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One day last week, I visited Vibram Japan, a company I met at TOAD (Trail Open Air Demo) 10 in early April
My first direct encounter with Vibram was at their booth at the outdoor trade fair "OutDoor Friedrichshafen 2016" held in Germany eight years ago
The booth was filled with the enthusiasm of cheerful Italians, and I still remember that the product designer who developed "Furoshiki," Masaya Hashimoto, was there, introducing me to this unique and functional new product with a very cheerful smile, asking, "Isn't this great?" I had come into contact with the appeal of the brand through Hashimoto, and had been dreaming of doing something with it ever since, so I was very much looking forward to visiting the Japanese subsidiary, which was established a few years ago
(Article from that time ↓↓)
The office is quietly located in a corner of an office building in the heart of Tokyo, and as soon as you step inside, the familiar smell of rubber fills your nose, and the room is filled with containers packed with an incredible variety of sole samples, which quickly gets you excited
I met Mr. Hirano from Vibram Japan. He first explained about Vibram's history and philosophy, and then explained the latest activities of Vibram. He also showed me a valuable video of the factory where the soles are made
Speaking of Vibram, we can't leave out the existence of the "Megagrip" sole, which is extremely trusted by hikers and trail runners. Here, there was a demonstration device that allowed you to experience for yourself how well the grip works even on wet rocks, and of course we were able to try it out
When I stood on a steep slope made of stone slabs with water running down it, wearing Megagrip and non-Megagrip shoes on each side, the difference in grip was immediately obvious. I have experienced the performance of the shoes myself, and here I was able to feel the same clear difference as in real life
There was also a simulation device where you could test the effectiveness of "Arctic Grip," which prevents slipping on slick, icy roads, by wearing shoes with and without it on each side. This was actually my first experience, so it was an eye-opening experience
The conversation continued with great enthusiasm, ranging from the history of the outdoor shoe sole market that Vibram soles opened up, to the secret behind the high functionality of Vibram soles, and the latest information on Vibram soles, which continue to evolve even today, and as expected, time flew by
This is the perfect theme for an offline talk event for Outdoor Gearzine. We asked Mr. Hirano and he kindly agreed, so the real talk event for members in June will be "Vibram NIGHT"!
Hirano-san will be participating in ISPO, the world's largest outdoor trade fair, in Germany at the beginning of June, and will be holding a talk event afterwards with all the latest information. I hope to be able to share with more people the deep world of Vibram and outdoor soles that I was able to hear about today, and I am very much looking forward to it
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