Good leather responds when treated right.

 

Before I talk about this down jacket, I’d like you to take a look at the Coach Jacket I’m wearing.

Everyone is surprised when I show it to them. The leather looks completely different from when I first bought it.

Creases have formed where I move my arms, and the areas that rub a lot have developed a sheen.

Even though it’s the same black, some areas look darker and others a little lighter depending on how the light hits them.

I think it looks much better now.

 

Good evening. I’m Shin Matsushima from cantáte.

To be honest, I love showing how things age.

I chose the leather, wore it myself, and now I can say, “Look, this is how it turned out.”

I can’t help showing it to people who aren’t particularly interested in leather.

And it’s not just because I want to show off.

No matter how good something looks when it’s new, it’s hard to tell what it’ll be like later when you’re buying it.

With something I’ve worn, you can see for yourself the creases and sheen that have developed after I’ve worn it many times.

If you’re going to buy a piece of clothing, I want you to choose it with an idea of what comes after.

People often say, “I want to wear it until it’s worn out,” but poorly made clothes really do become rags when you wear them.

It’s not just about creases forming or the color changing.

Will you still want to touch it after it changes? Will you want to wear it again tomorrow?

That matters to me.

The more I wear my Coach Jacket, the more the leather softens, and its sheen has changed, too.

It’s not the result of putting it away to keep it looking pristine; it comes from wearing it regularly. That’s why you want people to see it.

Good leather responds in kind.

<cantáte>

" Horsehide Down Insulator Jacket "

COL : NOIR

¥528,000 TAX IN

 

The Horsehide Down Insulator Jacket we made as a special order this time has that same appeal.

I’ve been wearing the down vest ahead of the jacket, and it’s already fascinating. At first, the leather is firm and feels like it sits a little away from the body. Each time I wear it, it gradually softens and molds to me. The way it settles when worn open, and even how it feels in my hands, have both changed.

As I wear the vest, I find myself thinking that as a jacket, it’ll be fun to see how it changes in a different way.

Your arms move all day long. Creases form where the down is rounded, and the areas that rub develop a sheen.

The leather will have a different character from my Coach Jacket.

I haven’t seen what it looks like after I’ve worn it for a while, either. That’s why I can’t wait to wear it.

That said, making a down jacket in horsehide isn’t as simple as just changing the outer fabric.

With lightweight nylon, the fabric lifts along with the puffing down inside.

But horsehide is heavy and has a lot of structure. Even with the same amount of down, the leather presses it down, so it doesn’t create the roundness you’d expect. So this time,we’ve increased the amount of down so it can properly lift the leather from the inside.

Once you add more down, you have to figure out where and how to fit it.

The down packs on the inside are divided to match the leather panels on the outside. Each section of leather you see on the outside has its own space for down on the inside. This keeps the down from shifting to one side and gives each leather panel a plump shape.

When I talk about things like this, you might think I’m being awfully particular.

But these unseen details are what determine how it looks when you actually wear it.

Not just from the front, but also the thickness of the back when viewed from the side, and the rounded shape from the shoulders down the arms.

It holds its shape despite all the down inside because it’s carefully constructed right down to the inner details.

We chose raglan sleeves. Since it’s horsehide with down inside, I didn’t want it to feel restrictive when you move your arms.

Also, I felt that angular shoulders would look a little too strong with this much volume.

The lines flow naturally from the neckline toward the sleeves, giving the horsehide presence while keeping the silhouette soft when worn. I hope you’ll take a look from the side, too.

It’s made with Fine-Grain Horsehide.We selected hides from two-year-old horses raised in Europe and had them chrome-tanned at a tannery in Himeji. The leather has a fine grain and a supple feel.

After dyeing, the leather is infused with oil, then buffed on the surface to bring out its sheen.

This NOIR isn’t just a uniformly black, painted-over color. The fine scratches and creases inherent in the leather are left intact, so its character varies from place to place when you look closely.

You can see that in the leather when it’s new, and then the creases and sheen from the person wearing it build on top of it.This is leather I’d like even people who own lots of black clothes to see and feel.

I’d wear it with a sweatshirt and jeans.

Wear it with your usual clothes.

Throw it on and head to the shop on a slightly chilly morning.

Wear it on days when you’ll be getting home late.

Reach for it on your day off, even if you’re just stepping out around the neighborhood.

Since it’s made with such good leather, I want you to wear it often, without being too particular about when to wear it.

You’ve probably figured it out by now, but I love talking about how things age.

Even with people who aren’t interested in leather clothing, I can’t help saying, “Take a look at this.”

At first, they look like they don’t understand what’s so interesting about it. Haha.

But after a while, they start to take an interest, too.

When we meet again, they sometimes say, “It really does change, doesn’t it? I wanted to show you, so I wore it today.”

That makes me happy. What I told them prompted them to start paying closer attention to their own clothes, too.

It’s not that I want you to buy something expensive.

I don’t think cheaper is necessarily better.

If you’re going to buy something, I want you to choose a piece you’ll still be glad you bought after wearing it.

I don’t want you to end up with a purchase you regret.

So I’ll tell you as much as I can, both what I know and what I’ve learned from wearing it.

Then, I’d be happy if you looked at this down jacket and thought, “I want to buy this.”

The Horsehide Down Insulator Jacket 〈NOIR〉 goes on sale November 14.

First, take a look at the new leather and feel it for yourself.

I’d love to talk while comparing the piece you’re choosing now with how the leather looks after you’ve worn it for a while.

A few years from now, I’d be so happy I could jump for joy if we could show each other how our pieces have aged.

 

cantáte Shin Matsushima