Indigo Camping Trailer

Product with a warmth to it, where the personality of its creator can be felt

I feel there is great potential and endless possibilities with "natural dyeing" in a way that can move the needle forward instead of being just something that is nostalgic.  Of course, I love old things but replicating them is not what I am striving for, rather there are hints they provide that can be applied to modern manufacturing.  I have continued exploring through trial and error; taking these hints and combining them with modern techniques to see if something new can be created.

People from previous generations were genuinely trying to make better things by aiming to make them as uniform as possible, but natural dyeing could not be 100% controlled.  However, this was exactly what created a natural unevenness that created a warmer expression in the product that allowed one to feel the creator's personality.  We believe the appeal of authentic things is found in exactly something like this. 

There are certain products that can never be a part of our seasonal collections, for example Goodyear Welt footwear that has been mud dyed as this would have a limit to the number of pairs that can be manufactured with our current production system.  "Indigo Camping Trailer" though allows for a more experimental development timeline, where we can delve further and dig down deep like a laboratory perhaps.  Things that work out are adopted for "visvim" and "WMV" collections in the future, and also any new ideas or challenges we try to address can get tested here.  We hope for this brand to play the role of a driving force in the creation of new products. 

The first physical retail location opened in 2013, which was the same year that Indigo Camping Trailer was launched as a brand.  Similar to the manufacturing of the brand it had an experimental concept.  I wondered what an interesting way would be to approach new customers in a venue that is considered to be a commercial shopping facility.  I wanted to express a personal side of me, not something that was generic, or flat and homogenous.  I came up with an idea for "a flea market that presents its goods by displaying them on a vintage camping trailer;" it was something that imbued an image of freedom that I had always admired since my childhood.    

In addition to showcasing experimental products, I also wanted to display and sell a variety of things that I sourced, as well as authentic objects that had inspired me.  By exposing the process we used to create products alongside archival things that had inspired while making sure to express my inner self; it was my hope to distance this from something that came off more commercial to become a store that had never existed before. 

Since its inception, the foundation of the brand has been moved to "VISVIM GENERAL STORE / VISVIM GALLERY" in Naka Meguro and "VISVIM EXPOSITION" in Los Angeles, however the concept has remained the same.  We also continue to host an outdoor pop-up event concept, called "Traveling Trading Post," which is something we have been doing since 2013. 

The methods for production in the 20^th century opened the door to a new era of mass-produced goods that appear more uniform in nature.  These days this type of manufacturing has become deeper rooted, but "Indigo Camping Trailer" continues to explore the possibility and ways of creating products that possess a warmth and character alongside different approaches to present this output. 

Available Stores

VISVIM GENERAL STORE / VISVIM GALLERY

1-22-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0042

+81 (0)3 6452 4772

VISVIM EXPOSITION

304 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA

+1 213 265 7901

visvim WMV Official Web Store

For more information on natural dyeing, please reference the provided resources below.

Aigata (Natural Indigo Stencil Dyeing)

Aizome (Natural Indigo Dyeing)

Doro-Zome (Mud-Dyeing)

Kasezome(Natural Indigo Skein Dyeing)

2024.3.19 Republished with revisions
2013.01.12 Original work published