Will clothing shift from self-expression to climate adaptation devices?

I found something that felt off again today.

I read the WWD JAPAN Summer Tech feature.

Summer Tech.

At first, it was a term I wasn't quite used to.

However, after reading the content, I felt it really captured the current atmosphere.

The announcement for the latest issue of WWD JAPAN published on PR TIMES defines Summer Tech as goods for coping with extreme heat, as well as fashion and beauty items that sell well in summer. It covered heat shielding, cooling, UV protection, cooling cosmetics, and even direct-cooling apparel using Peltier elements.

The feature in the WWD JAPAN magazine also covers Workman's heat-shielding apparel, Kao Bioré's extreme heat countermeasures, and weather marketing that links weather data to sales generation.

https://www.wwdjapan.com/articles/2391621

The important point is not that clothes aren't selling because of the extreme heat.

It is that the extreme heat itself has become the starting point for product development and sales strategy.

In the past, summer clothes were about what to wear during the hot season.

Now, it's a little different.

It has become a conversation about how to survive the hot season.

I think this is a fairly significant change.

Isn't it possible that clothing will no longer be for self-expression, but will become a device for adapting to the climate?

That is the lingering feeling I was left with.

Clothes in the past were also about enjoying the seasons.

Of course, clothing has always adapted to the climate.

We wear thick fabrics in winter.

We wear thin fabrics in summer.

On rainy days, we choose things that are hard to get wet.

If it is windy, we put on an outer layer.

Clothing was, from the very beginning, meant to protect the body from the environment.

Therefore, climate adaptation itself is not a new story.

However, clothes in the past had a bit more of a sense of enjoying the seasons.

In spring, we wear light colors.

In summer, we wear linen or white.

In autumn, layering begins.

In winter, the textures of coats and knits emerge.

The seasons were not just environmental conditions, but also changes in attire.

We dress lightly because it is hot.

We dress warmly because it is cold.

Beyond that, the way we present our bodies, choose materials, use colors, and feel the distance from the city's atmosphere changed with each season.

Clothing adapted to the climate while simultaneously expressing the season.

There was a little bit of leeway in that.

It is hot, but we dress in a summery way.

It is cold, but we layer in a wintery way.

The seasons were a burden to the body, but also a catalyst for aesthetic consciousness.

However, now, that leeway is being chipped away little by little.

Summer is becoming less of a season to enjoy its unique character and more of a dangerous season.

Clothes today are becoming things to help us survive the seasons.

Recent summers are less about being hot and more about being aggressive toward the body.

Just stepping outside for a moment makes you sweat.

The sunlight is painful.

The heat from the asphalt rises from below.

Just walking to the station is exhausting.

Going out during the day itself becomes a minor drain on your energy.

When that happens, what we look for in clothes changes too.

Do they look good?

Do they look like me?

Do they have a sense of style?

Before those things, the questions that come first are whether they are cool, dry, sun-protective, resistant to sweat stains, and easy to wash.

Heat shielding.

Cooling.

Quick-drying.

UV protection.

Lightweight.

Breathability.

Washability.

These were once closer to the realms of outdoor, sports, and work wear.

But now, it is entering the realm of everyday clothing.

What is happening here is not merely a trend for functional clothing.

The fundamental premise of clothing is beginning to change.

Clothing is shifting from something to be seen to something to endure with.

From something to decorate with to something to protect with.

From something to enjoy the seasons with to something to survive the seasons with.

The center of gravity is shifting little by little.

Survival comes before self-expression.

For a long time, fashion has been discussed in the language of self-expression.

What you wear is how you want to be seen.

Which brand you choose is which aesthetic you belong to.

Do you wear black?

Do you wear logos?

Do you wear vintage?

Do you wear suits?

Do you wear streetwear?

Do you wear artisan pieces?

Clothing was a tool for adjusting the distance between yourself and the world.

I wrote about this in a previous article.

When I entered Osaka Bunka Fashion College at 41, I felt that even though clothing is just fabric, it has an extraordinary influence on human emotions, social class, personality, affiliation, desires, and self-perception.

Clothing is more than just protection from the cold or decoration.

It might be an interface for humans to adjust the distance between themselves and the world.

That feeling has not changed even now.

However, as extreme heat intensifies, the premise of that interface changes.

Before self-expression, there is the body.

No matter how much you love a piece of clothing, if it is too hot, you cannot wear it.

No matter how beautiful a piece of clothing is, if it is uncomfortable due to sweat, it will not be part of your daily life.

