This series is a fictional podcast program in which Hagiwara (who runs with them on #WednesdayBudouzakaRen) listens to and delves into the stories of the two people (Nishioka & Yoshida) who created the milestone items.


Nishioka (hereafter, Nishi): Good evening everyone! This is Nishioka from Milestone. I have a lot to talk about today. Shall we get straight to the point?

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): But it was an amazing two days.

Nishi: Aren't we going to get to the point? (laughs)

Nishi: Honestly, I think it will be a huge success by the time it's released, but the first solo exhibition event at "milestone TERADACHO" , " Did you find a friend ? by JERRY UKAI", was in full swing on the day of recording (today, April 30th ). Jerry Ukai came to visit for the first two days, spoke to me on the same level, and treated me with such warmth that I was happy and grateful. Some of the first-time customers came from all over the country, including Kanto and Okinawa.


Yoshi: We have a lot of customers who like ultralight ( UL ) hiking, and many who aren't runners. Naturally, runners are welcome, but we don't just run; we also do fastpacking, mountain climbing, and long hikes. It was great that customers who would enjoy wearing today's theme, the "dayBreak Series," found out about us and came here through Jerry.

Hagiwara (hereinafter, Hagi): That was a smooth introduction (laughs). Now, let's get to the main topic.

The sun rises from the east

Nishi: This time it's "Dawn."


Hagi: What do you mean?

Nishi: I turn on my headlamp and drive overnight. Then the sun finally rises.

Hagi: I see.

Nishi: In other words, milestone is about to move on to the next phase. Those of you who have already followed our catalogs or checked out our social media accounts will know that up until now we have been developing products for trail running. Recently, I've been hiking, cycling, and even fishing. I thought that I would like to have clothing that I can use for those kinds of activities, so we started the "dayBreak" series.


Hagi: The previous "Oshi! Mai" was also long, but I have a feeling this one will be a feature-length one as well. What was the trigger for it in the first place?

Nishi: Going back in time, I went to an exhibition where fabric manufacturers gathered. I came across a fabric there and it made me want to make pants with it. The fabric was just too good (laughs) and I thought, "This is so good!" I ordered the fabric from there and decided on the color.

Yoshi: Going back a little further (laughs), when I joined the company in November of last year, I was given a hanger (sample) of fabric and told, "I'd like to make pants with this fabric someday." However, at the time, we had just released the MS-i1 headlamp, and I was just about to get serious about trail running. This fabric is too thick for trail running, and I thought it would be difficult to differentiate it from the Natty Shorts 5-inch and Natty Long , and how to use it, so I said, "Let's put it aside for now, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind and make sure I don't forget about it," and some time passed.

Nishi: I remember. That's right.

Yoshi: After that, as we released the Cloud Hoody and a range of other clothing, the variety of ways we play has also increased. In terms of pants, the Natty Shorts are designed specifically for running, so I thought they might be a little short for cycling. When I started hiking for several nights, I started thinking I wanted a pair that was a little longer, and if I was going to be walking, I'd like front pockets, so I thought it was about time to develop pants like that. We started development at a point when we felt we had developed a range of pants that would allow us to create a variety.

Nishi: Did you make the shorts or the long pants first?

Yoshi: It was shorts. But with this fabric, I thought people would want long pants that could be worn on rocky ridges, so we started planning them at the same time. We researched a lot of different types of pants.

Nishi: How can we incorporate this into milestone brand products?

Yoshi: I've always said this, but I basically think of milestone as being synonymous with Nishioka Shuhei, so I want to create something that I imagine Nishioka wearing the most. So, even when it comes to hiking, it's a little different from the so-called UL style. If anything, it's something smart with a sophisticated design that's inspired by Scandinavian and European patterns. A style that could also be used for alpine climbing. It's a little different from the casual feel of walking long trails.

Hagi: The West Coast of America has a casual, in a good way (laughs), anything-goes atmosphere.

Yoshi: Even though you came back from the West Coast after studying abroad (laughs), Nishioka-san doesn't like things that are casual and loose. I think that's what's interesting about him. His locker and desk are pretty casual (laughs).

Nishi: Hip hop was also warm on the West Coast, so people wore short-sleeved shirts and baggy jeans. On the other hand, on the East Coast, people wore yellow boots from Nautica or Timberland, and hip hop people like Ralph Lauren were dressed stylishly. As an aside, there was a Ralph Lauren outlet near where I lived, and I went there all the time. At the time, I even thought I wanted to work for Ralph Lauren in the future.

Yoshi: Really?!

Nishi: Really. I absolutely loved it. Long live Ralph (laughs). This was before there were outlets in Japan. The polo sportswear worn by dancers in New York was cool too. It was cold in the East, so we had to bundle up. In places like that, with fires rising from drums.

Yoshi: I was in the west.

Nishi: My name is Nishioka, but I preferred Higashi.

Yoshi: That's a good point (laughs). I now understand the background behind Nishioka's favorite tastes.

Nishi: Going back to the topic, I like European outdoor brands. Simple, logo-free items are easy to wear. I also like brands that have distinctive cuts and styles.

Yoshi: We haven't reached that level yet, but in the future we would like to become a brand that has a style that people will recognize as milestone apparel just by looking at it.

Hagi: Brands that are confident in their designs and patterns don't emphasize their logo marks.

・Direction to deliver

Nishi: Actually, we came up with the name " dayBreak " later on, starting with the manufacturing process. We were pursuing the idea of ​​making good products. When we had the shorts in shape, and the long pants were starting to look good, we started thinking about what to name the product.

Nishi: By the way, do you all know the dayBreak Merino T-Shirt? We were really proud of this T-shirt and thought we'd made a great product, but I guess we weren't able to promote it as well as others. It was simple and plain, so it felt like it got lost in the crowd. We were talking about how it was a great product and we wanted more people to know about it, and Yoshi (Yoshida) suggested we use this name.

Yoshi: As the planner of the dayBreak Merino T-Shirts, I wondered why they weren't selling. When they were completed, I thought they would be a huge hit (laughs), but in reality, they weren't that explosive. It's true that when I serve customers at milestone TERADACHO , some trail runners have the impression that wool T- shirts are too hot. It's widely known among hikers that "merino is good," but runners tend to prefer quick-drying polyester, so it doesn't resonate with them at all when I serve them.


Hagi: I like the dayBreak Merino T-Shirts. They're also great for running in the cooler conditions of spring and autumn.

Yoshi: That's true. But most of the products were purchased by hikers and fast packers who came by occasionally. I was thinking, "Ah, this is the direction we should be reaching," and then the shorts were completed. I realized that people who want to wear these new shorts would definitely want to wear the dayBreak Merino T-Shirts . People who want the Natty Shorts or Long Shorts and people who come to buy these have different ways of playing, so I suggested to Nishioka that we categorize them as a series rather than as parallel products.

Nishi: That's so great! The name is good too, so we decided to create a logo and concept and make it into a series, and all the employees got together and decided. How many people were there?

Yoshi: Two of us (laughs)

・All-mountain wear

Hagi: So, let's start with the shorts and tell us what their features are.

Yoshi: In terms of the shape, they're not 5- inch shorts for running. They're 8 inches long, just above the knee, so they can be worn for hiking, cycling, and everyday use.


There is no elastic at the waist, and the pants are designed to be sturdy. There is a zipper and snap buttons on the front, and belt loops at the waist. The waist size can be adjusted with Velcro so that you can wear them without a belt.

Hagi: The belt loops make it easy to wear with a tucked-in top. The long pants look like they could be worn to the office. The pockets are a unique feature.


Yoshi: There are four pockets on the front and back made of stretch mesh fabric. They are large, stretchy, and have great storage capacity. There are five pockets, including a zippered pocket in the center back for your phone.


Nishi: The pockets are sideways, so you don't drop things when you sit down. When filming, I was able to fit my wallet, cell phone, and GoPro for videos in them, and they had a large capacity and were easy to use. I think the shape makes them easy to wear.


Yoshi: I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that the waist measurements listed on the online product page are completely different from those of the Natty. These are measurements when laid flat, so the Natty Shorts and Natty Longs, which have elastic, are extremely small. However, both are made with the assumption that Nishioka-san will wear a size M , so if you wear a size M in the Natty, you can choose the dayBreak size M. However, if you exercise, your thighs will also vary in size, so it's difficult to make a general statement based on waist measurements alone.

Nishi: As we worked on the design, I was the model for size M, as always. I'm 174cm tall and weigh 68kg , sometimes 70kg , and 71kg if I eat and drink a lot. After that, we made the surrounding sizes S and L, which are called grading, and then XS and XL. There are five sizes this time.

Nishi: We were also working on long pants at the same time, and we focused on how to make the silhouette look beautiful. The hem gets in the way when riding a bicycle, so the drawstring can be tightened. The drawstring is designed to be tucked inside so that it doesn't move loosely when tightened.


Hagi: You do a lot of stretching, don't you?

Nishi: That's right, it's highly stretchable and easy to move in. A customer who came in the other day told me that it's also good for golf, which I hadn't realized (laughs). It's quick-drying and breathable, so it can be used for a variety of activities.

Yoshi: It can be used for all mountain riding.

・Unisex wear

Nishi: We made pants and already had T- shirts, so we thought we'd make a shirt to wear over them. We also came across a great fabric. Yoshida and I argued a lot about whether to make it short-sleeved or long-sleeved, but in the end we decided on long-sleeved. If you want long sleeves, you can just roll them up and they'll become short sleeves. Short sleeves don't become long sleeves (laughs).


