This series is a fictional podcast show in which writer Hagiwara (who runs #WednesdayBudouzakaRen together with Nishioka and Yoshida), the two people who created milestone items, listens to and delves into the stories of these two people.

Nishioka (hereinafter Nishi): Hello everyone! This is Nishioka from milestone.

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): This is Yoshida.

Hagiwara (hereinafter Hagi): Hello, this is Hagiwara.

Nishi: Let's have a toast for now.

Nishi, Yoshi, Hagi: Cheers!

Hagi: This is a peach!

Nishi: That's right. It's "Momo Weizen." The beer we sell at milestoneTERADACHO is from Minoh Beer, and we sell it under our own original label.

Yoshi: There are three types: pale ale, W-IPA (double IPA), and monkey IPA.

Nishi: Recently, we've heard word of mouth that Minoh Beer's Peach Weizen is delicious. So we asked Kaori, the president of Minoh Beer, if we could stock it. She said that it was only available in limited quantities, but we could do it now, so we decided to sell a small amount in our shop.

Yoshi: Will this "Oshi! Mai" still be around by the time it's released?

Nishi: We've ordered additional cases, so we think it'll be fine. Please give it a try. ← Sold out

・The right choice was to attack

Nishi: Enough about beer. What was the main topic today?

Yoshi: Today, new colors will be released for the Windshell Onion Hoodie. The classic Polar White, British Green, and Solid Black. In addition to these three colors, a new color will be released, and... (drum roll), tada!

Nishi: It's "California Orange." The color reminds me of Sunset Boulevard.

Hagi: Sunset Boulevard ?

Nishi: It's a major street in Los Angeles where you can see a beautiful sunset. Like Tanimachi-suji? No, maybe Midosuji (laughs). In Tokyo, it's like Omotesando or Aoyama-dori. Maybe it's closer to National Route 246!

Hagi: It's an exquisite color.

Yoshi: It's not pink, but it's also not coral orange, it's a really nice color that's hard to describe. Milestone tends to have a lot of calm earth tones, but this time the color is quite eye-catching.

Nishi: It was a bit bold. To be honest, at first I was thinking of going with brown, like beige. The three standard colors that already exist are subdued, and adding brown would make it seem too high-key, so I thought it would be good to add a bold accent color.

Yoshi: We changed it at the end. We decided to stop leaving it there.

Nishi: It was a good move. The zipper and piping are gray, and the logo is silver, which gives it a unified look. It's a color that can be worn by both men and women.

Yoshi: Of course, I think it would look incredibly cute on a woman.

Hagi: Sorry, weren't there two more colors besides the standard three?

Nishi: You mean Sunset Yellow and Storm Blue, the seasonal colors for 2024.

Yoshi: We are currently out of stock of these two colors in some sizes, but we will sell them while supplies last. As for the three standard colors, we are currently running low on stock, but we will stock all sizes.

This time we are also producing an XL size. I have had customers ask me in stores if they have a larger size, so I made it with those customers in mind.

Nishi: Just the other day, a customer came into our store and tried on an XL sample, and was delighted, saying, "It's just right!" It seems that people with larger bodies have trouble finding clothes that fit, so they even said, "I'll come and buy it when it goes on sale."

Yoshi: Until now, we only had four sizes, from XS to L, but when we made XL for the Daybreak series, we realized there was a demand for it. Milestone will be expanding the XL size going forward. The XL size for Natty Shorts will also be available soon.

Yoshi: The Onion Foodi is already complete, but we've been adding the XS size and making small improvements over the years.

Nishi: We've made so many minor updates that it's hard to tell. We've made the hem a little longer, the sleeves longer, and we've continued to make minor changes like that as a staple.

Hagi: For details on the development of Onion Foodi, please read the previous issues of "Oshi! Mai" (Part 4, "Is the World All Onions?" Part 1 and Part 2 ) .

・Attachment over custom

Yoshi: Normally in the apparel industry, products are released at the beginning of the season, there's a sale, the stock runs out, and then new products come in, and it goes through a repeating cycle. Many outdoor manufacturers also follow the same pattern when it comes to their apparel lines as general fashion apparel manufacturers.

Nishi: I see. I don't know anything about that sort of thing.

Yoshi: I'd like to tell you that our company is a little different.

Nishi: Our style is to create masterpieces and sell them for a long time. It takes time to make something truly good, and we're particular about the materials and the shape, and we aim to release products that we're satisfied with. That's why we never put something on sale just because it's no longer selling. We sell it with great care, add new colors, and try expanding it bit by bit. If the response is good, we add a little more, and that's how we do it.

Yoshi: I originally worked in the apparel industry for 20 years, so I grew up in that kind of fashion field. That's why it was so refreshing to join milestone. I have an attachment to each and every product, and I have no intention of giving up on them, so I name them like my own children. I could sense Nishioka's attachment to the products, even naming the colors, and that made me happy.

