Behind the Scenes of the Mizuno X Ameri "Bishin Inner" Collaboration: A Fusion of Functionality and Femininity

Mizuno, a long-time pioneer in sports technology, has teamed up with Ameri, a brand wildly popular with young women, for their first-ever collaboration, launching the "Bishin Inner" series. While Mizuno has worked with various brands in the past, this new feminine design line moves away from a sporty aesthetic, and the company notes, "We're getting an unprecedented response."

What brought these two vastly different brands together for this project? We talked to Nanase Aruga from the Life & Health Marketing Department of Mizuno Corporation's Athletic Division and Arisa Shiota from the Global Apparel Product Headquarters.

"We have a performance material called 'Breath Thermo' with a history spanning over 30 years. While it's loved by a wide range of people, especially athletes, we faced the challenge of it not being well-known enough among young women who aren't as involved in sports," explains Shiota.

Originally developed for skiwear, Breath Thermo is a high-performance material that absorbs moisture from the air and the body to generate heat. It keeps you warm while ensuring the inside of your clothes stays dry and comfortable. It's a tried-and-true material trusted by pro athletes, but reaching a fashion-conscious younger audience had been a long-standing goal.

"In the apparel industry today, strengthening e-commerce and social media presence is now standard practice, but we felt that Mizuno wasn't taking full advantage of these channels. That's why we were looking for a brand that could really connect with young women," says Aruga.

The collaboration came about from a casual chat between Shiota and her boss.

"He asked me, 'What brands do you buy? What social media accounts do you follow?' The brand I mentioned was Ameri.

I love their perfectly balanced design and aesthetic—it's both edgy and high-fashion yet distinctly feminine. I even told him, 'The outfit I'm wearing today is from Ameri!' I remember being shocked when he called me in next and said, 'Let's move forward with a collaboration.'"

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For a company like Mizuno, which is typically known for its cautious approach, the project moved at an unprecedented speed.

Meanwhile, the team at Ameri also saw great potential in working with Mizuno.

"It turned out they were looking to expand their innerwear line at that exact moment. For a typical apparel brand, handling a high-performance material like Breath Thermo is a huge challenge. They were drawn to the idea of creating innerwear they couldn't possibly make on their own," says Aruga.

Once the project kicked off, the two companies held in-depth discussions, each bringing their unique strengths to the table. The roles were clear: Mizuno guaranteed functionality and comfort, while Ameri focused on aesthetic appeal. During the design process, Mizuno leveraged its expertise in motion analysis and pattern technology to suggest cuts and materials that would bring Ameri's desired designs and silhouettes to life.

"The key was figuring out how to blend Ameri's aesthetic with Mizuno's sports-derived technology. Since we come from such different backgrounds, if one side's vision became too dominant, the collaboration would lose its value and just look like a typical product to our respective customers. So, our main goal was to maximize the strengths of both companies," Shiota explains.

Ameri operates under the brand concept, "There are no rules in fashion." This philosophy was carried into the collaboration, which adopted the theme of "show-off innerwear." The concept of "innerwear you don't have to be ashamed to show" made a powerful impression on the team at Mizuno.

"For instance, styling a V-neck long-sleeve as an off-the-shoulder top, or layering a sleeveless V-neck. They even suggested wearing a camisole with built-in cups all by itself. These styling concepts were completely new territory for us at Mizuno. Every time we unveiled a sample, it created a buzz within the company. We were bombarded with questions like, \"What occasion is this for?\" and \"How are you supposed to wear this?\" (laughs).

It was a company-wide learning experience that in fashion, you have to move beyond the fixed mindset of how innerwear *should* be made and focus on how to create eye-catching styles," says Aruga.

Ameri also took charge of creating the visuals for social media and e-commerce, an area Mizuno felt was a weak point. That, too, was a huge learning opportunity.

"We learned a ton, especially about visual presentation. It made us realize that the conventional approach isn't the only right one; what's crucial is how to showcase things in a stylish way. That said, it’s not something you can master in a few months. To be honest, if you compare our websites right now, the difference is probably pretty obvious (laughs). We're all in the process of learning and leveling up from here," says Shiota.

The final innerwear collection masterfully blends feminine curves and silhouettes with the warmth, comfort, and ease of movement that comes from sports-derived technology.

"We named the collection 'Bishin Innerwear'—innerwear for a beautiful spirit—because we believe that when you feel the warmth and comfort, it brings out your inner beauty. We truly hope everyone enjoys this blend of comfort and style," says Shiota.

Although it just launched, the response has already exceeded all expectations, with Shiota noting, \"I've been getting messages from industry contacts and friends.\"

"It's still early days, but we initially predicted that the basic items would be the bestsellers. In reality, the more fashion-forward designs are flying off the shelves. We've received so much feedback from customers saying things like, \"This is the kind of innerwear I've been waiting for!\" We're genuinely surprised by how many people are eager to stay stylish without sacrificing warmth," explains Ariga.

This collaboration has opened Mizuno's eyes to the new potential of its sports technology. The company plans to explore more co-creation projects across a wide range of genres, including fashion. We can't wait to see what new products will emerge from this exciting fusion of sports and fashion.