During the cold winter, the coordination of layering an inner down jacket beneath an outer layer has become a recognized genre, establishing popularity as a brand focused on inner down: "TAION."
These days, when people think of inner down, many immediately think of TAION. This brand boasts an unparalleled variety of designs and color options in the realm of inner down worldwide.
This time, we spoke with Hiroyuki Iesaki, who handles press relations at TAION, about the origins of the TAION brand and the philosophy behind its production.
4 Classic Items that Sold 40,000 Units in the First Year
"TAION started in 2016, and at that time, there were not many brands promoting the style of inner down. Typically, when buying lightweight down jackets from outdoor brands for layering or select shops, the price was around 30,000 yen."If we could create fashionable items that were sensitive to trends and at a more affordable price, we believed we could generate a new market. This was the starting point.
"We already possessed the know-how for production as a company, so we meticulously pursued what aspects we needed to hone to produce high-quality items at a competitive price.
"As a result, we created the crew neck 'BASIC CREW NECK BUTTON INNER DOWN JACKET,' 'BASIC CREW NECK BUTTON INNER VEST,' and the V-neck 'BASIC V NECK BUTTON INNER DOWN JACKET,' 'BASIC V NECK BUTTON INNER VEST'—four types in total.
"These items sold 40,000 units in the first year and garnered attention as a brand launch."
BASIC CREW NECK BUTTON INNER VEST, 4,950 yen (tax included)
Photos: Top right
BASIC V NECK BUTTON INNER VEST, 4,950 yen (tax included)
Photos: Bottom left
BASIC CREW NECK BUTTON INNER DOWN JACKET, 7,920 yen (tax included)
Photos: Bottom right
BASIC V NECK BUTTON INNER DOWN JACKET, 7,920 yen (tax included)
TAION: A Brand Name Meaning "Body Heat" with Aspirations for International Expansion
Next, when I asked about the brand name TAION, I learned that there was a vision for international expansion from the outset."The name TAION means 'body heat' in Japanese, and since we have been holding exhibitions in America, China, and the EU, the idea of having a Japanese name for the brand to promote Japan to the world was something we thought of from the very beginning.
"In 2018, we utilized the entire pop-up space of the famous Paris select shop 'Merci' to host a pop-up shop, establishing a vision to expand TAION into various countries early on.
"Today, there may be more people abroad familiar with TAION's items than in Japan. In such a situation, the significance of the Japanese brand name TAION = body heat is even more pronounced."
About Down & Nylon
Now, let's delve into the production of TAION. There are unique design approaches related to materials like down and fabric specific to inner down wear. Let's continue discussing this."Firstly, regarding down, we use an 800-fill power down made of 95% down and 5% feather.
"While it is said that a 700-fill power down is sufficient for outdoor brands, we opted for an 800-fill power for the inner down to ensure that even lightweight down can hold a lot of air and achieve high performance.
"Moreover, high-quality down with great resilience and air retention allows for warmth even in smaller quantities, which contributes to overall weight reduction. This is quite important when creating inner down wear.
"In terms of nylon, we use a coated nylon that signifies a high density of '400T.'
"At TAION, we also create various quilting patterns such as diamond, square, and gourd shapes depending on the line, using high-density threads to minimize feather leakage from seams."
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