In 2007, a Canada-based advertising agency introduced a watch coat for homeless people to mark the 15th anniversary of the company’s establishment. They named the coat "15 Below". The garment is fitted with multiple large inside pockets, stuffing old newspapers into which alone creates, according to the agency, an extraordinary thermal effect. In 2008, such eminent celebrities as Michael Caine, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Plant, R.E.M., Isabella Rossellini, and MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte among others cooperated by hand-signing a number of coats to be auctioned off at eBay. The proceeds, along with 3,000 "15 Below" coats, will be donated to the Salvation Army and other charity organizations supporting the homeless.

 

The coat is water-, wind- and timeproof. It is light and can be folded for use as a pillow. It is even equipped with a beard cover and water-resistant zippers. In Canada, where temperatures can drop to below minus 30 degrees Centigrade, the coat will surely protect many people from freezing to death. It is a truly outstanding, well thought-out undertaking, and one of the few heartwarming projects last year that deserve undivided applause. Nevertheless, there is one little problem. The concept, and even the coat itself, has existed a long time before "15 Below". I'm talking about designer Tsumura Kosuke’s brainchild, Final Home.

 

Tsumura introduced Final Home in 1992, the year in which - oddly enough - also the Canadian advertising agency saw the light of day. At a time when he was still working for Issey Miyake Inc., Tsumura unveiled his own watch coat for the first time in a joint fashion show at the legendary Club Yellow. In '94 the product was commercialized, and displayed as a work of art at the Sezon Museum of Modern Art. It went on to attract public attention in both fashion and art circles, at the Paris and Tokyo Collections as well as the Venice and Shanghai Biennales. Needless to mention, it became the staple item of Tsumura’s brand, and was sold as one product with an unshakable presence all over Asia, Europe and America (including Canada). Tsumura explains on his website as follows.

 

Nylon coat came about from me pondering this question. Its concept is 'a cloth which can be adapted according to need'. For example, to protect against the cold, you can put newspapers in the pockets, or if you equip it with survival rations and a medical kit, it becomes a valuable cloth when taking refuge. The name 'FINAL HOME' was first given to this particular garment, and then it became their brand name — it equates to the idea of it being the 'ultimate shelter'.

(taken from the introduction on the English language part of the website)

 

In terms of initial idea, realization and finished product, both Final Home and "15 Below" are virtually identical. While the mention of "disasters and wars" (in the original Japanese version of the above) suggests the former as a project based on a slightly broader vision, by focusing on homeless people that are directly facing the fear of freezing to death, the latter has to be valued for its specialization. Indeed, it’s the latter that is "commendable" in respect to the real-life effect of rescuing people. About ten years ago, Tsumura attended an Asia-Pacific symposium on design-related issues in - guess - Toronto, Canada, offered Final Home product in a silent auction, and donated the proceeds. However, as his proposal to distribute items to refugees after being shown at art exhibitions in the early '90s was turned down by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the reason that "they can't be distributed pervasively," he had to settle for donating the items to medical staff in specific regions only. In this sense, the result is definitely poor compared to the 3,000 distributed "15 Below" coats.

 

Be that as it may, I phoned Tsumura to ask how he is seeing the circumstances. He told me that he didn't know about it until early February, when a friend asked him in an email, "That’s not Final Home, is it?"

 

"The fact that my idea went around the world and ultimately proved helpful is a desirable thing. However, I'm not sure what to think in terms of the moral aspect. My patent expired last year, so as far as that is concerned it’s okay, but I wonder if it’s also okay to come out with something that’s so similar in its quality as a visual expression. It’s not only a question of rights, but also a question of creative work in general."

 

Although in different dimensions, a comparable problem we had in fact also with ART iT magazine, when we found out that the design of a new Chinese-English bilingual contemporary art magazine launched in China last year is appallingly close to that of ART iT. The layout on the table of contents is an exact carbon copy of ours. Art director Sato Naoki took it easy and commented that "being copied is an honor or sorts", but regarding that same "question of creative work," I really wonder what the editors and designers are thinking. For us, the imitated, that’s "okay", but I'd really like to know what the imitators are thinking about "creative work"…

 

Now back to Final Home and 15 Below. Personally, by the nature of the subject, I hope that it doesn't end up in a legal battle. Considering Tsumura’s character (that isn't much different from Sato’s), I don't think it will. If it’s for the cause of homeless and refugee people, the question who came up with the idea first is a rather insignificant issue.

 

However, no matter how small it may be, the problem is not "inexistent". Regardless of the benevolent intention, there exists a clear "creative" etiquette that commands respect toward pioneering work. Putting aside the question whether it was deliberate theft or a misstep made out of ignorance (although the result is shameful in either case), several English language news websites and personal blogs keep pointing out that "Final Home was there first," so some kind of apology to Tsumura is certainly the least thing we should expect. The large gesture of rescuing one man doesn't justify the small act of disregarding another.