*** Visvim thread: Dissertation on a Japanese Holy Spirit ***

[Flyingduck]

Does anyone have a list/pics of the SS23 footwear releases?

I have one from a proxy, nothing super exciting. I'll definitely look into the new brigadier with new soles but really hesitate about the color options

 

[m.ello]

I have one from a proxy, nothing super exciting. I'll definitely look into the new brigadier with new soles but really hesitate about the color options

Do you have the rest of the pdfs for this season?

 

[zabo358]

I have one from a proxy, nothing super exciting. I'll definitely look into the new brigadier with new soles but really hesitate about the color options

Thanks! Other than maybe the suede TWO boots, nothing else caught my eye. More money saved.

 

[Flyingduck]

Do you have the rest of the pdfs for this season?

The file is too large to send

 

[discobobulated]

Anyone have the Boomer checked shirt and can comment on the quality and fit?

 

[pastrystar23]

the fashion capital of the world is either Paris or Tokyo, but beyond that I don’t think NYC would really reflect the atmosphere Hiroki wants for the brand like Santa Fe does.

I think NYC is regarded worldwide as one of the fashion capitals of the world. Hip hop and streetwear aesthetic came from there, the fashion media is centered there. Paris, Tokyo, Milan, London. All fashion capitals.

Santa Fe? Yes, I get it, reflective of the artisinal nature and native influence of the brand. But from a business point of view? c'mon. At least have some stuff at Dover Street Market like they used to. No excuse to not have stock in NYC.

 

[Emixam]

One of the definition of a luxury product I read is that the consumer adapts to the product, not the opposite. A Ferrari is said to be utterly uncomfortable, if you don't like it then buy another brand. You are buying more than a product, but an emotion and an experience. Same for Visvim, which is a luxury brand, whatever people may say, and in this way the experience around the products is key. They obviously don't choose their shopping area based on the foot traffic it can generate, but rather the atmosphere of the place, building, etc. From the very beginning the brand has been a hassle to buy when not in Japan, and I think hiroki enjoys this - for the consumer it feels so satisfying when you finally got your hands on the product you were searching for months or years. Just like he couldn't give a damn what we think of the brand's sizing, changing over seasons and not exactly adapted to taller/bigger builds, despite the huge demand.

 

[Flyingduck]

To be honest, it's not like Hiroki didn't try New York at all or he didn't like the city's vibe. He did the 2017 pop-up, and even earlier Hiroki did some ICT release just by a street in New York, which was ancient history when I haven't gotten into visvim but kinda sure the location is New York

 

[Flyingduck]

Speaking of being a luxury brand, I felt like when Hiroki wanted visvim to be a true luxury brand when he did the visvim show in Italy. Those are some really weird years for visvim in terms of style imo

 

[norigim]

Speaking of being a luxury brand, I felt like when Hiroki wanted visvim to be a true luxury brand when he did the visvim show in Italy. Those are some really weird years for visvim in terms of style imo

I actually think the 2015 - 2018 era is some of my favorite from Visvim with the 2017SS being one of the better SS collections. Over time the The brand has definitely become more a bit more boring and safe since then. I think, perhaps, this has to do with Hiroki's own personal style changing a bit with his age. A similar thing happened to 45RPM and only changed when the head designer retired to make way for the new generation.

 

[Fycus]

Out of curiosity, what has replaced Visvim in your closet?

Over time the The brand has definitely become more a bit more boring and safe since then. I think, perhaps, this has to do with Hiroki's own personal style changing a bit with his age. A similar thing happened to 45RPM and only changed when the head designer retired to make way for the new generation.

Perhaps that is what's missing from the brand to me. Visvim has a history of releasing the same silhouettes year after year. Eventually you own enough of the brand such that there is no need to pick up a 2nd or 3rd version of an item. New releases or cuts/patterns spark some interest, but everything has become so unfeasible from a pricing perspective, unnecessarily so in my opinion. That new spot release thorson? Costumey and the price is outrageous.

The damage/crash items should be a different category (ala "prime" items), and they should have stuck with simple, basic washes and/or distressing as part of regular releases. Not everything has to be sent to Amami Oshima to be submerged in mud! My wardrobe doesnt need to give me silicosis, ease up a bit! Even from the aw23 photoshoot previews I wince at the utterly unnecessary distressing on things like the bomber. Whats the point? It'll end up costing 30-40% more than the equivalent bomber with a basic wash, for some random patched holes and mending effect. I may get crucified for this, but its the exact reason I didn't keep my macray coverall, it was just too much (and argh no corduroy collar!) If customers really want that, do a couple with the distressing as a limited release and call it prime or whatever.

