Veilance’s continued dedication to minimalist, tech-focused design has inspired a generation of enthusiastic followers. We caught up with the Veilance Creative Director, Taka Kasuga, to discuss his own inspirations and the future of the brand.

Q & A

What were some of your earliest interests in design and fashion? Do they still influence you now?

I knew that I wanted to become a designer at an early age in my teens. Although I was young I always felt like I knew where I wanted to go, and could best express my ideas through drawing and design.

How did you come to the role of Creative Director for Veilance, what prior projects/experiences prepared you for the role?

After graduating from Fashion Design at Bunka College, I worked at CDG under Junya Watanabe, starting in sample making and pattern making. At CDG, I came to a realization that people are inclined to dress in an ultimate utilitarian purpose (ie. jeans were invented for mining, t-shirts came out of the military). At that time CDG was just starting to partner with utilitarian brands like The North Face and Levis, and I wanted to be part of the next thing after t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, which I grew up in. This led me to New York where I spent ten years before moving to Vancouver.

Veilance is an icon of the technical outerwear space, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed to the landscape of this market over the past 10+ years?

Performance = comfort. Once people experience it, there’s no way back. A little over ten years ago, it was us, ACRONYM, and Stone Island who were the core of the performance wear space. In ten years, there are more brands who have entered this space, or traditional houses who’ve leveraged collaborations with sport brands to produce something more technical. Ultimately I think it’s a natural evolution and it makes sense – if you have one article of clothing, and then another that looks equally as good but performs better, which would you choose? People are naturally adopting more functional wear because now you don’t have to worry about being uncomfortable; you can just focus on what you’re passionate about doing in life.

Interest in menswear seems to be exponentially increasing every year. Where do you see Veilance existing within that?

Veilance has always been a result of a modern day uniform meets advanced technical design derived from outdoor engineering. Ultimately our goal is to provide personal freedom, without being constrained by environments and circumstances. We’re continuing to innovate with new designs, but the purpose should always tie back to that.

What are some new or exciting pieces of this fall collection that we can look forward to?

A new piece I’m excited about this season is the Monitor IS SL Coat. It’s our iconic Monitor silhouette made with Gore-Tex’s Shakedry, which is the lightest and most breathable technology to date. We’ve also made this piece with a soft and light Coreloft insulation in contrast to keep the overall material package breathable.

What are some contemporary brands/creatives/companies that you’re interested in/inspired by right now?

Apple and Arc’teryx!