Draw the new standard.

The MULTI WAFFLE series has shifted from cycling wear to a lifestyle collection aimed at everyday wear under the theme “Always Better.

Hisayuki Hiranuma, an illustrator, was in charge of the symbolic graphics.

Here, we will get a closer look at Mr. Hiranuma's creative point of view and the secret story behind his graphic production.

＜CONTENTS.＞

・The origin of creation that is not bound by categories.
・narifuri and the gaze towards everyday life.
・Drawing on the ever-changing standard.

Hisayuki Hiranuma originally built his career as a PR person at an apparel company while continuing to draw illustrations as a hobby. He later became a freelance illustrator, and is currently active as an illustrator with a pop and cynical style. As he says, “I like to cross strange feelings.” The uniqueness of Mr. Hiranuma's work, which creates fresh meanings from unexpected combinations, is his quintessential quality.

However, he did not expect to be able to make a living as an illustrator alone from the beginning. When he was 30 years old, Mr. Hiranuma quit the company he had been working for and started his own business. At first, he says, “I was thinking of doing freelance PR work and painting half and half at the same time. But then I thought, “That's not good enough.

I thought, “If I were the one asking for a job, I would want to ask someone who is only doing drawing,” and he began to concentrate on “drawing. For Mr. Hiranuma, who has been doodling on the backs of flyers since he was a child, creating outside the box may be a very natural stance to take.

Based on the concept that one's daily behavior creates one's body language (style), narifuri has been pursuing “cycle wear that looks good on the street” since its inception. By combining fashion, function, and design, narifuri has been proposing the “joy of riding a bicycle” not only to cyclists but also to the general public. The “MULTI WAFFLE” series, in particular, is a revolutionary product that overturned the conventional wisdom of thermal materials being heavy and hard to dry, and has been loved ever since its debut in 2020.

From the 2025 spring/summer season, the brand will shift to a new lifestyle collection aimed at everyday wear under the theme of “Always Better. Mr. Hiranuma was one of those who were attracted to narifuri's innovative wear.

“I've been digging cycle culture brands since I was young,” he says. “Narifuri is cool, but it was a bit expensive for me at the time (laughs),” he recalls, but he has been paying attention to narifuri products for a long time.

He added, “There is a somewhat high-tech image, and many of the colorings are easy to fit in with the city. I have always thought of narifuri as a brand that is particular about its products.” He shares narifuri's stance of pursuing functionality.

Mr. Hiranuma also says of his own production activities, “I try to include some kind of idea that will serve as a hook for communication,” and he has been incorporating innovations that are close to our daily lives into his works. The attitude of narifuri, which derives from bicycles and broadens its perspective to include all aspects of lifestyle, has something in common with Mr. Hiranuma's production style.

The graphics that Mr. Hiranuma drew for narifuri's MULTI WAFFLE series this time show his point of view without regret.

Incidentally, the preliminary order for the production was super simple and flexible: “I want you to draw a picture with this waffle. In addition, “I think the background of the brand is bicycles, but this time they wanted us to focus on waffles rather than bicycles, so I thought waffles were the way to go (laugh),” he said. (laugh).” Early on in the production process, the image of focusing on the ‘waffle’ dough itself was firmly established.

By the way, people involved in fashion are familiar with the word “waffle,” but the general public may not have a clue what a waffle is. “Waffle” is familiar to those involved in fashion, but to the general public, it may not be so obvious. Therefore, Mr. Hiranuma has created a stylish visual as a supplement.

When the general public asks, 'Why waffles? I put such a playful mindset into it so that when the general public asks, 'Why waffles?' I can explain to them that 'No, the unevenness of this fabric makes it look like a waffle,'” he says.

He says that he had several graphic ideas in mind, and one was to hang a fabric sample and put the words “Always Better. In the end, however, they decided that it would be more interesting to visually convey why waffles are waffles in the first place, and settled on the current proposal.

During the production process, the existence of Nike's famous “Waffle Racer” sneaker also came to mind, and I thought, “If that sneaker can be waffle = so-and-so, why not make MULTI WAFFLE waffle = so-and-so? With this idea in mind, we aimed to create an impact that would not be outdone by the existing image.

The completed graphics also reflect Mr. Hiranuma's own view of the “standard. The only standard items that will always remain the same are tools. I want things like tape and pen ink to be supplied all the time, but if things around me don't change, I don't think I will change either. So I think it's more fun if things like clothes and things for fun are gradually updated.

Continuous change is evolution, and the “MULTI WAFFLE” series, which continues to give change to the standard, embodies Mr. Hiranuma's idea of the “ever-changing standard.

Original sticker present campaign commemorating Hisayuki Hiranuma's artwork has started. For details, please click here.

He specializes in cynical expressions influenced by movies and pop culture, and his clients include fashion brands such as MOUNTAIN RESEARCH, 100A led by martial artist Kaoru Uno, Keiji Muto, Matsuzakaya Department Store, Isetan, CLARKS, LOFT, UNIQLO, SONYMUSIC, HOUYHNHNM, and many other clients and activities. He has started silkscreen workshops using his newly drawn illustrations, and is now appearing and disappearing in various places in Japan. In addition to his illustrations, he has been presenting “dizzy” works created from his own experiences in exhibitions and other venues.

Instagram：@hiranuma_hisayuki

Photo：Ryo Yamamoto (81BASTARDS)
Text：Jun Nakada