As far as summer fashion goes, clothes with built-in electric fans leave a little something to be desired.
But Hiroshi Ichigaya has managed to turn his breezy invention into the
must-have item of the summer, thanks to sweltering temperatures and a
power shortage stemming from the triple disasters that hit Japan in March
. The founder of Kuchofuku, or "air-conditioned clothing" in Japanese, says sales for his clothes have increased 10-fold. Phones at his office haven't stopped ringing.
"People ask me, why would I want to wear a jacket when it's so hot," Ichigaya, a former Sony engineer, said. "I tell them, because it's cooler than being naked."
Kuchofuku jackets come equipped with a pair of battery-operated fans on the sides, which draw air in. Ichigaya says the constant breeze running inside the jacket helps evaporate all the sweat and creates a personal cooling system in the process. The goal is not to lower temperatures outside the body but expand the body's comfort zone, and eliminate the need for energy-consuming air conditioners, Ichigaya said.
Case in point: at Kuchofuku headquarters in Toda, outside of Tokyo, a thermometer shows the room temperature clocking in at a stuffy 88 degrees, with 59 percent humidity. Yet workers sit at their desks wearing Kuchofuku jackets without a bead of sweat in sight, the hum from the fans echoing in the background.
Akiko Tanaka looks more like an astronaut than an office worker, in her
white, puffy jacket, but, she said, she has gotten over the quirky look.
"I wear this at home, when I'm doing chores," she said. "I like how the
temperature stays the same wherever I go."
Kuchofuku first launched in 2004, after a trip to Southeast Asia inspired Ichigaya to come up with more energy-efficient alternatives to traditional air conditioners.
But Hiroshi Ichigaya has managed to turn his breezy invention into the
must-have item of the summer, thanks to sweltering temperatures and a
power shortage stemming from the triple disasters that hit Japan in March. The founder of Kuchofuku, or "air-conditioned clothing" in Japanese, says sales for his clothes have increased 10-fold. Phones at his office haven't stopped ringing.
"People ask me, why would I want to wear a jacket when it's so hot," Ichigaya, a former Sony engineer, said. "I tell them, because it's cooler than being naked."
Kuchofuku jackets come equipped with a pair of battery-operated fans on the sides, which draw air in. Ichigaya says the constant breeze running inside the jacket helps evaporate all the sweat and creates a personal cooling system in the process. The goal is not to lower temperatures outside the body but expand the body's comfort zone, and eliminate the need for energy-consuming air conditioners, Ichigaya said.
Case in point: at Kuchofuku headquarters in Toda, outside of Tokyo, a thermometer shows the room temperature clocking in at a stuffy 88 degrees, with 59 percent humidity. Yet workers sit at their desks wearing Kuchofuku jackets without a bead of sweat in sight, the hum from the fans echoing in the background.
Kuchofuku first launched in 2004, after a trip to Southeast Asia inspired Ichigaya to come up with more energy-efficient alternatives to traditional air conditioners.
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