The great outdoors. Exploring nature, enjoying its beauty, freedom and richness. If you are some kind of outdoor guy or gal, you may already know Snow Peak as a brand that provides all the essential gear for your trips, from titanium mugs, sporks (a spoon and fork 2-in-1 type o'thing) and foldable coffee drips to chunky flannel shirts and extra lightweight body warmers. High-end stuff without a doubt. You can get it at Kinoko
Mountaineering is the brands DNA, being founded back in 1958 by Yukio Yamai in Sanjo City, Japan, a town known for its hardware manufacturing skills. Located in the Chetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, Sanjo City is close to a range of mountains that rise up to an altitude of 1000 metres and form a wall on the boundary between Niigata and Fukushima prefectures. Rivers and streams born from the peaks and valleys, home of torrent fish, flow out to the East Japan Sea. No wonder, Yukio Yamai was an accomplished mountaineer. Dissatisfied with the products available back then, he created his own.
Nearly 60 years later, Snow Peak is still around and is still strongly connected to its founder with his oldest son Tohru Yamai Yukio being the current president and his daughter Lisa Yamai being the head designer. You can bet heritage is way more than just a label for Snow Peak. „Today we strive to create products that inspire people to enjoy the outdoors, we seek harmony between people and nature, and we look to manufacturer with such high quality standards that you'll pass them on to the next generation like a great wrist watch", the brand sums up its aim.
Its philosophy of 'making it yourself if you can't find it' led Snow Peak to provide products that are not just suitable for all outdoor activities but of extraordinary quality and with a very Japanese approach to the detailing. Besides being functional and stylish as heck, that is. Their collections blend old and new extremely well. I mean: Just have a look at their flannel shirts or their insulated jackets and cardigans. My favourite piece is their Moleskin Denim Jacket, naturally indigo dyed in Japan. A belter!
So you better head over to Kinoko and check it out. Snow Peak is definitely a brand to keep an eye on. Just read one of their mission statements: „We strive to create a positive impact through everything we do. In 2000 The Conservation Alliance was founded in Japan and Snow Peak has been a member since 2003. We support the work of that organization by donating part of our profits towards preservation of the natural environment. Let's work together to insure the beauty we all enjoy is still around for our children."
'nuff said?
