This past week Visvim announced the release of their newest I.C.T. capsule collection, slated for July 13th. The announcement of this capsule comes roughly four years after their last one, the “Find Your Happiness” campaign that featured a myriad of rainbow Kerchief Down JKTs using Visvim’s proprietary bandana fabric, and some of the best crash-processed jumbos tees and sweats ever produced. The year before that, Visvim’s SS19 I.C.T. capsule featured the infamous paint-splattered Grease Monkey Coat and the Kasuri Handyman Shirt L/S N.D.
This year’s capsule has sixteen different items. Most of the designs are new, although there are some clear restocks of “hype” pieces such as the Brigadier Boots, Carrol Pants, and the Macray Coverall Crash. The lookbook published by Visvim takes clear inspiration from motocross aesthetics, which can be seen in both the Jumbo Tee L/S they teased with a motocross sleeve design, and the Jumbo Tee S/S that features a frontal motor gear screen print.
One fabric Visvim appears to be consistently experimenting with is their custom damage-processed hickory stripe, which can be found on both the Buckley Cap DMGD and Hellion Down JKT DMGD. According to a product introspection on their Instagram, both pieces feature one-of-a-kind hand distressing and mending. The Hellion was spotted earlier this year on Visvim founder, Hiroki Nakamura. It seems to be taking the same cut as the Kerchief Down JKT, except with bone buttons rather than the traditional snap buttons.
Another stand-out piece is the SS Alcan JKT Dry, which mirrors the cut of the I.C.T. Goodyear Swing Top. The jacket features subtle I.C.T. text on its front left side, and a not-so-subtle hit of text on the back reading, “Perfectly Harmonized I.C.T.”. The increasing use of text concerns many Visvim fans, as it seems ever more popular with each season. This capsule appears no different. It is bittersweet when a brand many fell in love with due to its silent elegance seems to be subscribing to increasingly streetwear design language. Perhaps the silver lining with this Alcan JKT is that it uses I.C.T. instead of a giant Visvim, keeping the branding slightly more low-key.
With the ever-rising retail prices of Visvim, these new items may create a wave of excitement, but their cost becomes harder to justify. When previous items such as the SS14 ICT Virgil Boots N.D. had so many intricacies over ten years ago it makes you wonder if Visvim is taking a step in the wrong direction. The senseless restocks of more mundane pieces like the I.C.T. Brigadier Boots suggest a stronger focus on fulfilling desired demand rather than innovating with new I.C.T. models. While it is naive to not acknowledge this is a business that has to make money, the original purpose behind this I.C.T. sublabel was to allow Visvim the space to experiment without the quantities that mainline Visvim required. This is not to say the new capsule is poor or undesirable, but rather it just seems to be forgetting the core tenets of creativity that made I.C.T. such a cult classic at its inception.