This is a very personal observation
but military as a genre
in the ambivalent scene known as fashion
is something not rare to be used as an important element
because of the purity, or graciousness military has
that you feel compelled to be drawn to.

If you peruse from this
I feel it is not just a feeling of fetish
to feel beauty in mass produced work uniforms
born from a happy medium of function and production efficiency.
The reason for this is that strong fabric
and quality without deficiency and excess leaves a margin for it to be used.
Still WTAPS work shirts
like this season’s SODA SS represents WTAPS-like features
that you can catch glimpses of throughout, such as
sleeves that can open and close with buttons although it is a short sleeve.
The spot item VATOS SS and KHAKI look absolutely simple,
but they are packed with many ideas
in the way it feels when worn and in the silhouette.
So this means good looking does not equal something plain, but good looking is something with a lot of work done to it while seeming plain.

Shiori Etsugu / PR

All things WTAPS.

Less than 10 days to go until the autumn/winter exhibition
and new samples are arriving one after another at the atelier.
Out of these, there are some which will receive minor adjustments at the atelier.
The adjustments are simple like changing buttons or attachments
but all work is done by hand, so it is a time consuming and not-so-glorious task.
During this time frame the desk gets scattered with threads and needles;
a change from the usual atmosphere.

The samples after the proper final adjustments 
shine as if they were given a new life.
I am really looking forward to the whole line up getting completed and ready for the exhibition.
 

Yasunari Iwasaki / Pattern Maker

All things WTAPS.

April is here.

When I was going to school, the time axis of the end of year (for businesses and school) was something very easy to understand and it existed in my conscious, but once an adult there were many times I did not notice
until right before or after.

But, in this country it runs deep, and as long as you are
interacting with society, it is something you will definitely notice.
This milestone is a little different compared to the end/start of
the calendar year, but as long as something is ending and starting,
it may be an important milestone depending on the situation.

The radio show I listened to every morning for the last two years ended
and this morning a new voice was on the air.

Naoyuki Inoue / Production

All things WTAPS.

2012 Spring/Summer “BETTER THAN YESTERDAY.” launched and at the atelier we are in the phase of rounding up the 2012 Autumn/Winter exhibition samples.
This is a stage where proceeding things, which were each focused on while keeping the final finish in mind, take form.
The samples for the spot items which were in the works at the same time have started to gradually appear also.
For WTAPS, the spot items do not proceed on their own,
but they are planned like the twice a year exhibition as a collection
with a theme and story.
Like how we call it the SNEAK COLLECTION,
they show up unexpected in stores, so make sure to be on the look out for them.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production

All things WTAPS.

Just like how everyone feels joy being surrounded by what they like,
I also enjoy this feeling of joy being surrounded by what I have collected.
One of these things for me are the large amount of scraps
I simply gathered of cut outs and various printed material.
At the atelier there was a case which I put them in that has been
occupying the wall for close to seven years
but just yesterday, out of necessity, I sorted them.
They were there all cluttered for quite a while
so once they were gone it was quite desolate.
But
they will be organized further and the huge load of scraps
will be re-edited, filed,
and become a book that will be the only one of its kind in this world.

Tetsu Nishiyama / Director

All things WTAPS.