Inserts:

00:03 Report / Patrick Fok
00:32 BRAD MURRAY / AUSTRALIAN TOURIST
00:51 HIROYASU FURUYA / STORE MANAGER
01:20 YUSHI ANIMOTO / SALES EXECUTIVE KUCHOFUKU
02:29 KOYUMI YOKOKAWA / THE LOFT CO. LTD
02:46 KOYUMI YOKOKAWA / THE LOFT CO. LTD

SCRIPT:

They require a little bit of assembly.

But ohed, you’re good to go.

These battery powered vests - called Kuchofuko - are designed to beat Japan’s brutal summer heat.

Many visitors to the country are snapping them up.

“That’s nice. You can really feel that breeze coming through. That’s golden.”

0:32 BRAD MURRAY, AUSTRALIAN TOURIST

“It’s definitely got my attention, it’s something we don’t have at home, and the weather we get at home, you can get 35 degrees days with stinking humidity, what are you wearing?” 

This Tokyo store specialising in professional workwear,  says sales of Kuchofuko have been so strong it now accounts for 70 percent of the business.

0:51 HIROYASU FURUYA, STORE MANAGER

“We have customers visiting us from all over the world throughout the year; whilst sales do dip slightly in winter, our climate-controlled clothing sells well all year round.”

The vests were originally designed for people in construction and other heavy duty work.

But they’re catching on quickly among mass market consumers.

The company behind the original design says it’s opened up some unexpected tie-ups.

1:19 YUSHI ANIMOTO, SALES EXECUTIVE KUCHOFUKU

“Yeah we’ve been collaborating with fashion brands and we have domestic brands in Japan but we’ve been collaborating with international brands also.
We have so many types of Kuchofuku now, like for sports gear, even daily casual wear can be turned into Kuchofuku.”

Demand is surging as temperatures climb.

Record-breaking heatwaves have prompted Japan's meteorological agency to introduce a new category for blistering conditions:

It’s called Kokushobi - or cruel heat.

According to research firm Dataintelo, the global market for fan-power clothing is expected to hit nearly $8 billion by 2034, up from just over $3 billion last year.

But it’s only part of a much larger segment of cooling devices in Japan…

including portable fans, neck coolers… and other innovations like this spray -

2:27 KOYUMI YOKOKAWA, THE LOFT CO. LTD

“If you’d like, you can use this hand towel, for example, to make some ice. You can use this to cool down.”

Retailers like this say their innovations have become less about comfort -- and more about necessity.

2:47 KOYUMI YOKOKAWA, THE LOFT CO. LTD

“The number of days when temperatures exceed 35 degrees has risen significantly, and it’s now so hot that you really do risk collapsing if you don’t take precautions against the heat during the day, so these cooling products have also come a long way.”

The business of staying cool, it seems, is just heating up.