The Highlight of the Newly Launched 'MERRELL JAPAN APPAREL' Is the Versatile 'Coach Shirt'

Will there be another heatwave this year? In recent years, the temperature and weather have been so erratic that choosing what to wear each day has become more challenging. The popularity of outdoor wear as everyday clothing is likely due to its comfort and adaptability in response to sudden environmental changes. Searching for sophisticated, comfortable items, I headed to the Merrell store, where they had the latest products from this season's debut of 'MERRELL JAPAN APPAREL'.
 
Items such as the unisex, water-repellent Coach Shirt seemed particularly practical. It's groundbreaking that Merrell, a brand with a solid reputation in outdoor shoes, has fully entered the apparel market. To learn more about their apparel offerings, I visited Yusuke Tanaka, who handles Merrell's marketing at Marubeni Consumer Brands.

The 'Coach Shirt', which adds functionality to a fashion item born from American sports shirts, is perfect for enjoying the outdoors in a casual style. The pattern is relaxed, making it easy to use as comfortable daily wear.
 
"It’s a style you can wear relaxed and comfortably. This spring, when we launched 'MERRELL JAPAN APPAREL,' we were anxious to see if it would be accepted by customers at the Shibuya store. A woman who bought shoes at a nearby shop heard the flagship store had apparel and came to check it out. She found the 'Coach Shirt' and paired it with matching pants, and I thought, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve."
 
Not just this 'Coach Shirt', but all apparel is offered in unisex sizes, ranging from XS to XL, with five sizes in total.
 
"Though there is a higher risk of stock, we leverage the advantage of integrated domestic control from design to production management, striving for sizing that both men and women can comfortably wear. Merrell shoes are known for their versatility, being comfortable for both outdoor and everyday use, and we are planning and developing the apparel to be similarly versatile under the theme of 'Performance Lifestyle.'"