PERFORMANCE ART

The experimental arm of cult Japanese clothing label Goldwin, Goldwin 0 is pushing the boundaries of utility wear with the appliance of science Above, the research lab includes exercise equipment designed to rigorously test how garments perform

- ORLA BRENNAN

Tourists rarely travel to the Japanese prefecture of Toyama, though it’s a mere two hours from Tokyo by bullet train. Stretching from the Sea of Japan to the snow-crested Hida Mountains, the region is home to a wealth of unspoilt natural beauty, from white sandy beaches and rolling green countryside to the deep blue lake of Mikurigaike and the icy Gozenzawa glacier.

It’s an unlikely setting for a futuristic technical-wear factory, but Japanese outdoors giant Goldwin has been based here for more than half a century, starting out in the 1950s making Fair Isle jumpers and wadded socks for the skiers of Hokkaido and Honshu. It has come a long way from these beginnings.

Today, spread across a sprawling 20,000 sqm campus, Goldwin’s Toyama site is something of a utility-wear utopia. Fabric innovations are developed in cutting-edge laboratories, garments are tested on athletes on purpose-built tracks and machines, and high-performance clothing is produced on advanced factory lines.