When I was in that field, I was in a position called a merchandiser, where I was responsible for thinking up the overall product strategy, but that meant that I had to make decisions. Rather than thinking about what I wanted to make or what good products I had made, I was thinking about how much sales I needed to make for exhibitions each season, in spring/summer and fall/winter, and how many products I needed to make to make that much sales. For example, I made 15 styles of T-shirts last year, so I definitely needed 15 styles this year. Those kinds of boundaries were decided from the start.

Nishi: I see.

Yoshi: It's not that I want to make it or not, it's just that I have to make it.

Nishi: So it's a must.

Yoshi: We plan accordingly, and conversely, if we create that many new products, it will cause a backlog, so we basically get rid of old products. We decide which ones to keep as staples, and then we sell off everything else. If sales aren't good, the 30% discount goes to 50%, and then we write them off in a family sale.

Yoshi: To be honest, I was wondering what this cycle would be like, but then I realized that there is a way to do it like milestones, and that it's great because it doesn't waste anything. I think it's especially suitable for the current era.

Nishi: That's right, because when a new color comes out, isn't it strange to think that the previous color will become cheaper? The material is exactly the same, and there are people who prefer the previous color. I want that child to fulfill its role. It's not like we're saying, "This one isn't selling, so we're offering it at a 40% discount." It's also about what people who bought it at full price think.

Yoshi: To be honest, we don't have any sales target, sales amount, or consumption rate target for each milestone product. If you say we don't have a target, that's it, but we don't try to achieve it or give up on it because we haven't reached it, so

I think it's really just like children. You don't throw them away just because they're not good at something.

I think that's a really great thing. I think you end up feeling attached to each and every product. At first, the Daybreak T-shirts I planned didn't sell at all, which made me really sad (laughs), but now they've finally become a series, and people are starting to recognize them as "merino T-shirts." There are some late bloomers like that, too.

Nishi: That's right. Not everything will be a smash hit, and I think it's good to balance out the various personalities of Milestone as a whole, including late bloomers and those who blossom from the start.

Yoshi: Diversity, right? (laughs)

Nishi: As Yoshida said earlier, there are two B2B industry exhibitions a year, held by manufacturers for retailers. SS and FW (also known as AW). In other words, they take orders from retailers, who are our customers, to announce new products that will be released during Spring & Summer and Fall (Autumn) & Winter, but milestone doesn't participate in these exhibitions. The reason is that we don't make products for exhibitions, but rather we make things when we feel like it (laughs). You might say that we're fickle, but since it's just the two of us, the pace and timing don't fit in. We sometimes get told off by our business partners. They say they can't place an order without seeing the actual product. They think we can just get away with contacting them by email (laughs).

Yoshi: I think each retailer decides how many T-shirts they'll sell this year based on how many they sold last year. There are a lot of different manufacturers, so for example, if you decide to stock 10-type T-shirts and order 10-type T-shirts at an exhibition, you'll get a call from milestone about a week later saying, "These T-shirts are ready!" You'll end up thinking, "We've already used up all our budget!" That's quite a frustrating thing to say.

Nishi: You should have told me sooner.

Yoshi: If you're doing something, just tell me you're doing it.

Nishi: I get scolded for that, but I can't go there often... But I'm still really grateful that you're still carrying our products. I'm sure there are people out there listening, so I'd like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude. Thank you as always!!

Nishi: It would be nice if we could go out and do sales, but we're the two of us, doing everything from planning and development. Once the sample is ready, we'll have to go and do the photo shoot.

Yoshi: Of course, we know that meeting face-to-face and talking is the best, but we also make product explanation videos so that retailers can sell our products with the same feelings as us, so we explain about our newborn babies to the camera.

Nishi: So, we've managed to get by for now, and because we don't have sales, we don't cause any trouble for the store owners, and they can sell at the regular price, so in that sense, I think it's a good thing. We're constantly developing new products, and there are lots this year too.

Yoshi: They ask for information first, but I don't know if it will end up being a product, so it's hard to tell them that I'm currently trying to conceive (laughs). I'll tell them what I've decided on this year...

Nishi: Are you really going to say that? Isn't that the next topic?

Yoshi: As a service to those listening to this, I'll say as much as I can.

Nishi: Well, please go ahead.

Yoshi: First up will be the Onion Hoodie, and then around October we will be re-selling the Fast Trail Gloves, which were popular last season.

Nishi: We still get inquiries about gloves.

Yoshi: Also, we're developing new colors for the Cloud Hoodie, which sold out last season.

Nishi: We'll be releasing new colors for the Daybreak shirt. We're also developing new socks. I think we'll have that by the end of the year.

・Activities? rest?

