visvim Fall and Winter 2025

 Exploring the new possibilities of Wool 

We have placed our focus on Wool as a material that possesses great possibilities and have conducted a variety of tests over and over again for several years now, which has allowed us to expand the potential for new functionality and expression. 

Wool is a natural fiber that is obtained from animals such as sheep and has excellent heat retaining and moisture absorbing properties.  It is also lightweight, resistant to stains, water repellent, and flame retardant.  It has long been used in people's lives as a material with great utility.  Wool undergarments have held high regard in the world of the outdoors and activities related to it including mountain climbing as the wool prevents climbers from getting stuffy when they sweat as it has the ability to dry quickly. However, in the past limitations in the abilities to process wool left the natural fibers thick and stiff, so it could be said that in terms of comfort it was not the greatest.  In recent years though technological advancements have made it possible to create much thinner fibers that allowed for creation of products that have a much smoother hand feel.  The products we develop at visvim utilize wools that are woven with a 
soft superfine fiber that measures 17.5 microns so even women who may have a more delicate sense towards the way certain fabrics feel on their skin should be able to enjoy the supple and comfortable textures that we have started to create.

In addition, a disadvantage of wool was its "tendency to shrink when washed."  When wool is exposed to moisture a scale like structural component on the surface of the fiber that is literally referred to as the "scale" would stand up and get entangled with the scales from other fibers where they cannot be unraveled, which resulted in its shrunken state.  To address this particular issue, we have been able to take advantage of advancements in processing technologies to develop a new washable wool that does not shrink when washed and we have been able to pursue an elevated functionality that can be applied for use on products that cater more to our everyday lives. 

I feel there are new possibilities that wool presents not only in terms of its utility, but also in its expressions and textures.  One such example are the wool sweatpants(*1) for this seasonal collection.  Cotton is typically the choice material for a sweat garment, however for this style we apply a special processing finish to the wool yarn to express a dry, rough texture that is similar to cotton while also introducing the functional benefits of wool to create a completely new style of sweat that still has a masculine feel to it similar to that feeling you find in other classic types of sweats.

The wool coach jacket(*2) is also another one of these products.  When one imagines a coach jacket, of course you think of that nylon material that presents a distinctly unique luster.  We are able to express that nylon like texture by combining wool and silk. Upon first glance, it may not even look like a wool product.  It can be said that synthetic fibers including nylon were industrially developed with an intent for them to become substitutes for natural fibers, but essentially what we are doing here is taking the feeling of these new substitutes and creating expressions of them by "returning" their components to something that is only natural.  I find joy in taking on challenges that nobody has attempted to accomplish yet, so we continue to explore the possibilities 
through various experimentation.   

Natural materials that us humans have used in our daily lives since old times possess great utility alongside a unique charm.  I would like to evolve them further by taking advantage of modern technologies and newly formed sensibilities to create products that will see continued use for a long time into the future. 

*1 0125205010010 SWEAT PANTS (SUPERFINE) 
*2 0125205013003 COACH DOWN JKT 

Text: Kosuke Ide

Photo: Keisuke Fukamizu

Dissertation on Quality We Treasure

visvim Fall and Winter 2025