No matter how much of a worldview it embodies, if it cannot withstand travel in midsummer, it is unlikely to be chosen.

This is a rather harsh reality for fashion.

Before clothing is an idea, it is an object that touches the body.

It rests on the shoulders.

It touches the skin.

It absorbs sweat.

It holds heat.

It rubs against you.

It is washed.

It dries.

No matter how much meaning the clothes you wear every day have, if your body rejects them, you cannot keep wearing them.

In other words, extreme heat is posing a very fundamental question to fashion.

Is clothing meant for self-expression?

Or is it a device for adapting to the climate?

Clothing will become polarized.

Perhaps the answer is not just one or the other.

I believe clothing will become polarized from here on out.

On one side, there is climate-adaptive clothing.

Uniqlo.

Workman.

Sports brands.

Outdoor brands.

Techwear.

Functional materials.

Cooling innerwear.

UV protection.

Heat-shielding jackets.

Quick-drying pants.

Here, clothing is becoming more like life infrastructure.

Wear it every day.

Washable.

Cheap.

Durable.

Cool.

Fatigue-resistant.

Easy to manage.

In this realm, clothing becomes less about self-expression and more about a tool for maintaining the body.

On the other side, there is clothing of meaning and narrative.

Yohji Yamamoto.

Rick Owens.

Artisan.

One-of-a-kind items.

Vintage clothing.

Craft.

Clothing with a strong sense of authorship.

There, value remains that cannot be explained by comfort alone.

Why wear it?

Why that black?

Why that weight?

Why accept even that inconvenience?

Why spend time on that clothing?

I once wrote that fashion might be a form of self-analysis.

The idea is that choosing clothes is not an act of searching for what suits you, but an act of exploring what you believe in, what you reject, and what kind of life you want to live.

In that sense, climate-adaptive clothing and clothing as meaning do not conflict.

Rather, their roles will diverge.

Everyday wear will become infrastructure.

Fashion will become ritualized.

Daily clothing will become increasingly rationalized.

However, that is precisely why special clothing will carry more meaning.

In daily life, we live by function.

But in certain moments, we wear meaning.

I feel this divide will become quite pronounced in the future.

Everyday wear will become infrastructure

The future of everyday wear is quite close to infrastructure.

Rather than choosing clothes, we will optimize for the environment.

It's hot today, so I'll wear this.

The UV rays are strong, so I'll wear this.

I'll be sweating, so I'll wear this.

It's easy to wash, so I'll wear this.

I'll be moving around a lot, so I'll wear this.

The air conditioning is strong, so I'll wear this.

When it comes to this, clothing becomes like water or electricity.

It becomes a given that it is there.

It will become a foundation for reducing discomfort.

Rather than expressing oneself, it will become a mechanism to keep one's body from breaking down.

This is not a bad thing.

There is no need to force yourself to be fashionable in extreme heat.

Protecting your body is quite important.

Especially in Japan, summer is no longer something you can just power through with sheer willpower.

There is the danger of heatstroke.

There is the issue of UV rays.

There is also the discomfort caused by sweat and humidity.

In that sense, ideas like summer tech are quite realistic.

Clothing becoming a tool for environmental adaptation is a necessary evolution for daily life.

However, at the same time, there is a bit of sadness.

That is because clothing is increasingly converging on a single correct answer.

Wear this on a hot day.

Wear this on a day you will sweat.

Wear this if you don't want to get sunburned.

It is efficient and correct.

But clothing that is too correct is a little bit boring.

Fashion will not disappear, but will become ritualized.

So, will fashion disappear?

I do not think so.

I think it is actually the opposite.

As everyday clothing becomes more like infrastructure, fashion will become more concentrated.

However, the setting will change.

Fashion, which used to be thinly spread throughout our daily lives, will gather into special times and occasions.

When going to a concert.

When going to an exhibition.

When meeting someone.

When taking photos.

When you want to change yourself a little.

When you want to change your distance from the world.

In those moments, clothing ceases to be merely about comfort.

Clothing becomes a ritual.

Why are you wearing that today?

Why, in this heat, do you still choose that outfit?

Why choose meaningful clothing instead of convenient clothing?

That is where a person's aesthetic sense is revealed.

I previously wrote about what fashion will create in the AI era.

The point was that as image generation and style generation become easier, the question of why something is made will begin to matter more than the clothing itself.

This is similar to the topic of climate.

The more functions are optimized, the more their meaning is questioned.

Cooler clothing is on the rise.

Lighter clothing is also on the rise.

