"What am I going to wear for the show?"

"Regular clothes always get in the way — the sleeves, when you're playing an instrument..."

Not long after picking up an instrument, most people run into worries like these.

Here we introduce the apparel brand "Azimech," which clears away that kind of stress while playing and brings color to everything from the mirror at home to the stage.

We spoke with Chie, guitarist and vocalist of Suichu Spica, about the distinctive attention to detail and design philosophy backed by a thoroughly "on-the-ground" point of view. Together with Cullate, we unpack the appeal of these newly proposed "clothes for stepping outside."

How Azimech began

— What originally got you started with the brand?

Chie: I always loved clothes, but at first I never imagined running a brand and selling anything. Actually, it started as making stage costumes for the band. I loved clothes, and so did Noguchi on guitar, but some of the other members had no interest in it at all — they'd say things like "I have no idea what to wear for a show." So I figured, if we made something and everyone wore it, we could all look good together. Wearing matching outfits also makes you pop on stage. So that's how it started — making costumes. An apparel brand later reached out and asked if we wanted to make the costumes together. I think that's why the mood of the music and the mood of the brand feel unified.

— I often think I'd love something cool to wear when I play guitar too. When you're doing music, there really aren't that many clothes you can wear when standing in front of people.

Chie: Exactly. We sell it at our live merch table too, and it's been better received than we expected. A band T-shirt for around 5,000 yen is one thing, but we never imagined people would buy clothing priced in the tens of thousands of yen.

— That shows how much demand there is. Honestly, wearing it, you can really feel how much care went in.

Chie: That makes me happy. There's a lot of detail packed in. For example, for a guitarist, just having proper volume in the clothing makes it look great with a guitar. These clothes are designed on the assumption that you'll be seen, standing in front of people, so we've put a lot of thought into the silhouette too.

— If it's the silhouette too, that means there are other small details packed in as well.

Of course! It's full of ideas I came up with specifically because I'm a guitarist myself.

Azimech's strength isn't just the design

— Can clothing actually solve a guitarist's problems?

Chie: Nothing that dramatic. But I think just removing small stresses during a performance changes a lot. For example, our guitarist Noguchi apparently really hates it when his right sleeve hangs down, so he pulls the sleeve cord tight, rolls the sleeve up, and ties it off with the cord before playing. Originally the idea was just to let a unisex item's sleeve length be adjustable.

(Earth Black Pullover — tying the sleeve with the cord keeps it from becoming a stress while playing.)

We made sure the sleeves don't end up loose and in the way when a woman wears it. With unisex clothing, the biggest issue isn't the body width but the sleeve and body length, so we made all of that adjustable with cords.

— That's a really interesting perspective. Actually, Cullate's clothes are made with a similar point of view. For example, an item called Hibi Lounge Pants has a cinchable hem. The reason is that a dragging hem can get caught in a chair's casters — and I felt that's a close way of thinking.

Chie: True. That sounds useful on stage too. If the hem drags, you end up stepping on it on stage, or it catches on things when you're stomping on a pedal. From a guitarist's perspective, that's another way to use it.

(Hibi Lounge Pants hem — it can be cinched, as shown in the photo.)

Your own outfit, your own stage

— What thinking goes into the design?

Chie: With every piece, we make sure it can be worn by anyone. With the pants, for example, I can wear them, and so can Noguchi, who's a lot bigger than I am. The goal is for anyone to be comfortable and enjoy the clothes, whatever their height or body type.

— So you focus specifically on making sure anyone can wear it.

Chie: That's right. And I'd love for everyone to style it differently, too. For example, the Embroidered Jacquard Blouse has a cord at the chest. A girl can wear it open with the cord tied in a bow, which is cute, or leave it untied and hanging as part of the design, or tie it in a plain knot for a cooler look — there are a lot of ways to wear it. This piece also has a distinctive cuff. The sleeve folds up, and we made sure the silhouette looks good folded as well.

(Embroidered Jacquard Blouse — designed to be worn with the cuffs folded.)

— The Earth Black Pullover from earlier was also distinctive in that the cuffs could be adjusted with a cord.

Chie: This piece especially reflects a guitarist's point of view. It's actually built to create a silhouette that looks good with a guitar in hand. Of course you can also tie off a sleeve that's hanging down, as I mentioned before, and the cords let it fit any body type.(Earth Black Pullover — the silhouette is calculated to look good with a guitar.)

Chie: For the Lycoris series, we used an elastic waistband so anyone can wear it, and offered it in two colors, including black, so it works both as stage wear and for everyday use. The goal is for anyone to find, without any stress, the way of wearing it that suits them. I want everyone to enjoy their own outfit, in their own lifestyle.

(Lycoris Pants — the elastic waistband means it can be worn regardless of gender or body type.)

Chie: Oh, right! There's also washing! We end up washing things roughly on tour a lot, so we choose fabrics that don't wrinkle easily. Basically 100% polyester. I don't think anyone will have trouble taking care of it.

— There's also a drawstring pouch among the products, right?

Chie: It's made from the same fabric as the clothes. Carrying it as a set looks stylish. I'd love for people to use it as a travel pouch for a charger or cosmetics.

— I use mine for things like a capo or picks. There's a certain feeling of your everyday life getting more exciting just from knowing that something you see and use all the time was made by a member of a band you like.

Chie: I'm glad if that's how people feel using it! We've also got novelties like a clear vinyl pouch and poster cards, so I'd be grateful if people used them with that feeling in mind. Azimech will keep making things, hoping these items add color to everyone's everyday life in all kinds of ways.

Azimech's philosophy is built on close attention to musicians and a thoroughly on-the-ground point of view. We at Cullate resonated with that thinking and have defined Azimech as "clothes for stepping one step outside from home (Hibi Lounge)," and have started carrying each item. From the mirror to the stage — items that add color to your everyday life, whether on a special occasion or in a passing moment's mood. Please take a look through the product pages.

(Writer: Natsune Kusumoto)