I don't necessarily agree that the brand isn't listening to its consumers, they clearly re-release hot sellers (iris, kerchief, brigadiers, etc), and while they were slow to update sizing/grading, they eventually updated patterns to be more forgiving. I just don't resonate with the state of things, a focus on leathers with eye-watering MSRP, proprietary fabrics that seem to be made for the sake of being proprietary, but then the brand is incorporating these fabrics for years just to get through their stock. Over the top distressing, some very costumey items, eventually you look like a weeb wearing some of the more aggressive styles.

What has replaced visvim is ultimately what made visvim attractive in the first place, imo. It's not that these brands do it better, its that they offer similar takes on the earlier visvim staples.

Need gore-tex? Good look waiting for a one-off spot release from Visvim. Easier to just go with Nanamica, Goldwin, Daiwa Pier39 (or Lifestyle) for a nicely cut technical jacket.

Need traditional americana? Theres a resurgance of 90's American brands in Japan right now. Many have exclusive distribution rights to Japan. Go wild with brands like Nautica JP, Ralph Lauren (Beams exclusives), or try Japanese but American aesthetic like A.Presse, Comoli, Leno, Ciota, Herill... the options are endless.

Maybe I'm getting old, but eventually you get burned enough from the inaccurate sizing charts, the same releases over and over, and of course the sky high MSRP and you move on. I still buy from the brand every season, but some of the directional choices theyve made are mind boggling. In that sense Max is correct, vis really does operate on their own wavelength, but at the expense of many customers.

 

[Hanto]

A good example of this was seeing the Horsebit loafers from next season. May as well buy them from Gucci for significantly less.

I think it's the streetwear component that keeps the culture cache with the brand (John Mayer hype for example), in a way that they can get away with charging the prices that they do. I'm sure if John Mayer started buying Cottle, it would be the same.. It happened with Kapital and Travis Scott. It feels no different than Supreme sometimes in terms of hype, queues etc. but with a different audience that is less braggadocios of getting a new release item. I have always been an advocate of buying second hand, so will continue to do so and use it to my advantage with Visvim, and buy in sales. Unless its something that is likely to sell out, I will go for JP retail, but my horizons have definitely been broadened by proxying that I have much better access to pieces than say 3 years ago. Plus if you buy at the right price you can move on for little or no loss in what you paid.

 

[Chaconne]

i don‘t know
For me, with the styling or pricing it just doesn’t really bother me because if they released 50 pieces a year at half the price that i wanted really badly it would be feel much worse than 1 or 2 expensive items because there would be so many more things I couldn’t afford or have closet space for
All my favorite brands have a lot of stuff I just don’t want each season
I live in a warm climate so need never comes into it, just want. So a lot of the Visvim alternatives suggested just don’t appeal to me. I see them all on instagram and they look flat and boring compared to the Visvim equivalent. That’s just me though.
Also, agree with going 2nd hand if you don’t mind used stuff. The pricing being what it is Visvim is a long game for me now. I’m still waiting for some of that 2015-2018 stuff to be available in my size at the right price but there’s no rush on any of it.

 

[norigim]

Need gore-tex? Good look waiting for a one-off spot release from Visvim. Easier to just go with Nanamica, Goldwin, Daiwa Pier39 (or Lifestyle) for a nicely cut technical jacket.

Need traditional americana? Theres a resurgance of 90's American brands in Japan right now. Many have exclusive distribution rights to Japan. Go wild with brands like Nautica JP, Ralph Lauren (Beams exclusives), or try Japanese but American aesthetic like A.Presse, Comoli, Leno, Ciota, Herill... the options are endless.

Goldwin-0 has been pretty interesting. I find most of the brands you mention to just sorta blend together into the same stuff. If I walked into the store and had all those brands not have labels on them, I probably couldn't tell the difference. I think Visvim still has a few standout pieces every season that is very unique to what they do and can be pretty quickly identified which makes the brand, imo, stand above the ones you mention.

 

[Hanto]

Goldwin-0 has been pretty interesting. I find most of the brands you mention to just sorta blend together into the same stuff. If I walked into the store and had all those brands not have labels on them, I probably couldn't tell the difference. I think Visvim still has a few standout pieces every season that is very unique to what they do and can be pretty quickly identified which makes the brand, imo, stand above the ones you mention.

I did think this though with the recent amplus knit as an example. People on multiple forums going nuts for it, but without a visvim label on it, it could easily be from SNS Herning. Why spend £800 on a knit when I could get one from Inverallan or Inis Meain? The dyes and things like are what I think is the differentiator but a lot of the pieces are takes on classic pieces that, depending on budget and lifestyle are unnecessary at times. As a recent parent myself, I get @Emixam 's point on sometimes needing beater bits, as it were. Filmelange Ive found is a great alternative to some cut and sew bits for less than Vis and just as good quality. Or Loopwheeler, or cottle.

The fact that, with the latter, I can message the owner in IG and get a custom request for sizing or distressed pieces and they're still less than visvim jp retail is great.