Hagi: I also heard that recently he doesn't work on Wednesdays and just hangs out (laughs).

Yoshi: Active rest.

Nishi: Working at a desk is important, but Yoshida and I often talk about work while we're out running, like on our way to the mountains. That's when good ideas often come to mind.

Nishi: I'm friendly with the members of Moonlight Gear Osaka, and when we went to the mountains together, I heard about their very interesting way of working. They have the entire off-season months of January and February off. They hold a company training camp in Hokkaido, and then they do whatever they want, whether it's spending time with their family or going somewhere private. They treat the 10 months from March to December as one year and work hard. They also make every Wednesday "Agriculture Day," where they work in the fields. They've always respected both work and play, so although it's not exactly work style reform, we've adopted this at our company as well, and we've decided to go to the mountains every Wednesday as active rest. Whether that's running, climbing, or fishing, it's fine. Our job is to propose fun, so if we take the initiative to engage in activities and disseminate information, we think of it as work.

Nishi: The main race of the year is in September, so I'm running now, but after that I'm thinking of going fishing again.

Yoshi: We went fishing quite a lot in July.

Nishi: Thanks to that, I became really into fishing.

Yoshi: We caught a big rainbow trout.

Nishi: Mr. Kishina, the owner of Yamanami Shoten, took me all the way to Tottori and I caught a 46cm rainbow trout.

Some of you may or may not know this, but I'm actually the 3.5th generation owner of a fishing tackle manufacturer. Despite that, I've never been that involved in fishing. Of course, I've tried a variety of things, including swordfish, horse mackerel, bigfin reef squid, and sea bass, but I never got that hooked. But this time, I thought mountain stream fishing was the perfect experience. We love mountains and have the stamina to climb and run, so the only fish I knew that only lived in the mountains was the sweetfish.

Nishi: My friends at the Wednesday Grape Hill Training started talking about char, amago, and tenkara, and I thought I'd heard of them before. But then I went to Fishing Eight for the first time to buy a mountain stream rod. They're one of our business partners. I'm always grateful for their help, and now I'm a member and working hard to save up points.

Yoshi: I'm hooked (laughs)

Nishi: It's fun to go there (laughs). You can see all kinds of lures, and there are all kinds of lines like nylon, fluorocarbon, and PE. I've never been interested in that sort of thing before, but now I'm trying out all kinds of things. I'm glad I got hooked here. I was born the son of a fishing tackle manufacturer, and now I run a brand called milestone.

Nishi: Who knows, maybe in the future they'll release fishing rods and lures. That's how much I think it's fun, and I'd like to go if I have some free time, so I'd like to devote my Wednesdays to that sort of time until the end of September.

Yoshi: Stream fishing ends at the end of September. After that, he might go running or go to the mountains again. Whenever Nishioka Shuhei gets into something, the range of related items expands. The Natty Shorts and Onion Hoody were born after Nishioka started doing trail running seriously. The Daybreak series was born after he got serious about fastpacking. That, more than anything, is the source of our product development.

Hagi: I also ride gravel bikes (laughs).

Nishi: That's why I decided to just keep playing.

Yoshi: In July I did an active rest, mainly fishing, and in August I ran just under 40km every Wednesday, so I've been very active.

Nishi: It's not rest (laughs). It was really hot just the other day. I went to the bathhouse and stepped on the scale and was surprised to see that I was the lightest I'd ever been. I think we're using this as an opportunity to develop new products while having fun.

Yoshi: Yes, I think so.

Hagi: So the journey can be used for meetings, product testing, and photography.

Yoshi: Also, some of my colleagues have Wednesdays off, so I think it would be nice to be able to go fishing or into the mountains together.

Nishi: Even though we're receiving help from everyone, there are still customers who come to the store on Wednesdays only to find it closed, but we hope you can understand that. We have a calendar up. We actually have a milestone TERADACHO Instagram account, and I think many people don't know about it, so we'd be grateful if you could follow us there too.

@milestone81_official I'm talking about new products,

@milestone81_teradacho We post information about our store, events, and other "things" such as "we're closed on this day," "we have a jogging club," and "we're open on this weekend this month."

Yoshi: For those who don't use Instagram, we have a calendar of business days posted on our website , so please check it out.

Nishi: Thank you all for listening for such a long time.

Yoshi: Wow, outdoor activities are really great. See you next month.

Nishi, Yoshi, Hagi: Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

This time, we learned about the new colors, as well as the manufacturing process and working style at milestone. From naming the items to the way they sell them, you can really feel the attachment they have to each and every item.

The other day, I went on a traverse of the Northern Alps, and the breathable Daybreak Shirt was perfect; it blocked out the sun without overheating, and I was able to wear it all the way down the mountain.

I'm looking forward to the new colors and products coming soon. See you next month.

Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara