Teton Bros. x People - Akihiro Tachimoto - <3rd edition>

We walk in harmony with nature and create products and a future with colleagues who share our values.

Teton Bros. develops products in the field with professional colleagues active in the fields of Japan and around the world.
How do the many people who have come together under the name of "Teton" - the Teton Brothers - interact with nature and build their lives? We will weave together the chemical reaction between Teton Bros. and people.

We present the third installment of our interview series focusing on Akihiro Tatemoto.

[ Part 3 of 3 / Part 2 here ]

I think my role is to identify areas for improvement.

-How long have you been wearing Teton Bros.?

This winter will be the sixth season.

-How did you first meet Teton Bros.?

I've known Nori-san (Teton Bros. CEO Suzuki Noriyuki) since before Teton Bros. was founded. At the time, Nori-san was still working at a skiwear agency, and a good friend of mine was being supported by the brand. Because of that, I ended up having drinks with him at support meetings, and before I knew it, we became close.

At first, our relationship was that of an agency representative and a guide, but since Nori and I both have the same personalities, we soon became more like ski buddies than just being in the same position.
Eventually, Nori went independent and started Teton Bros., but from the beginning, whenever we met he would jokingly say, "Come over to our shop," or "You're always welcome to wear our clothes." At the time, I was supporting a brand that I was involved in, so I laughed it off, but I thought it was a charming joke.

-What do you mean by attractive?

Simply put, I think the reason guides wear products in the field is to identify areas for improvement, such as how the product might break or how it could be made easier to use.

Considering the number of days we guides spend in a year, we can put the same strain on a product in one season as an average user would for several years. I believe it's our job to use a product in the field and to submit reports, and I'd be happy if we could further improve the product's quality by sharing ideas we get in the field with the development team. More than anything, I wanted to have that kind of communication.
However, for various reasons, this is not usually the case. I myself often just receive the product and use it, and I feel sorry that I am not able to provide proper feedback.

While we were going through all this, one day Nori asked me with a straight face, "I'm finally starting to be able to make things that you can be satisfied with, so if you'd like, why don't you try wearing Teton Bros.?"

--When you say you can create something that satisfies customers, do you mean specifically the materials?
Or is it about design and functionality?

I think it's all of them. In the early days, Teton Bros. also went through a lot of trial and error, updating every year and gradually improving the quality of their products. When they reached a certain level, I think Nori-san must have felt confident that they had created something that professional guides could wear without any problems.

--I see

Of course, whenever I went skiing with Nori-san privately, I got to see his gear and heard about the development process. So I thought it looked good. But what was most appealing was the communication environment, where I could talk directly with the person at the center of the development, namely Nori-san.

I want to do testing and development as a team because that will produce better products.

-Could you tell me more about it?

In a sense, it may be similar to the feeling of wanting to work as part of a team.
I'm not walking the field alone. I'm connected with the people who worked on the product, and they respond whenever I put forward an idea, and we share everything we think is good and bad. That's how we all work together to improve the quality of the product. Not only can I be a part of such a team, but the feeling that I'm needed by this team and that I'm contributing to it is extremely important to me.

--Teton Bros. had that kind of atmosphere.
That's true. That hasn't changed to this day. For example, the shape of the beacon sleeve on the TB pants, or whether there should be a mesh pocket inside, or whether the left thigh pocket should have a vertical zipper. I take detailed notes of all those kinds of small details during the season and discuss them with Nori-san each time.

I explain the situation without leaving any impression that I thought this way because of what happened. I then make a comprehensive judgment based on production circumstances and ideas put forward by other athletes, and if I get the go-ahead, it will be incorporated into the product.

--That certainly does seem to be an effective approach.

I believe that the things that interest me are born out of my experiences up to now. When I have them taken seriously, I feel like they are accepting what I have done up to now. It makes me feel like those experiences and those failures were not in vain.

--You mentioned that it's nice to go on expeditions with friends.

It's the same. It's really fun to work on something together with friends you're comfortable with. It's like 1 + 1 equals 3 or 4, not 2. And then something more than you ever expected comes out of it.
By working with others, you can gain or offer something that you didn't have before, and I've had many experiences of the kind of chemical reaction that occurs from communication between people.

--So it looks like you'll be continuing to wear Teton Bros. for a while longer.

I hope to be able to do so as long as I can be of help.

-Do you have any vision for your future activities as a guide?

Now that I'm 55, I don't think I'll be able to move as well as I did when I was younger. But I enjoy going to the mountains, so I want to keep going as long as I can. I've also been running more to make up for it, and I want to maintain a body that can move.
At the same time, we are also focusing on summer and winter camps for kids, and would like to continue to create opportunities for children to become familiar with the outdoors.

--Listening to you talk, it seems like you've been working towards your current position since you were a child, efficiently accumulating the things you needed to do, and taking the shortest route possible.

Not at all! I've only ever done what I love (laughs).
I've never planned anything, and I've never looked far into the future. I just played seriously, and before I knew it, I was here. I just took care of the things in front of me one by one, and what I love became my job. I would be truly happy if what I've learned in this haphazard way can be of even the slightest help to someone.