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We were strongly drawn to the natural mineral “marble” for this design and used it as the motif. The minerals are mixed with various ingredients, and if you look closely, you can see the “PGG” logo on the stone. We can’t help but wonder if one of the shining particles within the stone represents our identity. The earth has accumulated layers of time over an unimaginable length, and perhaps that’s why we are drawn to it. However, we are also simply captivated by the beautiful patterns formed by the marble.

I was struck by this observation when I first began creating these garments. The color of the sky in my hometown was a dull, clear blue. Not too bright, not too dark, the hue is reminiscent of the warm start of a new year.

To “redefine the standard,” we couldn’t resist using this season’s symbolic gray color, which is universally appealing. We utilized wooden yarns and focused on the clarity of white, sometimes using prints to achieve the ideal wooden pattern. Maintaining a specific color balance was challenging due to the way colors appear based on yarn thickness and fabric type. There is also a hidden “pea-gee-gee” within the grains, although it’s hard to spot at first glance. The use of gray made me want to utilize recycled paper for the catalog, a material that returns to the earth without causing harm.

Started in 2007, FilMelange is a cut and sew brand whose original members have more than 20 years of OEM experience. Their track record of filling various orders in Japan and abroad have led them to thoroughly develop everything from cotton selection to threads, fabric, design, and sewing at their proprietary factory in Fukushima. FilMelange develops its fabrics based on functional beauty, wearable comfort, and learning from the past. Using good old items as a foundation, they focus on natural materials and revive them into something new. Their old loopwheel knitting machines, the newest of which was manufactured around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, produce a unique texture, and their desire to protect the excellent spinning techniques and industry remaining in Japan have led to their penchant for domestic production.

It started when our parka with a fleece-lined hood wasn’t drying well, and we wanted to make a gray melange article which evoked this season’s theme of “stone”. Normally, fleece linings are done with traditional fabrics, but we wanted to make a completely new gray. We wanted to make something with a universal, neutral appeal which would match with any other clothing by bringing out the white in the melange. With that idea in mind, we knew that FilMelange was the best at gray melange, so we contacted them without a second thought. Their principles of making long-wearing clothing and sought-after, beloved articles resonated with us, which led to the inception of this project.

We expressed the fusion of PGG’s patterns and sewing with FilMelange’s appealingly soft materials. We applied tape primarily in areas of movement, creating a structure that would not collapse, and we placed reinforcement behind the edge of the pocket, where pressure is applied. At PGG, we put as much consideration as possible into even the smallest details. There are two types of T-shirt—dress and top—each of which has the symbol for this collaboration embroidered on the chest. We purposefully gave the silhouette volume so that the fabric’s feel and texture could be fully realized, allowing the wearer to enjoy the feeling of wearing it.

When FilMelange was asked by PGG, which uses plenty of synthetic materials and polyester, to achieve a melange fabric with bounce and substance, they began product development to find a way to meet that request. Cotton is soft and easy to handle, but it’s hard to produce the required bounce. That’s when they decided to add linen to the blend. They chose a linen lining because it’s cool to the touch, prevents moisture build-up, and has four times the water absorption of cotton. Furthermore, our clear vision of making a never-before-seen gray melange guided FilMelange to create a light color and texture with the white brought to the fore. They were anxious about what they could create with us and whether they would be able to meet our expectations. After much discussion, they arrived at a cotton-linen blend in the hope that the natural fibers’ functionality would match the functionalities we were after.

When FilMelange was asked by PGG, which uses plenty of synthetic materials and polyester, to achieve a melange fabric with bounce and substance, they began product development to find a way to meet that request. Cotton is soft and easy to handle, but it’s hard to produce the required bounce. That’s when they decided to add linen to the blend. They chose a linen lining because it’s cool to the touch, prevents moisture build-up, and has four times the water absorption of cotton. Furthermore, our clear vision of making a never-before-seen gray melange guided FilMelange to create a light color and texture with the white brought to the fore. They were anxious about what they could create with us and whether they would be able to meet our expectations. After much discussion, they arrived at a cotton-linen blend in the hope that the natural fibers’ functionality would match the functionalities we were after.

This body-fitting innerwear is made with the new functional material SPAORE, formulated with radium and other hot spring natural minerals that emit weak electromagnetic waves. This special material boasts a wide range of applications and is often used in items worn by athletes as a part of care for the body’s center of gravity. The material is placed around the shoulder blades, which are significantly involved in upper-body movement, to focus on the center of gravity and the trunk. The radiant heat generated by granular charcoal creates a natural warmth. Made in part with plant-derived materials, the material is environmentally friendly, possesses outstanding elasticity, and offers sweat-absorbing and quick-drying functionality. These are the features of PGG’s functional innerwear.

The sliced logo knit is tuck-woven to yield a texturedfeel, for a beautiful silhouette that holds its shape even during motion. Combined with a jacquard knit that directly weaves in the logo pattern, the result is depth, springiness, and strength along with a refined three-dimensional sense and shadows. The new design of the breathable polyester knit parka offers comfort even in summer through the unusual technique of mesh processing applied to pile fabric made from fibers woven into loops. The double milling technique, weaving two different threads separated on the front and back, achieves a hood that rises beautifully.