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Fan-Equipped Workwear Has Evolved This Far! Liberta X Hidesign Create "FREEZETECH Air"
With recent heatwaves, protecting ourselves from the heat is no longer just about comfort—it's a crucial part of managing our health. Tackling this issue head-on, Liberta, with its cooling technology FREEZETECH, has teamed up with Hidesign to develop "FREEZETECH Air," a line of clothing equipped with electric mini-fans. What revolutionary technology does this next-generation heat protection gear hold?
We sat down with Otsu from Liberta Co., Ltd., and Yoshii from Hidesign Co., Ltd., to discuss the story behind the product's development, which aims to reinvent the category, and the technology that masterfully balances both design and functionality.
PROFILE
Nana Otsu
Liberta Co., Ltd.
Manager, Brand Communication Section, Functional Apparel Product Strategy Department
Since joining Liberta, she has been a key player in product planning, sales promotion, and PR within the functional apparel sector. Specializing in cooling wear, she spearheads everything from brand strategy to promotional design, successfully boosting market awareness and driving sales.
PROFILE
Hideo Yoshii
Hidesign Co., Ltd.
President and CEO & Chief Designer
He founded Hidesign in 2005 as a design firm specializing in corporate uniforms, and has designed for numerous major companies.
He has established an integrated in-house system with design, pattern, and sample sewing teams, enabling a seamless garment creation process from start to finish.
In the fashion realm, he has been showcasing workwear-inspired collections at Fashion Week TOKYO since 2022.
Selected for The Vogue Business 100 Innovators 2025.
Breaking the "Fan-Equipped = Workwear" Stereotype: A New Frontier in Beating the Heat
When people hear "fan-equipped wear," most probably picture the bulky, inflated work jackets worn by people on construction sites or in factories. However, the risk of heatstroke is no longer limited to outdoor workers. Hidesign's Yoshii points out, "Surprisingly, many cases of heatstroke occur among regular consumers," emphasizing the need for everyday heat protection.
Until now, specific challenges have prevented fan-equipped wear from gaining widespread popularity among the general public. "They inflate too much, the fans are noisy, and the batteries are heavy—these issues make them very difficult to consider as daily wear," explains Yoshii. In other words, fashion has often been sacrificed for the sake of functionality.
The starting point for "FREEZETECH Air" was the challenge to break this stereotype and create apparel that anyone could use in their daily lives. It represents a strong commitment to achieving both functionality and design, rather than choosing one over the other.
A Cross-Industry Tag Team Takes on Next-Generation Heat Protection Apparel
The birth of this new product was sparked when Liberta was invited to a collection by Hidesign, held at Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.'s co-creation lounge, SYNERGYCA, in 2025.Yoshii recalls the moment: "It all started when Sumitomo Chemical acted as an intermediary and we had a chance to talk with Liberta. They were interested in the fact that we were using a large number of prototype mini-fans in our collection."
This encounter was a major turning point for both companies. Hidesign possessed years of expertise cultivated in the workwear industry and the technical skill to design clothing that efficiently circulates air. Meanwhile, Liberta had its "FREEZETECH" brand of cooling wear, which pairs perfectly with electric fan apparel, along with extensive sales channels, industrial manufacturing capabilities, and strong product development and marketing skills.
A company with a design philosophy and a company with the manufacturing power to bring it to life—the strengths of both firms came together under the common goal of "solving a social issue," leading to innovative product development.
Pushing the Limits: The Development of a 59.5mm Ultra-Compact Fan
The most defining feature of "FREEZETECH Air" is its extremely compact mini-fan, with a diameter (outer diameter of the fan device) of just 59.5mm. This miniaturization is not simply about making it smaller; it's based on a clear design philosophy. Liberta's Otsu describes its key advantage as "a discreet design that balances fashion, thanks to its compact construction."
Of course, downsizing came with its own set of trade-offs. The airflow is naturally weaker compared to conventional large fans. However, Yoshii describes this as a "deliberate choice." "The weaker airflow allows for a longer battery life and a smaller battery pack. To overcome the noise and weight issues of traditional fans, downsizing was the perfect solution."
Development on this mini fan began three years ago, representing the culmination of innovative technology designed to bring heat countermeasures into the daily lives of everyone, not just manual laborers. The three key elements—inconspicuous, quiet, and lightweight—were crucial in transforming fan-equipped apparel from a niche gadget into clothing that seamlessly integrates into everyday life.
“Invisible Fans” Redefine Design: A Patented Structure Achieves the Best of Both Worlds
The innovation behind "FREEZETECH Air" extends beyond just downsizing the fans. The technology to make them "invisible" is where HIDESIGN Inc. truly excels. "From the outside, it looks like completely normal clothing, but it's structured to thoroughly circulate air on the inside," Yoshii says with confidence.HIDESIGN Inc. has technology to calculate airflow within garments and exhaust it efficiently. By leveraging this expertise, they've engineered a structure that ensures even small fans with a gentler airflow can effectively expel warm, humid air from inside the clothing, delivering a powerful cooling sensation.
The result is a structure they call the "tent part," for which the two companies have jointly filed a patent. This 3D component is designed to cover the fan. By adding another layer of fabric over this part, they secure an air intake without spoiling the garment's appearance. This design successfully conceals the fan unit entirely while still ensuring a clear path for air to flow.
This structure allows the garment to look just like regular clothing, while inside, a fan runs quietly to promote cooling through evaporation. The "FREEZETECH" apparel, recommended as an inner layer, also features anti-odor functionality to control sweat odor, in addition to its cooling print technology. "We receive a lot of feedback from users who say it doesn't smell even when they sweat," notes Otsu, highlighting the product's multifaceted approach to tackling summer discomfort.
Toward the Future of Everyday Wear: Fan-Equipped Apparel Can Be This Natural
As a culmination of these technologies, the company has unveiled fan-equipped vests for work, outdoor use, and golf, along with a poncho and even a shirt. Integrating fans into a shirt, in particular, is a groundbreaking effort that significantly expands the concept of fan-equipped apparel.
"My goal is to refine them to the point where you can't distinguish between a regular shirt and a fan-equipped one. We're constantly working on improvements," Yoshii says, sharing his passion for development.
In the future, they're also eyeing an expansion into items like jackets and pants. Moreover, the downsizing of the fans opens the door for application in children's clothing—something previously difficult due to size and weight constraints. For parents looking for ways to prevent heatstroke in children who play outdoors or participate in sports, there could be no better news.
The scorching heat of recent years has become a serious societal problem in terms of safety and health management. Otsu explained that for harsh environments where traditional contact-cooling fabrics fall short, they will propose next-generation heat protection that harnesses the synergy between "FREEZETECH" and "FREEZETECH Air."
In an age where sweltering heat is the new normal, "FREEZETECH Air" is poised to be much more than a simple heat-relief gadget. Born from a fusion of expertise and technology from different industries, this next-generation cooling wear holds the potential to completely change our summer lifestyles.
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