Yoshi: A certain outdoor shop owner told me that many of his customers are hikers who go mountain climbing. Hikers are concerned about UV rays, so they look for long sleeves even in summer. So we thought we should start with long sleeves. Indeed, hikers often ask us why we don't have long sleeves for our dayBreak Merino T-Shirts .

Nishi: I still get that a lot, even now.

Yoshi: When I'm trail running, I tend to start with short sleeves, but I thought it made sense and went for long sleeves.

Hagi: Runners exercise a lot, so they don't want to overheat, but hikers, on the other hand, are worried about the cold. That's why long sleeves are a good idea.

Nishi: We explored a lot when creating this long-sleeved shirt.

Yoshi: We paid a lot of attention to the details. First of all, the collar. Milestone tries to make all of its clothing unisex. We want a lot of women to wear it, so we made the collar small because we thought a chunky collar would be too masculine and difficult to wear. As I said at the beginning, Nishioka-san has a very strict style, so he doesn't have the casual image of an open-collar shirt like an aloha shirt. We paid a lot of attention to that, so we added a stand-up collar.

Nishi: This is the first time I've heard the term "daieri" and I'm sure 68 % of the general public don't know it (laughs).

Yoshi: Maybe 67 % (laughs)

Nishi: Do you understand?

Hagi: It's the part that makes the collar higher, so you can tie a tie.

Yoshi: I don't think it's something you think about very much. But I think Nishioka-san chooses shirts with stand collars without even thinking about it (laughs). Conversely, many shirts that are easy for women to wear don't have stand collars. I think this shirt has a stand collar, but the collar height and size are easy for women to wear. Incidentally, it has a hidden button-down so that the collar doesn't flap when you're on a windy ridge.

Nishi: There was a lot of back and forth between Manager Yoshida and the pattern maker, Mr. J.

Hagi: The buttons on the front are also hidden.

Yoshi: The snap buttons are hidden, like a dressy shirt with a hidden placket. I think this is what makes it so uniquely Milestone .

Nishi: The button on the left chest pocket where your smartphone fits is also hidden.


Yoshi: The sleeve buttons are not vertical, but two next to each other. You often see this on dress shirts, but I designed it so that it can be fastened even on wide cuffs and doesn't get caught when you look at your watch. It's just a simple snap button. I've kept the essential details of a classic shirt, but I haven't added any worn-out buttons that I think are unnecessary.

Hagi: The wider part can be fastened with buttons and folded over. The ease of reading the watch has been inherited from the Onion Hoody and Cloud Hoody.

Yoshi: The logs are more important than my life (laughs).

Nishi: The fabric itself is breathable, but there are eight ventilation holes on the back. And underneath that, there are tucks on both sides so that it doesn't feel tight when you lean forward on a bike. The fabric is stretchy too. The logo is embroidered on the back as a single point, and there's a hanging loop on top as an accent. The gray has orange,


Navy with blue loops.


Yoshi: There are dots on the sides for ventilation. The pattern makes it easier to lift your arms than with a regular shirt. Generally, shirts that are meant to be tucked in have a tight curve at the hem, while shirts that aren't meant to be tucked in, like open-collar shirts, have a flat hem. This shirt has a gentle curve, so you can wear it with the hem tucked in or out.

Nishi: It's a simple, easy-to-wear shirt that can be worn casually around town.

・This is not the end

Nishi: So, in terms of how we could promote it , we started by taking photos of Naba-chan (Manager Nabata of Heimartberg Kakogawa store) and Piropi (a 100-miler at Patagonia Osaka store) at a certain location in Hyogo Prefecture for the catalogue.


Nishi: And just the other day, we invited a big-name director from Kyushu to shoot a video. As is often the case with outdoor shoots, we were affected by the weather and had to reschedule three times. With the release date fast approaching and the time it would take to edit it, we were in a situation where we had to shoot no matter what.

Yoshi: Even if the weather is a little bad.

Nishi: By the way, this time Yoshida and I went location scouting together. In mid- March , the snow was up to our waists.


Yoshi: The shoot was scheduled for the end of March.

Nishi: We rescheduled the event because we thought it would be bad to wear spring and summer clothing in the snow. The people who helped us with the video shoot this time were Masaru-kun (the owner of peg.) and Ayumi-chan (Mori-san from Jindaiji Mountain Works).

The ridge was extremely windy, so we had to wear shorts despite the cold.


Nishi: I want trail runners to wear it casually as they travel to the race venue, and I also want mountain climbers, hikers, cyclists, fishermen, and people who do a wide range of outdoor activities to wear it. Of course, it can also be used as golf wear. (laughs)

Yoshi: You wore it yesterday to go fishing at the headwaters.


Nishi: I almost slipped off (laughs), but the fabric is stretchy, so I think I was able to hold on tight. There's a zipper on the back, so I felt more secure putting my car keys and other important things in it.


Hagi: The large pockets can hold maps and various fishing accessories, so it seems like it would be convenient. Also, it's great that the waist can be adjusted with Velcro. It seems like you can choose the silhouette.

Yoshi: If you prefer a looser silhouette, you can go up one size.


Nishi: The opposite is also true. Even though I'm a size M , I sometimes wear size S as well.

Yoshi: It feels refreshing.

Nishi: I think people can enjoy wearing it in whatever style they like. I also like that the logo is not too bold.

Yoshi: We ended up making the logo smaller, and now it's up to you to choose your favorite animal.


Hagi: Animals?

Yoshi: This time, the pants are named after an animal series. There are four colors in total. Originally there were three . First, Nishioka suggested a brown one, "Why don't we make this a moose?" So we decided to go with an animal. Next, we chose a koala for the gray one, and then we couldn't decide on the last green one, so we searched and searched for an animal of that color, and finally decided on a sea lion. However, partway through, in our discussions with the factory, it was changed to a seal. During final confirmation, we received a call asking, "Was it a seal?" and we realized, "No, it's a sea lion."


Koala↑


Mousse↑


Sea lions↑

Hagi: By the way, what is mousse again?


Yoshi: The North American moose is called a moose in English. I also added black because I thought everyone would want it, but I didn't have time, so I secretly changed it to a killer whale without telling Nishioka-san. He found out by email before I could properly report it, though.


Killer whale↑

Nishi: It's hard to decide which one to wear.

Yoshi: The shirts were named after the image of the sky. The navy is Twilight,


Light grey is the overcast of a cloudy sky.


Yoshi: Finally, after we finished calculating the cost, we said, "We want to make this into a series, so let's include a keychain!"


Hagi: That's the usual table-turning. Didn't something like that happen with Fast Trail Glove too? (laughs)

Nishi: That's true! (laughs) We did include a carabiner. This time, it's not just a keychain, but a safety reflective material that can be attached to bicycles and backpacks, a so-called reflector. As we are a light manufacturer, we thought it would be fun to make one that lights up when you shine a bright light on it. We wanted to include something that people would be happy to have, something that can be used regardless of profitability. We will be including it in all products in the dayBreak series that we release from now on. It does not come with the Merino that is already on sale. Sorry for the inconvenience.


Hagi: It can be attached under the bicycle saddle.


Yoshi: It's the price,

dayBreak Long Sleeve Shirt and dayBreak Shorts 8_inch are 13,000 yen (excluding tax)

dayBreak Long Pants: 16,000 yen (excluding tax)

Yoshi: I think a lot of people do a double take when they see the price (laughs). They got mad at me, saying it was too cheap.

Nishi: We don't discuss price when we're making something because the most important thing is to make something good. In the end, we do the math and think carefully about how much we can spend on this product. In the end, we come up with an attractive price.

Yoshi: Only the long pants will be available around July , but I hope you'll check them out too.

Nishi: We have created three new items as part of the dayBreak series, but this is not the end. We will continue to consider adding more items to the series in the future.

Lastly, I think I'll finish by reading the concept.

Yoshi: Then I'll read it out loud (in a nice narration-like voice).

Trail running is a sport that often forces you to confront yourself in the great outdoors.

Through the activities of the Daybreak series,

 We want to propose items that allow you to be more connected to nature, that is , to the outside world.

With food, clothing, and shelter, I can go bikepacking and hike long trails.

 I move forward, feeling nature more vividly and deeply than when I was running.

-The dawn of a new dialogue with nature (daybreak)- Experience this with milestones

Yoshi: Wow, the outdoors is so much fun. See you next month. (In the style of Nagaharu Yodogawa) Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

Nishi: Are you going to do that every time? (laughs)

This time, we learned about the newly launched "dayBreak" series. The shirt is made of polyester, which allows air to pass through, rather than nylon like a windshell, so it looks like it would be easy to wear around town. The pants also come in a wide variety of colors, so it's hard to decide which color to choose if you were to wear them together. But that's the most fun part.

Riding all night with a headlamp is fun, but the real joy of the mountains is pitching your tent early, going to bed early, and watching the sunrise. It's unfortunate for a hardened night owl that while you can get up early in the mountains, that's not the case in the city. Perhaps it's a personality issue, where I tend to rely too easily on material things, thinking that wearing "dayBreak," which doesn't separate the mountain from the city, will help me get up early.

As you may have noticed at the beginning, this episode has been set as a fictional podcast show. Don't worry, we'll continue to deliver the story in text form as before. Please look forward to the next episode.

Text and composition: Hagiwara Ken

This time too, I have put my heart and soul into creating a masterpiece, so please be sure to check it out.