Up for sale here is a jacket from Mountain Research, one of those cult labels that doesn’t get the exposure it deserves outside of Japan. Mountain Research is a line of “….. Research”, designed by Setsumasa Kobayashi, and started in 2007. Before …… Research, Kobayashi was the designer for a label called General Research, also very much a cult label in Japanese streetwear, a peer of Undercover, Bathing Ape and the like. General Research ran from 1993 to 2006. After that Kobayashi wanted to branch out into various types of clothing, hence the ….. Research label.
….. Research actually encompasses several labels, depending on where Kobayashi decides to focus. The longest running is Mountain Research. Other branches with intermittent releases have included Naval Research, Prisoner Research, War Field Wear Research, Horse Blanket Research, etc., etc.
With Mountain Research you essentially have the combination of a very forward-thinking punk aesthetic with more traditional outdoor wear. Kobayashi and Mountain Research have a lot of similarities with Undercover actually, where they’ve both got a pretty strong punk influence that they often apply. The idea here is to tweak classic outdoors wear to a more modern fit, often with interesting details and quality materials.
This jacket comes from the spring-summer 2011 collection. It is called the “A.M. jacket” (or “anarcho mountaineers”) as you can see on the label. Silhouette is based on the classic mountain parka, although it has all kinds of details added in. There have been several iterations of this jacket produced over the years, usually in different fabrics. This version has the distinction of being 100% cotton (they usually use a cotton/nylon blend). All cotton makes the jacket quite a bit more breathable, although it still has a nice weight to it. You can easily layer under it, but on its own I would consider this a good fall/spring jacket.
Lots of details here as well. Basically, Mountain Research have completely customized the mountain parka. Body is black, while the left sleeve is a nicely contrasting red. Front has snap button closure hidden in a storm flap, which is meant to keep out wind and rain, while underneath is a large double zip closure in black. Neck has an additional storm flap with a Mountain Research logo tag in red. There are five exterior pockets, two on the chest, two at the bottom, and one on the left sleeve. Right sleeve has a black-on-black print saying “only anarchists live with mountains”. Cuffs have “….. Research” branded snaps and are adjustable. Hood has a built-in visor and toggles for adjusting the fit. Interior has additional pocket storage with more branding. There are also adjusters all around to ensure an ideal fit.
This is one of those jackets that has been given a huge amount of consideration and really has all the details exactly in place. Mountain Research have made a few iterations of this jacket, but this edition is a personal favorite. It is now long gone as well. Retail was about $550 in Japan but get it here much more reasonably.
Size is labeled a small and fits a bit relaxed. It could also work for a slim medium. I measure the chest at 22.5”, shoulders at about 19”, length at 27.5” from the base of the neck, and sleeves at about 23” from the shoulder. The jacket comes in lightly used, very good shape with no holes, tears, or stains. Made in Japan.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $30.