kind of people who buy milestone.

Yoshi: After the Instagram live broadcast before the Shinetsu race, we received inquiries from spectators who were participating.

N: By the way, is this crosstalk between the runner and pacer? (laughs)

* Yoshida participated in the 100 Mile race, Nishioka was the pacer for the 100 Mile race.

Mr. J ran the 110km race, and Hagiwara was the pacer for the 110km race.

Yoshi: Outdoor manufacturers like Patagonia and The North Face all started out with founders who were really dedicated and made things that people wanted and thought they needed, so I would like milestone to be the same.

Hagi: We are currently in the early days of milestone.

Nishi: It's the dawn of day. It's Daybreak.

Yoshi: When you start doing things like fastpacking, you realize that it's difficult to do it with just a polyester T-shirt, so you feel the need to borrow the power of natural sheepskin. The headlamps we recently released , the MS-G3 and MS-G4, are models that we want people to use for mountain climbing and long traverses, and the Merino series is also in that category. It's not something that people aiming for the top spots in trail running wear in races.

Nishi: I'd like people to wear it for everyday use, spend the night in the mountains, and then wear it again the next day.

Many of you may have participated in the Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail (100 mile/110 km) this month, or followed the bib numbers on Trail Search to cheer on the runners. The completion rate for the 100-mile race was 40.2%, and for the 110 km, it was 38.3%. Even if you didn't reach the finish line, each person had their own story, and even those who DNS (Did Not Start) or DNF (Did Not Finish) had their own struggles and decisions. It's such a cruel "non-fiction" to think about. But there's also hope that all of this may be a hint at the next step. It's been a while since I last raced, but being on the ground reminded me of how exciting racing can be.

This time, the pattern maker also appeared and spoke at length about the new wool products. As a fashion lover, I was very interested in the details of sewing, and I look forward to seeing more new items being released in the future.

It's still hot, but I can't wait to go to the autumn mountains in the Daybreak Merino , where I won't break a sweat.

See you next time, stay tuned.

Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara