Teton Bros. to me

We received a column about "Teton Bros." from international mountain guide Shinhide Yamagishi, who lives in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.

There are many outdoor brands from around the world, including American, European, and Japanese brands, and the number of outdoor brands in the Japanese market is among the highest in the world.
I feel that the appeal of Teton Bros., which is constantly evolving in the Japanese market, lies in the development of simple yet functional clothing, with the creator's passion packed into each piece.

I first encountered Teton Bros. in the backcountry wear section of a mountain equipment store in Harajuku. The TB Jacket and TB Pant I saw there have remained etched in my memory. From my previous experience in developing and testing for clothing manufacturers, I could tell that Teton Bros. put a lot of effort into their clothing.

Up until then, having received support from several mountaineering wear manufacturers, I had felt a desire to create my ideal wear. The vague idea of ​​"I wish there was wear like this" gradually became more concrete, and I handed a storyboard to the person in charge of the overseas brand I was receiving support from at the time, saying "I want wear like this" and "Make it like this", and waited in anticipation to see what kind of response I would get, but the answer I got back was "I've told the designer, but basically you use what the designer has decided".

Since then, I gradually began to wonder if there was a clothing manufacturer I could work with on development. I continued my own activities with this ideal in mind. When I left the mountaineering manufacturer that was supporting me at the time, the first person to contact me was Suzuki Noriyuki (Nori) of Teton Bros.
I received a call from America saying, "I want to make summer mountain wear and I need your help." At that moment, I was excited with anticipation at the prospect of being able to bring my ideal to fruition.

At the time, Teton Bros. was already established as a brand of backcountry wear, but was still relatively unknown as a brand of mountaineering wear. Every time we went to a meeting, we would convey many requests, such as, "Please move the zipper position," "Make the cuffs and sleeves narrower so they don't rub against the rocks," "Add reinforcement to the knees," "Add gussets to allow for smooth movement of the arms, shoulders, knees, and thighs," and so on. Our opinions were quickly incorporated and shaped into our designs, which were then tested in the field, leading to further improvements.

This is how I got involved in product development, which was exactly what I had hoped for. Looking back, I think that many of our garments were too bold, and that's why they didn't sell well at the time. Now, several years later, I think that our designs and the functional beauty that we have continued to pursue, such as slim-fitting pants, anoraks, and garments with zippers that don't touch your face, have captured the hearts of many climbers.

When I go to the office and meet Nori, we talk about new fabrics and design ideas. I'm impressed that Teton Bros.'s constant evolution comes from Nori's strong sense of inquiry. I often say things I've been thinking, like, "What if there was clothing made from this kind of fabric? What if it had the strength, flexibility, lightness, and stretch of a fabric?" Nori often responds as if he'd anticipated them, and I can sense his passion for creating clothing everywhere.

My wife is also a big fan of Teton Bros., and she says, "The designs and sizes of Junko from Teton Bros. are perfect!" and before we know it, we're wearing matching outfits.
There are times when I think about how Teton Bros. is a part of my life as a husband and wife, and how we live our lives with Teton Bros.