Live with loved ones in places you love
Since our last AW20 collection, our apparel campaigns have centred on real families who maintain a unique, and close relationship with nature.
For AW21, we focus on Takashi Tomii, Miyuki, and their three children.
Takashi is a woodwork artist who, assisted by his wife, crafts utensils for everyday use in his home city of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture.
Born and raised in Ojiya (a small town next to Nagaoka), Takashi originally aspired to become a physicist, but after spending time in Oregon, USA, during his high school years, he was inspired to become a woodwork artist instead.
Oregon is a state rich in natural beauty, home to soaring peaks and dense evergreen forests, and it was these environments, along with the lifestyle of his host family (who made a living doing what they loved) that provoked his artistic interest. Upon his return to Japan he began crafting butter knives and other utensils from wood found in the mountain forests near his family home. He continued to study physics, but his newfound passion burned bright, and eventually he gave up his academic schooling to concentrate solely on woodwork.
Physics & Woodwork
It may no longer be his field of practice, but Takashi retains a love of physics and draws inspiration from the subject in his work. Science and art can seem disparate, but he has found reciprocity between the two, rooted in his desire to enrich human life through nature.
In one particular series, he carved complex patterns inspired by atoms (which he had observed under a microscope) into a tree alongside a plant motif, paying tribute to the very matter that gives life to everything on earth.
In their work and their everyday life, Takashi and his wife are guided by nature. They attempt to coexist with the natural environments of their home city, where winters can be harsh, with heavy snow, and freezing temperatures.
Takashi only views his works as complete when they are used in everyday life.
“I don’t want to be caught up by the boundaries of cities or suburbs. The Tools I make aren’t actually important, the life being created by using the tools is. I want to make woodworks that add value naturally and allow the user to enjoy their life more.”
It is this same ethos that underpins our apparel designs. We go beyond stereotypical outdoor clothing, breaking the boundary between nature and urban life and creating functional yet stylish garments that pay homage to traditional Japanese workwear.
Live with loved ones in places you love.
No matter where you are, no matter who you are with, discover the raw and visceral beauty of nature.
We were all born from nature.
Nature and people; people and people; the past and the future. We cannot live without connection.
We can enrich our daily lives through nature.
Let’s live our lives connected with one another and with the earth itself.
NOASOBI - Embrace your nature.
Snow Peak Apparel AW21 collection is scheduled to be released in early September 2021.
Takashi Tomii woodworks @takashitomii
