Running errands out and about, many things are carried
such as schedule books, cigarettes, wallets, etc.
Recently high tech products like cel phones and
digital cameras are carried by many people.

During moments like this while having a break from fitting
I took a picture of the nearby belongings
of the designer.

Digital cameras, fountain pens, and note pads
make their appearance on
blogs and magazines, but
you really do not notice consumable supplies like this
so I took a picture this time.

Eyes getting tired, preventing dryness, allergies,
or maybe all of the above, but
it seems that items like this are carried also.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production

As a print on shirts and cut and sews,
the motif appears also on places other than clothing like print matter.
From this season it is rendered for the first time as embroidery.

Skillfully using the characteristics akin only to embroidery,
the feathers on the wing portion are separated one by one; also by embroidering with bumps on the feet and tail portion, a three dimensional way of expression
is achieved which is different from print.

Due to the stroke, the pitch, shininess of the thread, and/or the thickness,
even as a one point accent
I feel the whole atmosphere of the clothing changes drastically.

For plain shirts like the BC L/S or PLAIN L/S
which do not have a pocket on the chest, it becomes the point of focus
sharpening the appearance.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production

Deployed every season with changes in the material and details,
BUDS are the pants with flap pockets on the back left and right.

With flaps on the pockets things put in are less prone to falling out and the back style which usually ends up flat
becomes three dimensional because of these patch pockets.
Also this season a ribbed grosgrain fabric is used on the side vertically giving a sharp vertically long appearance from its striped looks.

The name BUDS originates from the
3 stage 30 week long
Basic Underwater Demolition training which the
almighty US special forces, the Navy SEALs,
are required to go through so they can
battle in any environment flawlessly such as the sea, air, or land.

FYI, the WTAPS sweat series named HELLWEEK
originates from the most testing BUD/S training which lasts
5-and-a-half days with a maximum of 4 hours sleep total.
Also the name for the swimwear that gets released only for Spring/Summer, UDT, comes from the Underwater Demolition Teams deployed in WWII which are known to be the predecessors of the SEALs.

Also for the next Autumn/Winter, a slightly different variant will be release. Including those from this season, please take a look with the origin of the name in mind.
These are all items with an originality you would expect only from WTAPS.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production

This is about the camouflage from this season called ERDL.
Since it has gone on sale, here at the atelier almost everyday
someone is wearing some kind of item with this.

The point you can call ERDL’s characteristic
is how between the patterns the borders are like a misprint
unevenly overlapping and this portion becomes an intermediate color
the overall pattern loses its sharpness
and ends up looking blurry overall;
the most difficult camouflage for us up to now in the manufacturing process.
At a glance it may seem like woodland camo,
but if you look close you realize it is something completely different.

We really do not know if ERDL back then was purposely developed that way
or if it ended up the way it is from technical issues;
nowadays it is considered good if the borders do not overlap with no colors fading
so it was difficult to do the exact opposite of modern print technology
and this was made after experimenting many times with printing and washing.

Also by repeating the process by wearing and washing
the side stitching of the grids
get ridges and the colors of the whole piece fade thinner;
it starts to fit your body and you feel a special attachment.
The degree of completion is high even compared to other WTAPS’ camo.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production

This is about last Friday.
To gather the materials for the next Spring/Summer exhibition,
the designer and I went to the materials supplier.

Usually most of the swatches I see
the material is about the size of a post card
on a base that is roughly A4 size.
Compared to this, what you can see at the materials supplier
is on a hanger and larger.
Out of these, some have been washed and there are even some sewn in a roll;
it is possible to see with an image closer to what it will be as a product.
Also, they have all the swatches so
there is the advantage of seeing all of it at the same time.

This time before the process of elimination, from the gathering time,
the designer joined in so time was saved
and this made it possible to add this time to where it was needed.

Yukiyoshi Shimada / Production