Hello, this is Kubo. The summer of 2024 was a busy one, with me traveling to the US, preparing for a special one-night show to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and holding meetings to participate in the special exhibition " LOVE Fashion - When I Dress Up."

In the midst of all this, the time I have to relax is during my "sauna activities." Today I'll be talking about this.

Yoshio Kubo's sauna activities

I wasn't a particularly avid sauna user to begin with, but I became completely hooked after an acquaintance taught me the "correct sauna etiquette."

Now I do about three sets of the following: I spend about 10 minutes in the sauna, then quickly wash off the sweat, then take a minute in a cold water bath, take a break, and then go back in.

The heat makes you sweat slowly, and after enduring it for as long as you can, you step into the freezing cold water.

The contrast, the feeling of tension and relief, was irresistible, and although I was just curious the first time, from the second time I was really hooked and started going again.

At the sauna I often go to, there's no TV or music playing, and no visible information, so it's an environment where you can just face yourself and think about all sorts of things. These days, it's rare to find an environment where you don't have your smartphone at hand, so being able to immerse yourself in your thoughts might be one of the attractions of a sauna.

I once heard Dr. Nakamatsu talk about "developing ideas in water," and it feels like I'm having a similar experience in the sauna.

A serious sauna hat designed by a fashion designer

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't think about fashion while I'm "sauna-katsu." Whenever I see the sauna hats that people around me are wearing, I think, "That just doesn't look right."

So what's not this?

After coming out of the sauna to wash off the sweat and drying my body before taking a cold bath, I thought, "I don't have enough towels," and at that moment I had an idea: "I'll make a sauna hat out of terry cloth that can be used like a towel and can be used to dry your body over and over again."

What we focused on was not the shape of the hat but the material.

By using the same absorbent and super quick-drying fabric as the chamois towels (pool towels) used by competitive swimmers, we have created an item that is "a must-have item for sauna activities" that can be used over and over again by quickly submerging it in water and wringing it out, and then wiping your body with it as softly as a towel.It dries quickly after washing, so it can be used over and over again.

Chamois towel fabric is as stiff as parchment while it is dry, making sewing it a high hurdle, so I consider the Dry Hat an invention, including the fact that we were able to commercialize it.

Since it can be used like a towel, it means less laundry, and it dries quickly, making it easy to go to the sauna the next day, making it perfect for sauna enthusiasts.

See " Dry Hat" >

However, once you try it out, you may notice some differences from a regular sauna hat, and above all, it is made of an "unfamiliar fabric," so first-timers may be surprised.

Sauna items created in the sauna

Since fashion designers have gone to the trouble of creating sauna hats, they might want to create related items and propose them as a capsule collection.

So we created a "Sauna Activity Set" that includes a " Dry Mat " to place on your buttocks while in the sauna, a band to help you manage your time, a coin purse and keychain for when you can only buy a drink after your sauna session with cash, and other small items.

Of course, sauna wear too!
The four items created for this project are the Saushiro Tee , Dry Parka , Dry Shorts , and Dry Long Pants .

For example, when heading from a resort lodge to an outdoor sauna, it is customary to wear a swimsuit, but wearing swim trunks in the woods feels a bit different.

So, to make your life even more comfortable, we came up with the Dry Parka and Dry Long Pants.

Made from waffle thermal knit, it has a comfortable fit thanks to its flexible stretch and good rebound, and is easy to care for, with quick-drying, UV protection, and washable properties.

The Dry Parka and Dry Long Pants have armholes that can be opened and closed, so when you open them, the breeze you feel the moment you come out of the sauna will feel cooler than usual.

In addition, the Dry Shorts can be worn in the sauna to reduce the unpleasant feeling of sweat sticking to the skin when wearing swim trunks in the sauna, and they are also designed so that you can wear them in a cold water bath.

The items will be released sequentially from Monday, November 11th !
Sales information will be announced on our official social media accounts , so please take this opportunity to follow us.

Official Instagram account
@yoshiokubo_official
Official LINE account
@yoshiokubo

The sauna items, designed by a fashion designer who is addicted to saunas and has been in saunas himself, are sure to be appreciated not only by sauna lovers, but also by those who are thinking of giving saunas a try.
I hope you will pick it up!