Quick-drying clothing is also on the rise.

UV-protective clothing is also on the rise.

But among all that, why choose that specific garment?

Why choose that brand?

Why choose that inconvenience?

That is where the place for fashion remains.

Usually, we wear functional clothing.

But for one day, we wear heavy boots.

Usually, we wear cool clothing.

But for one day, we wear black.

Usually, we wear easy-to-wash clothing.

But for one day, we choose a difficult-to-care-for material.

That is irrational.

However, humans cannot completely let go of irrational things.

In fact, the more rational life becomes, the more meaning resides in irrational choices.

Extreme heat strips clothing of its margin.

What is scary about extreme heat is that it strips clothing of its margin.

I wear it because I like it.

I wear it because it fits my mood.

I just feel like wearing this today.

Such vague choices are being whittled away by the heat.

I want to wear this today.

But it is too hot.

I want to wear this jacket.

But it is impossible.

I want to wear these boots.

But they are too stuffy.

I want to try this layered look.

But it is dangerous.

In this way, clothing choices are being narrowed by the climate.

This is a matter of self-expression, but it is also a matter of daily life.

When the climate changes, the way the city looks also changes.

The way people move also changes.

The clothes we buy also change.

The clothes that sell also change.

The clothes that brands create also change.

In other words, climate is not an external condition for fashion.

It is the power to reshape fashion itself.

In this regard, I think the term 'summer tech' is quite symbolic.

Extreme heat is no longer just a seasonal issue; it is beginning to become a market structure.

What remains beyond climate adaptation?

If clothing becomes climate adaptation gear, what will remain beyond that?

Perhaps what remains is meaning.

Functions are increasingly being shared.

Cooling materials.

Sun-resistant clothing.

Quick-drying clothing.

Lightweight clothing.

Affordable and convenient clothing.

These will spread through mass production and technological development.

As a result, it will become difficult to differentiate based on function alone.

Every brand is cool.

Every brand is lightweight.

Every brand is washable.

Every brand offers UV protection.

At that point, what remains at the end is the meaning of why you wear it.

What philosophy was it created with?

What kind of view of the body do you hold?

What kind of distance does the clothing maintain in its relationship with the world?

Who wears it, where, and for what reason?

As functions become standardized, their meaning is called into question.

This is not limited to fashion.

I believe this is happening in every area of life.

Convenient things are increasing.

Comfortable things are also increasing.

The number of 'correct answers' is also increasing.

However, as the number of correct answers increases, people are asked why they choose them.

I previously wrote about the sense of discomfort I feel regarding mobile ordering.

The point was that as things become more efficient, people conversely begin to seek traces of relationships and human margins.

Clothing is the same.

As functions increase, things become more convenient.

But beyond that convenience, people are not satisfied by that alone.

Cool.

Lightweight.

Quick-drying.

UV-blocking.

These things are important.

However, if that were all there was to it, clothing would essentially become equipment.

I believe what remains as fashion is the meaning that exists outside of that equipment-like clothing.

Conclusion

Clothing is becoming climate adaptation gear.

I think this is a fairly unavoidable trend.

As long as the extreme heat continues, clothing will move toward coolness, lightness, heat shielding, cooling, UV protection, and ease of washing.

Everyday wear is becoming closer to life infrastructure than self-expression.

However, that does not mean fashion will disappear.

Rather, the more everyday wear becomes infrastructure, the more concentrated fashion becomes on the side of meaning.

Function supports the everyday.

Meaning remains in special moments.

Comfort protects our lives.

Ritualism preserves our humanity.

Future fashion might move closer to ritual than to being stylish.

While wearing clothes to endure the heat, people will still try to wear meaning somewhere.

I feel that this contradiction will make future clothing interesting.

Related articles to read

I wrote about the influence of clothing on human emotions and self-perception in this article.

The idea that fashion is close to self-analysis is similar to this article.

I explored what fashion creates in the AI era in this article.

Click here for the discussion on how the more efficient things become, the more we notice the human margin.

About Void Lab

Void Lab is a small laboratory that observes the changes of the times as they appear in clothing.

Why do brands sell stories? Why is luxury expanding into everyday life? Why are trends reclaimed by the market?

Focusing on our weekly and monthly fashion observations, we decode the discomforts found in fashion, branding, consumption, and culture.

For 980 yen per month, you get unlimited access to all paid articles. You can also chat freely on the message board.

For those interested in changes that don't have a name yet, rather than finished answers.

I will write about my discomforts again tomorrow.