i’m not talking about the belted center seam waxed cargos, that have come to represent S2W8’s tenkara lifestyle. i’m talking about the literally-named 1P Cycle Pant - N/Pu Taffeta. it’s pretty generous to call these full-fledged pants, because they’re really just a pair of loose-fitting tights. and you didn’t know you needed loose-fitting tights until you’ve tried them on.
it’s performance wear that hides all the performance technology, which actually makes it more wearable and versatile. and if you know nepenthes for EG and it’s american heritage-inspired workwear, or needles and it’s marriage of hippie and punk culture, you been missing out. under the radar, nepenthes has been excelling in this category of stripped-down performance gear, putting out pieces sporadically, without notice, through sub labels like needles sportswear, that’ll mysteriously show up in their stores. it’s less hunting, as it is opportunistic foraging when it comes to these pieces.
while the name might suggest a lot, there isn’t much to these pants. a tapered, cropped leg. a zip coin pocket on the right hip. a logo on the left ankle (that conveniently peels off after a cycle or two in the wash). oh, and some drawstrings. that’s it. so it’s not about the features. it’s all about the material. that nylon/polyurethane blended taffeta is like a synthetic barely there elastic second-skin, just thick enough so you don’t feel naked. cut any slimmer, and it might just reveal too much.
in the summer, these are my go to pants to rock under a tunic shirt, a linen robe, whatever. in the winter, these work great as some long johns under some worsted wool trousers. and year round, they’re my go to gear for workouts and runs. all in all they’ve become an essential staple. and like a sadistic fiend who makes it a habit of turning hard-to-get items into wardrobe staples, i scoured all the japanese stockists online and bought out their inventories in a size L.
i speak extensively about the 1P Cycle Pant - N/Pu Taffeta, because you gotta know the past to understand the present. the cycle pant is the foundation, and S2W8 really figured out that the synthetic blend was lightweight and elastic but also durable. for a pair of flimsy looking pants, they’ve stood up to a lot of wear.
so the stage is set for the next evolution. and all they did was reference their own designs, and fitted their mainstay trainer pant, with it’s slightly more forgiving cut, standard side pockets and cuffed ankles with the N/Pu taffeta. what you have is a more pant-like cycle pant, that retains all the predecessor’s function. the more polyester on the standard trainer pant is a bit too spongy for my taste. the woodland camo is a nice touch, but i’m ready for them to drop these in a more subtle palette that would keep these in a heavier rotation.
tl;dr
as a day one EG/nepenthes evangelist, i don’t know why it took me this long to get on S2W8. i’ve been seeing S2W8’s tracksuits - the tamer cousin to the flamboyant needles variety - hanging on the racks in the subterranean dungeon of the minami-aoyama flagship. and the tenkara parkas seem untouched from the day i first laid eyes on them. it all seemed too niche. fishing gear in the city? it’s not practical. the name didn’t roll off the tongue. and it didn’t carry the same caché that the other nepenthes labels seemed to have begun to build at the time. but here i am, 3 seasons since dipping my toes into the river that is S2W8 - looking like a fisherman out of water - and all it took were some pants.