Platinum Safety Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment Design · 2026
Air Sync Microclimate Wear
- A' Design Award 2026 Platinum Winner in Safety Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Fashion Curating Studio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 901,163
- Verification code C63B64D9A2 · Verify this award
About Air Sync Microclimate Wear
Air Sync is a garment developed in response to increasing heat related risks affecting cities and outdoor work environments. The design organizes airflow within the internal structure of clothing to support localized thermal comfort while maintaining a stable external form. Internal airflow pathways guide cooling air toward thermally sensitive areas of the human body. This structure enables adaptation across a wide range of applications from formal wear to medical uniforms, supporting both everyday use and specialized professional environments.
Air Sync Microclimate Wear by Yuta Ishikawa represents a compelling intersection of protective functionality and contemporary fashion design, positioned within the broader discourse of technical apparel that seeks to harmonize human physiological needs with aesthetic sophistication. This award-winning ensemble appears to engage with traditions of performance wear design while pushing beyond conventional athletic aesthetics into territories that suggest both urban utility and futuristic vision. The compositional presentation, featuring a solitary figure against an atmospheric void bisected by a striking luminous diagonal, evokes the theatrical staging conventions of high fashion editorials while maintaining the clarity and focus essential for technical product communication. The designer seems to approach protective clothing not merely as functional necessity but as an opportunity for material exploration and volumetric expression, evident in the considered interplay between the structured, voluminous upper garment and the streamlined lower elements. The chromatic restraint, operating almost exclusively within cool neutral territories, suggests an understanding of how color temperature can communicate technological sophistication and professional credibility. Technical merit is evident throughout in the precision of construction details, the thoughtful articulation of pocket systems suggesting practical utility, and the apparent quality of material selection demonstrating both weather-protective capabilities and comfortable wearability. The high collar design evokes protective sheltering while the layered approach allows for microclimate management through modular adaptation. One might observe how the dynamic quality introduced by the model's wind-caught hair humanizes what could otherwise read as purely technical presentation, suggesting that this protective system enhances rather than constrains natural movement and human vitality. The work invites consideration of how contemporary protective apparel might serve not merely utilitarian needs but also express identity, professional capability, and aesthetic sensibility, asking viewers to contemplate the evolving relationship between human vulnerability and technological protection in contemporary life.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Air Sync enables effective cooling without relying on high airflow output. A narrowed intake accelerates incoming air through a patented Venturi effect while a sun shielded intake structure draws air cooler than the surrounding environment. Adjustable front and rear exhaust zippers regulate internal pressure airflow volume and velocity allowing precise control of perceived temperature through structural airflow management. The design explores clothing as personal climate infrastructure for work urban life and everyday environments.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The garment shell utilizes Toray Dermizax membrane fabric providing waterproof performance of 20000 mm together with wind protection and breathable comfort. The internal structure incorporates a three layer composite of nylon polyurethane film and tricot. Laminated textile engineering and precision pattern construction maintain stable internal airflow channels designed to guide air toward thermally sensitive zones of the human body.
- Tags
- Smart Wearable, Cooling Garment, Wearable Technology, Microclimate Clothing, Venturi Airflow, Patented Technology, Dermizax Fabric, Techwear Innovation
- Production Technology
- The cooling mechanism is engineered as an integrated airflow system combining calibrated Venturi outlets branching tunnel channels and internal guide fins. Airflow is directed toward axillary carotid and central back zones rather than dispersed randomly. Outlet apertures re accelerate air to enhance arterial cooling efficiency. Laminated composite textiles and precision pattern engineering maintain stable internal airflow geometry during movement.
- Design Challenge
- A key challenge was addressing the structural instability common in conventional air cooled garments where internal air pressure causes inflation that restricts movement and alters the garment silhouette. Increasing social demand for protection against heat exposure required a solution suitable for everyday wear. The project introduced a patented method of anchoring non stretch airflow tunnels to the garment framework establishing a stable internal airflow architecture that maintains cooling performance during movement and wind exposure.
- Project Duration
- September 1 2024 to February 5 2026 Tokyo Japan
- Operation Flow
- The wearer connects the fan unit and power module and puts on the garment like regular outerwear. Air enters through the back intake and moves through internal paths toward areas where the body releases more heat such as the neck and underarm. Front and rear ventilation zippers allow the user to adjust airflow while moving. This airflow circulation helps regulate body temperature and supports comfort and safety during work in hot environments.
- Research
- This project is an applied design research on wearable cooling systems. The objective was to improve cooling efficiency while reducing battery consumption. The study combined thermal physiology and airflow design. Airflow behavior was tested through prototype garments using airflow measurement and thermal observation tools. Experiments evaluated cooling performance around key arterial zones. Results showed 180 percent higher localized airflow and 150 to 200 percent improvement in battery efficiency. The findings suggest a practical approach for improving comfort and safety in hot environments.
- Inspiration
- Air Sync is a wearable microclimate system developed in response to increasing heat related risks affecting cities and outdoor work. In Japan more than eighty thousand people are transported for heatstroke each year. The garment integrates airflow engineering structural ventilation pathways and ergonomic garment construction that guide cooling air toward thermally sensitive areas of the body. The design reframes clothing as personal climate infrastructure supporting thermal regulation mobility and safety in urban work and daily life.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Mai Touse, Air Sync Tailored Cool, 2026.
Image #2: Photographer Yuichi Matsuki, Air Sync Type 1, 2026.
Image #3: Photographer Yuichi Matsuki, Air Sync Type 2, 2026.
Image #4: Photographer Yuichi Matsuki, Air Sync Type 3, 2026.
Image #5: Photographer Yuichi Matsuki, Air Sync Type Clear, 2026. - Patents
- Patent No. 7814074.
Colors of Air Sync Microclimate Wear
Design Interview about Air Sync Microclimate Wear
The fusion of fluid dynamics ("Venturi effect") and tailoring perfection ("OSAMARI”).
Eradicating the bug of existing cooling clothes, which inflate clumsily.
To fully integrate it with "Uniform OS," a software that collects and analyzes data, expanding it as a SaaS business.
It took about two years of making hundreds of prototypes and filing the patents.
Personal inspiration. I wanted to beautifully save frontline workers suffering from extreme heat.
We plan to sign licensing agreements with companies possessing massive infrastructure to deploy it globally at once.
Because I wanted to destroy the current status quo where "safety" and "beauty" are a trade-off.
James Dyson's fluid dynamics engineering.
All professionals working under extreme heat, and the corporate executives responsible for their lives.
The hybrid of an "uninflated silhouette" via patented structure .
"AIR SYNC." It means that air and technology perfectly synchronize with the human body.
iPad, CAD, and a sewing machine that saw countless failed attempts.
Constructing airflow tunnels inside the clothing that generate the "Venturi effect.”
Brilliant patent attorneys, data scientists, and the ultimate designers in my studio.
The heart that elevates apparel from mere fabric into a "device that protects lives.”
Yes. It is based on the analysis of biometric data and thermodynamics through joint research with institutions like AIST.
Breaking through the physical wall where increasing fan power for "cooling" caused the clothes to "inflate clumsily.”
To prove that our invention is not just a utility item, but a "world-class beauty.”
I learned that by thoroughly aligning with the "pain of the frontline," design can evolve from art into infrastructure.
Look forward to seeing a Japanese samurai walk the red carpet in Italy.