A Wearable Parasol: How a Veteran Necktie Maker Tackled Scorching Heat with the 'Airoff' Backpack

Hoby Co., Ltd., a long-established necktie manufacturer, has developed the second iteration of its 'airoff' backpack, a solution for sweltering heat that combines an ice pack pocket with Toray's 'Summer Shield' heat-blocking fabric. Why did a company that has specialized in neckties for decades decide to venture into a completely different product category—backpacks—and incorporate such a radical feature as an ice pack compartment? We sat down with Hoby's President, Nobuyuki Takahashi, and Kentaro Sato from the sales headquarters to uncover the story behind the development and the passion poured into the product.

Turning a Decline in Necktie Demand into a 'Wearable Parasol'

Hoby Co., Ltd. is a veteran manufacturer with a long history of making neckties. However, due to recent heatwaves and the widespread adoption of the 'Cool Biz' dress code, the demand for neckties in the business world has dropped significantly. This situation was so severe that it threatened the company's very reason for being.

So, the company decided to break free from the confines of neckties and return to its core mission: supporting business professionals. They began exploring new projects to tackle the problem of extreme heat head-on.

Their focus turned to solving the discomfort of a sweat-soaked back when out and about. Wearing a backpack inevitably traps heat against the back, leading to drenching sweat. Solving this everyday inconvenience became the starting point for their new product development.

Takahashi says, "I want to create products that make people's daily lives even just a little more pleasant and comfortable."

This desire gave birth to the concept of treating the backpack itself as a 'wearable parasol'—an idea to directly shield the user's body from heat.

A Proven 9.9°C Difference Thanks to Ice Packs and Toray's High-Tech Fabric

To ensure the backpack would be widely used in business settings, it was essential to base the design on a black color, which doesn't show dirt easily and gives a formal impression. However, black absorbs solar heat, making it a major disadvantage for a product designed to combat heat. Despite industry wisdom claiming that "no black material has the same heat-reflective properties as a white one," the development team relentlessly searched for a material with heat-blocking capabilities.

Their search led them to 'Summer Shield,' a high-performance fabric developed by Toray. This material features a three-layer structure with a black surface and a white reflective middle layer, allowing it to provide a powerful heat-blocking effect without accumulating heat.

Sato recalls, "I was constantly on the lookout, gathering information, when I came across an article about a three-layer fabric. When I read about its mechanism—a white middle layer that reflects heat—I remember thinking, 'This is the exact structure we've been looking for. This is the only material for us.'"

In addition to using Summer Shield, they established a structure that cools from the inside while blocking external heat by adding a heat-control pocket on the back for inserting an ice pack directly. They realized that to completely block heat conducted from the atmosphere, direct cooling with an ice pack was essential, not just reflection.

This mechanism dramatically suppressed the temperature rise inside the backpack. In a test conducted over three hours, a water bottle was placed inside the bag in a sealed room at 35°C. The results showed that the temperature inside was up to 9.9°C lower compared to a control water bottle placed outside the bag.

Furthermore, by using EVA material for the interior, the bag can extend the time it takes for the ice pack to melt completely, maintaining a cool state for about three hours even outdoors. Additionally, the part that touches the back uses a smooth, highly breathable mesh material. This design choice reduces stuffiness from sweat while also preventing damage to the fabric.

Introducing AGS to Reduce Perceived Weight by 30%

After releasing the first version of "airoff," we received a wave of feedback and requests for improvements from our supporters. A key issue that came to light was the perceived "weight" of the bag. As the cold packs melted, they would sink to the bottom, making the bag feel much heavier.

To tackle this challenge, we redesigned the cold pack pocket for the second version, creating a structure that holds the packs at the top to prevent weight from concentrating at the bottom. To fundamentally lighten the load even further, we introduced a new feature called "AGS," leading to the development of a backpack with "moving" shoulder straps.

"As you walk, your bag naturally bounces up and down. The built-in mechanism moves flexibly in sync with this motion, absorbing the shock from the load. This has enabled us to reduce the strain on the neck, shoulders, back, and waist by 30%," explains Sato.

This 30% figure is backed by an experiment measuring fatigue recovery levels on a treadmill. The test demonstrated that users with an AGS-equipped bag recovered from fatigue significantly faster than those with a standard bag. Even during development, when the team tested the bag by filling it with heavy books and walking around for half a day, they reported a noticeable difference in their level of exhaustion at the end of the day.

In addition to lightening the load, we added a luggage strap for business trips and an expandable compartment perfect for gym-goers. The bag also boasts a waterproof rating equivalent to 20,000 mm of water pressure, making it durable enough to withstand sudden summer downpours. By eliminating the two major stressors—heat and weight—we've successfully expanded the user's world, from the office to the great outdoors.

Your New Go-To Partner for Business

By liberating users from the harsh combination of scorching heat and heavy loads, "airoff" has already garnered significant support for its exceptional practicality.

The development team's vision extends beyond just tackling summer heat; they are now focused on pursuing year-round comfort.

In winter, the heat-control pocket can be used to warm your back by inserting disposable heat packs instead of cold packs. Moving forward, the plan is to go beyond simple color and design changes and incorporate new features and technologies that will truly surprise users and make them think, "Wow, I didn't see that coming!"

"airoff" is the result of applying the "wearable" mindset—cultivated through years as a necktie manufacturer—to the new challenge of beating the heat. This unique perspective, born from an outside industry, holds the potential to redefine the very purpose of a business bag.