Most Nanamica collaborations arrive calmly, drifting in like a boat on a slow evening tide. But this latest one doesn’t. Gentle ocean sounds have been interrupted by barking. Sniffing. And a flailing tail. You can thank A Kind of Guise for that, because together, the two brands have created something that feels unusually animated for Nanamica.
That animation begins with the collaboration campaign, which has been framed through the eyes of a Tokyo dog walker – who better to embody both brands’ precision than a person whose entire morning depends on the reliability of a creature that refuses to walk in a straight line?
The gear itself, though, you’ll be glad to hear, isn’t just restricted to pedigree prowlers. The GORE-TEX shell is vintage Nanamica: two-layer protection from rain, wind, and general atmospheric indecision, with a purple hood stowed neatly into the collar. Designed for those mornings when the dog wants out but the clouds look argumentative.
Moving away from technical garb, there’s a leather rework of a vintage German military blouson. Made from cowhide tanned with rhubarb. Yeah, rhubarb. Another example of the collaboration being animated. Behind the garden vegetable patina lies Nanamica’s house check, calming things down through the use of a familiar pattern.
A Kind of Guise has also incorporated their textural instincts into a heavyweight cotton twill shirt, produced in Spain and hand-printed with a paisley pattern before being air-dried in sunlight. Each one with its own unique tone. Then, in contrast, but still perfectly in line, there’s the indigo-dyed padded shirt, insulated with PrimaLoft and cut in a boxy silhouette that doubles as outerwear.
Across the collection, you get the sense that both brands leaned fully into their shared respect for craft and function. Nothing here is loud (apart from the dogs, we’d imagine), and each piece is designed to do its job well, whether that job is keeping you dry, keeping you warm, or simply making you look like someone who has their life together – even if that life is spent being yanked down the street by an Alsatian.
Shop the Nanamica x A Kind of Guise collaboration here
