Ayumu Hirano's Style, Distilled Into a 400-Gram Down Jacket

Ayumu Hirano has long remained at the forefront of professional snowboarding while cultivating a style entirely his own. Now, a new piece born from his years of apparel development with UNIQLO is set to arrive: the Light Down Volume Jacket, launching for Fall/Winter 2026. The design traces its origins to a special competition model developed for Hirano to wear while training and competing. Since appointing him as a global brand ambassador in 2018, UNIQLO has continued to create performance wear alongside the athlete – from Hybrid Down, which strategically combines down and synthetic insulation for warmth and mobility, to lightweight shell jackets engineered to move freely with the body. Hirano’s next request was down. His criteria, however, were simple.

It had to be warm. And above all, it had to be light.

“Heavier pieces can feel really weighty and bulky,” Hirano explains. In competition, where a difference of just tens or hundreds of grams can alter how the body feels, warmth alone is not enough. He also wanted a silhouette that felt less like conventional snowboard gear and more like an extension of his everyday wardrobe. The resulting athlete-exclusive model provided the foundation for the Light Down Volume Jacket, translating that same philosophy into a piece designed for daily life. Available in red, black, olive, purple and navy, the jacket is priced at $129.90 USD (excluding tax).

Despite its voluminous appearance, the jacket weighs approximately 400 grams (measured in a size L) – roughly half the weight of other down jackets in UNIQLO’s lineup. The key lies in a distinctive construction that eliminates down chambers from the back panel and sleeves. By stripping away unnecessary weight, the design delivers a light, comfortable feel while retaining reliable warmth through 750-fill-power down. In Hirano’s words, it is “a down jacket that feels like you’re not wearing outerwear at all.” Its oversized shape and cropped length also reflect the proportions central to his personal style.

Hypebeast Japan photographed Hirano in the Light Down Volume Jacket and sat down with him to discuss the thinking behind its development, the relationship between clothing and performance, and his personal approach to style.

“If you look back at snowboarding’s early days, there were people out there riding in their own clothes and making it look cool.”

Hypebeast: When development began on this down jacket, what were the first things you asked for?

Ayumu Hirano: Until now, I’d mainly worked with UNIQLO on shell jackets. But winter temperatures vary so much from place to place, and I felt we needed a down jacket too. The problem is that conventional down jackets can be heavy and bulky, which makes them difficult to wear in competition or everyday training. So I suggested making one that was as light and easy to move in as possible. I’m also very interested in fashion, and the idea began with wanting to create performance wear in a silhouette closer to what I normally wear. It’s oversized, but the length is cropped, so it still feels light and easy to wear. I paid a lot of attention to those proportions.

Do you actually wear the special model developed by UNIQLO in competition?

Yes. I wore it in competitions last year.

The Light Down Volume Jacket you wore for today’s shoot is the consumer model developed from your original concept. How does it feel to wear?

Because it grew out of something I proposed, wearing it again gives me a sense of reassurance – like, “Yes, this is something I can really stand behind.” I’m involved in every round of development and can be very particular, even about the smallest details. It feels like a down jacket stripped of everything unnecessary. I think anyone who wears it will notice how easy and lightweight it feels.

More specifically, what does “stripping away the unnecessary” mean to you in a down jacket?

It doesn’t have pockets everywhere, and it doesn’t use a lot of colors in a single piece. Visually, it’s very simple. It’s easy to style, lightweight, easy to move in and easy to carry. At the same time, it has a minimal silhouette and still feels fashionable. Even when I snowboard, I don’t necessarily want to throw on what people think of as a typical snowboard jacket. I want to wear something with a silhouette closer to my everyday clothes – something I can wear in the city, then take straight to the mountain for training or competition. From the beginning, I wanted to see if we could make that kind of down jacket.

So, rather than riding in over-engineered gear packed with features, you think it looks better to wear something reduced to the essentials?

I do. If you look back at snowboarding’s early days, there were people out there riding in their own clothes and making it look cool. But as functionality has evolved, I sometimes feel that fashion has been stripped away. Looking at the gear objectively, I’ve often thought, “It may be a good product, but there aren’t many pieces that actually look cool.” That’s something I’ve felt for a long time.

What do you usually prioritize when choosing a down jacket?

The fit and the color. Even within the same color, there are so many different tones. A shape can be good, but the wrong shade can make it look off. That balance is really important to me, so I always try things on and check them in the mirror. Bigger isn’t automatically better, either. I’ve never really liked tight clothing, even when I was young. That may have something to do with growing up around board sports.

What silhouettes do you tend to wear day to day?

They’re generally oversized. I wear wider pants that fall in a straight line from top to bottom. With tops, it’s not just about wearing something big – it has to work with my body. I look for width through the body, a cropped length and the right balance with my pants. The silhouette from the back matters too. In fashion, I think understanding the proportions of your own body is incredibly important.

Does what you wear have a significant effect on your performance?

Definitely. If I’m riding in something that doesn’t feel right for me, it affects me so much that I almost don’t want to ride at all. But when I put on something that feels right, I become more focused and it turns into the excitement of thinking, “I can express myself in this.” When someone photographs me in the air, it feels good knowing I’m wearing something I think looks cool. At competitions, I also get excited about people seeing gear I genuinely believe in. That shift in mindset can probably affect the result, at least to some extent.

Is there anyone who has had a major influence on your personal style?

When I was younger, I looked up to the top snowboarders and sometimes copied them. Over time, though, that faded and I began focusing more on myself. Rather than me versus someone else, it became me versus myself. I also felt more and more strongly that I didn’t want to imitate anyone. Maybe, after continuing along the same path for so long, I started to think that not looking like everyone else might actually be cooler.

You’ve been a UNIQLO global brand ambassador since 2018. How has that relationship evolved over the past eight years?

When I was first chosen as an ambassador, it was a new challenge for me and it felt unfamiliar. But I wanted to keep pursuing what only I could do while continuing to try new things. Because we’ve worked together for so many years, we’ve reached a point where my ideas can be incorporated into designs and apparel like this. I also feel that UNIQLO gives me opportunities I couldn’t have anywhere else, and my appreciation for that grows every year.

Thank you for your time.

Ayumu Hirano
Born November 29, 1998, in Niigata, Japan, Ayumu Hirano began snowboarding and skateboarding at the age of four, displaying exceptional talent from an early age. At 15, he won silver in the men’s halfpipe at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, before earning a second silver at PyeongChang 2018. He competed in men’s park skateboarding at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, becoming an Olympian in both the Summer and Winter Games. At Beijing 2022, he landed a triple cork 1440 to capture his long-awaited gold medal in the men’s halfpipe. He also competed at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing seventh in the same event. Beyond competition, Hirano has established a distinct presence across fashion and culture, making him one of Japan’s most recognizable athletes.

Purple Down Jacket – Wardrobe Credits
Light Down Volume Jacket, Sweat Full-Zip Hoodie, AIRism Cotton Striped T-shirt, Baggy Jeans
Olive Down Jacket – Wardrobe Credits
Light Down Volume Jacket, Oversized Sweatshirt, AIRism Cotton Striped T-shirt, Fleece Jogger Pants
Red Down Jacket – Wardrobe Credits
Light Down Volume Jacket, Souffle Yarn Polo Sweater, Easy Care Soft Shirt | Checked, JWA Straight Jeans

Uniqlo

Light Down Volume Jacket
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