A-POC ABLE and JAXA Weave Antarctica into Jeans: Two Shapes Arrive in Japan November 1
TYPE-XVII JAXA project uses observations from the SHIKISAI satellite as the starting point for a jacquard landscape of ice and deep blue sea. Wide and straight cuts have separate prices and three announced Japanese stockists.
Look closely at these jeans and the pattern begins with Earth observation rather than conventional fading. A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE’s TYPE-XVII JAXA project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency develops new trousers from Antarctic imagery captured by the climate-observation satellite SHIKISAI.
The collection is scheduled for November 1 at three designated Japanese locations, in wide and straight silhouettes with four sizes each. The wide version is ¥99,000 and the straight version ¥93,500. Image source, textile construction and shape are three ways to understand the collaboration; satellite data in a design does not give clothing the functions of space equipment.
Ice and sea become a textile image
The design uses the contrast between broad white Antarctic ice and deep blue sea visible through its cracks. Detail images show that the pale areas are not uniform, instead carrying small lines, shapes and tonal changes. Dark areas pass between them, allowing the legs to suggest a landscape at different scales. This is imagery translated through clothing design, rather than every line being an unprocessed scientific map.
The brand integrates the imagery into a single piece of fabric through its jacquard technique, then forms the jeans. That process explains more than simply saying a pattern resembles Antarctica: JAXA’s Earth-observation imagery provides a starting point, while the clothing team decides how it becomes a wearable textile and silhouette. This does not establish climate-monitoring functions or a proven environmental benefit for the garment.
TYPE-XVII JAXA project lettering inside a waistband and jacquard details
Wide and straight cuts give the imagery different space
The wide-cut look pairs a dark blue top with patterned trousers, concentrating attention on the white and blue surface below. The legs retain volume towards the hem and partly cover the shoes, giving the image a broader area in which to unfold. This is an example of proportion; the actual relationship between length, waist and footwear still depends on sizing and a fitting.
The straight silhouette is more contained, carrying the pattern downward along the legs. With plain dark tops used for both looks, the difference rests more clearly in leg width and pattern area than in extra accessories. Choosing between them can begin with familiar top lengths, shoe shapes and movement preferences, followed by a size-chart comparison rather than guessing from a model photograph.
A dark top with straight jeans in white-and-blue Antarctic patterns
Project lettering at the waist and three Japanese stockists
A close-up shows TYPE-XVII JAXA project inside the waistband, with pockets, buttons and the normal trouser structure outside. The name and observational pattern explain a design source, not a functional certification. To keep the pattern prominent, the published styling suggests starting with a plain top, then deciding how much of the waistband it should cover.
The announced Japanese release is November 1 at A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE / AOYAMA, A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE / KYOTO and ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA / 442. Four sizes for each cut do not guarantee identical stock at every location. Prices refer to Japanese sales information; other markets, taxes and shipping require separate confirmation. A collaboration announcement is not evidence of simultaneous worldwide availability.
Questions and answers
Where does the Antarctic pattern come from?
It starts with Antarctic images captured by JAXA’s SHIKISAI climate-observation satellite, translated by the brand into jacquard fabric.
Which shapes and Japanese prices are announced?
Wide jeans are ¥99,000 and straight jeans ¥93,500, with four sizes each. Actual sizing and stock depend on the retailer.
When and where will they be sold?
November 1 is the announced date for A-POC ABLE’s Aoyama and Kyoto locations and ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA / 442.
