[What makes us YUEN] A staff blog that delves into things that no one else has explored. "What exactly is this festival that YUEN is so keen on?"
Hello, I'm Hasegawa, an EST support staff member.
It's been hot every day, how are you all doing? This summer, the temperature has risen much faster than usual, and it seems like there are very few cicadas. It's true that at this time of year, you can hear their buzzing, which can be quite loud, but it also seems quieter than usual. Apparently, even cicadas fail to emerge when it's too hot. It makes you wonder just how hot it is.
Summer means festivals, and festivals mean summer. The music festivals we at YUEN highly recommend are now being held all over Japan, with new festivals emerging every year and becoming a major part of the culture. I don't listen to much music myself, but I love festivals, and I enjoy participating in festivals through YUEN.
However, the festival
"I'll be walking around all day, so I want comfortable shoes, but I don't want to give up on fashion."
"I'm worried about sudden rain..."
Many people struggle with choosing footwear, but as YUEN is a brand that provides festival fashion to our customers, we thought it would be important to first learn and think more about festivals in order to give our customers the best experience possible.
What exactly is a festival? Can't we just have a live performance? Some people may wonder how it's different, while others may enthusiastically say that festivals are great for this reason. Let's take a deeper look.
▼ The origin of festivals is "Let's have fun freely!"
Festivals originally began as an outdoor jazz concert called the Newport Jazz Festival in the 1960s, and in 1969 the legendary Woodstock Festival was held, which is still talked about today. Woodstock was so popular at the time that it was made into a movie, and it is still talked about among music lovers today. From there, it spread to Fuji Rock and other festivals, and has become established in Japan.
It is said that all of these countercultures were born out of the chaotic historical background and sense of stagnation in America in the 1960s. The 1960s is considered a time when a whole lot of crazy things happened in America, including the prolonged Vietnam War, the increasingly obvious environmental destruction, questions about the era in which racial discrimination was commonplace, the spread of anti-war movements, environmental activism, and the civil rights movement. There were many things that are now commonplace but were difficult to talk about in the 1960s, but young people worked together,
"We are free! Let's express our opinions!"
A movement to express this idea became popular. As part of this movement, artists would write songs about peace and freedom, freely select artists to perform in large venues, and get excited. This kind of freedom was embraced by the young people living in those days, and music festivals have continued to develop to the present day.
There has always been a sense of stagnation and dissatisfaction in every era, but it is precisely at times like these that music festivals, as if to say, "Let's have fun freely!", are places where people can enjoy themselves freely and express themselves, and perhaps they will always be in demand, even as times change.
▼ Characteristics of music festivals. What are the essential differences between them and live concerts?
Unlike concerts and live shows, festivals have several unique features.
- Vast grounds and venue
- Multiple stages and performers
- Free atmosphere
- Non-music content
This is a big difference from concerts and live shows. In a huge venue or area, you can freely choose from a large number of artists based on your mood and preferences. What's more, you can even eat and shop without listening to music. YUEN has actually set up shop at festivals many times, and you can eat, drink, and buy sneakers while listening to music... It's hard to imagine something like this happening outside of festivals.
In any case, I think that the defining feature of festivals is this "freedom and variety of choices."
Here is a list of festival events that YUEN has participated in in the past.
Summary of past events | Record of encounters that YUEN STORE has had
It is said that the reason outdoor activities and leisure activities have become popular since the COVID-19 pandemic is because of the sense of freedom they provide, and music festivals may be one of those reasons.
Hasegawa has experience selling at various stores, facilities, and events, but serving customers at a festival is completely different from serving customers at a store. There may be alcohol involved, but everyone seems to be having fun, and the items that sell are completely different. When people shop at a normal store, they think seriously about what to buy.
"Is this product really worth spending this much money on?"
"What about cost performance and practicality?"
Think about various things.
However, shopping at festivals is more about practicality and cost-effectiveness.
"A product that allows you to enjoy the moment"
I feel like customers really value that. Basic colors like black and navy blue are generally easy to coordinate and highly practical, so naturally they tend to be bestsellers, but at festivals, the overwhelmingly most popular are bright colors. Yellow, pink, orange, and other energetic colors. Also, people wear the things they buy right away. You don't usually do that when you're shopping.
To make the most of this moment, I shop for products that give me a sense of freedom and liberation.
If the best part of a festival is the sense of freedom and freedom of choice, then what exactly is the optimal styling? This is a very important question we at YUEN are currently considering. We have written extensively about sneaker selection in other articles, but we want to find the optimal solution for YUEN. We want to propose the best buy to our customers. That's what we want to do.
▼ If we compare sneakers to cars, can we see the optimal solution for festivals?
We often refer to cars as "feet," because, as the name suggests, they are vehicles that move you like your feet, and I think the same can be said for shoes. Cars and sneakers are both tools for getting around, but that doesn't mean that anything is good enough just for getting around.
If you're going to a fancy restaurant, you might want a sedan, or if you're going on a fancy date, you might want a sports car. There are certain occasions where a car suits you best, depending on the time, place, and occasion.
So what kind of car do you take to festivals? What are the most popular?
The most popular vehicle is the so-called SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). The SUV trend has continued not only at festivals but also since the COVID-19 pandemic.
SUVs have excellent off-road performance, can carry luggage, and are highly functional. Originally designed as vehicles for outdoor activities, they have chunky tires, large bodies, and sturdy frames. While cool, SUVs from a generation ago were too large and unsuitable for Japan, and had other weaknesses, such as poor fuel economy. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in disasters has increased, as has interest in leisure and the outdoors. Instead of simply being big and bulky SUVs, many crossover SUVs have appeared that are more fuel-efficient, easier to drive around town, and more stylish, tailored to Japan. As expected, the demands of the market continue to evolve.
In short, this is a "versatile vehicle that can be used in any situation."
We at YUEN suggest that the perfect sneakers for festivals are exactly like these SUVs. If you were to translate the appeal of an SUV into sneakers, it would look like this.
- Rough road performance → Waterproof and tough enough to handle sudden rain and mud
- Comfortable ride → Cushioning that won't tire you out even if you walk around all day
- Designed for city riding → Fashionable enough to go with any outfit
You can wear shoes that are comfortable all day long without worrying about the weather or ground conditions, and they're also stylish. Isn't this exactly what you want for a festival? The PARKLIFE shoes that we introduced in a previous blog post are one such shoe.
Staff Blog | Recommended Guests "PARKLIFE"
▼ For a free-spirited festival, wear sneakers that let you feel free.
The appeal of music festivals is freedom. That's why we believe that your feet should also be "free." At YUEN, we offer a wide range of SUV-style sneakers that will give you freedom and are suitable for a variety of occasions.
It's not easy to have multiple cars or switch between them depending on the location, but sneakers are easy to enjoy. Come find your "perfect companion" to enjoy this year's festivals to the fullest.
