Two coats our staff pick for spring: the natural charm that blends into the spring air.

Spring has finally arrived. I love this fleeting air that can only be felt now, with its warm sunshine and lingering chill.

Today, I'd like to introduce two spring coats worth wearing in this season, from the perspective of someone who actually uses them. Both coats make the most of a different kind of "natural," and both blend beautifully into this season of blooming cherry blossoms, rapeseed fields, and budding plants.

1、Onivegi Nylon Hooded Coat　／　2、Natural Dyed Linen Wool Collarless Light Coat

The first is the "Onivegi Nylon Hooded Coat."

The "natural" quality that suits nature so well here lies in the dyeing method.

Sakura-iro (cherry blossom pink), moegi-iro (yellow-green), fuji-iro (wisteria purple)—many of Japan's traditional colors take their names from plants and flowers. The fact that these colors are still remembered and cherished today suggests that, both now and in the past, we have always longed for the colors of nature.

What makes this coat interesting is that it uses a plant-based pigment dye on a durable nylon fabric meant to last for years.

・Since it's a coat for spring, I want it to be soft and lightweight.

・When it warms up during the day, I want to be able to take it off easily and not have it take up space.

・I'd also like a bit of water resistance.

・I want it to keep its like-new look for a long time.

This nylon spring coat answers all of these wishes.

However, nylon is generally said to be difficult to dye with natural materials, making it extremely challenging to achieve the texture of plant dyeing on nylon fabric.

Still, after research aimed at bringing out natural colors while preserving the benefits of nylon, the dyes chosen to color the nylon fabric were onion skins, figs, and ai (Japanese indigo).

Onion skin is a classic material used in plant dyeing, known for transforming natural cotton into beautiful shades of yellow or orange. The resulting color is both soft and vivid, sometimes uneven, and altogether very natural.

The color of this spring coat was born by combining quercetin extracted from onion skins as a base with the colors of fig and indigo.

▲There are two colors available, and this one is a beige made using fig pigment. It's a soft beige that hints subtly at a depth of pink.

【Owner's Review】

This "natural" coloring, combined with the durable nylon fabric, makes for a piece that's perfect for spring outings.

This time, we interviewed a staff member who actually wears this coat about how it feels to wear.

Staff Member M (regular user):

I was looking for a spring coat, but stiff materials like trench coats tend to make my shoulders stiff, so I'm not a fan of those—I wanted something softer. When I tried on a sample of this coat, there were three points that made me think, "This is it!"

1. It's soft yet has enough body to create a beautiful A-line silhouette

2. It's roomy and comfortable around the shoulders and arms, yet narrows slightly toward the cuffs so it doesn't feel baggy

3. It's thin and lightweight, so if you get warm and take it off while out, it's not a hassle to carry

These three points have remained my favorite features ever since that first impression, so I'd love for people to actually try it on and feel it for themselves. Personally, I also love that it has a hood, and that it makes the most of the crispness and three-dimensional shape that only nylon can offer.

Staff Member M (regular user):

The material comes first, I think. I love that it has enough body to hold its shape nicely, and it also makes me happy to think of it as fabric dyed with natural pigment made from figs.

It's an outer layer, but when folded neatly it becomes surprisingly compact and even fits in a backpack. When I went on an overseas trip, I hesitated but decided to bring it along, and it turned out to be the right call. It was perfect for that tricky kind of weather where "you don't need a jacket during the day, but mornings and evenings are a bit chilly," so I plan to bring it on future trips as well. It's also so versatile that it's become my go-to light outerwear for both spring and autumn.

Staff Member M (regular user):

Not at all! Nylon usually brings to mind something thin that makes a rustling sound, but if you didn't know, you'd think it was a crisp cotton fabric—it has such a natural feel and matte texture. (It's not slippery or shiny at all.)

It keeps all the good qualities of nylon—lightweight, durable, and slightly water-resistant—while adding a cotton-like look and feel, making it a very easy material to wear and care for.

Staff M, who loves this item:

On warm days, I think I wear it from March through the rainy season in June. In fall, it's from late October to early December or so.

On days with light rain, or when it looks like it might rain, I wear this as my outer layer. Since it repels water a little, I sometimes use it in place of a raincoat.

I often wear it with denim pants, and it goes especially well with wide-leg pants. My go-to shoes with it are Dr. Martens loafers. I almost never close the front buttons—just tossing it on loosely looks cool.

Staff M, who loves this item:

I've been wearing it for a year now, and so far there's been no change. I imagine that with more wear, it might start to show some signs of use, but for now there's no color change or fuzzing, and it still looks clean and neat.

>>You can find the product page here. It comes in beige and navy.

The second item is the Natural Dye Linen Wool No-Collar Light Coat.

The "natural" quality that suits nature so well here comes from the fabric processing.

A light coat made with linen and wool.

Both are certainly natural materials, but some of you may think, "Isn't this a combination you often see?" The reason this fabric is so special lies in the painstaking dyeing process carried out by Japanese artisans.

Generally speaking, dyeing means putting stress on the material. If done carelessly, it can spoil the natural texture the original material had.

For the fabric of this spring coat, however, no time or effort is spared—each bolt of cloth is dyed with great care and affection, bringing out the material's distinctive texture and color in a beautiful, natural finish.

This careful work comes from the character of dye artisans who have long carried on Japan's traditional craft of making tenugui (hand towels), furoshiki (wrapping cloths), and the like. They handle the fabric directly as they work on it, keeping mechanical tension, pressure, and chemicals to the bare minimum—resulting in a finish that lets you truly feel the character of the natural materials.

The soft, relaxed drape of the linen and the plush feel of the wool strike a wonderful balance—together they bring not just a light, airy look but also real warmth.

▲You can tell how soft it is just by looking at it.

【Try-On Review】

Here too, we asked a staff member who is actually considering buying it about how it feels to wear.

Staff H:

Above all, it's the "lightness."

I suffer badly from stiff shoulders, so heavy coats or coats with decoration around the neck don't work well for me—in winter I get by with a light down jacket. Because of this, I always thought, "Spring trench coats are so cute, I wish I could wear one," but could never quite bring myself to buy one…. I'd been vaguely hoping to someday find a coat that felt clean around the neck but still had that trench-coat kind of elegance.

This coat has exactly the design and wearing comfort that satisfies those particular wishes of mine, while also including wool for warmth—which makes me happy. What's even better is that it's so comfortable I almost forget I'm wearing it. The fabric is thin and easy to move in, so there's no discomfort at all even when sitting down while wearing it—I feel like I could wear it comfortably all day long.

▲156cm

This might be a very small detail, but I also liked how easy the buttons are to do and undo. Thanks to the larger buttons and perfectly sized buttonholes, they slide smoothly in and out—which is not only convenient when putting the coat on, but also makes it easy to hang on a hanger.

Staff H:

This is just my personal opinion, but unless you have sensitive skin and are wearing it directly against your bare skin, I don't think you'd feel any itchiness from the material at all.

I say this because I personally have sensitive skin and can't wear wool knit as an inner layer, but when I wore this coat as an outer layer, I didn't feel any itchiness whatsoever—which made me curious about how it would feel against bare skin, so I tried touching it directly to check.

Some wool fabrics are simply unbearable, but this one is at a level where it really doesn't bother me at all—so if you're someone who regularly wears wool knit as an inner layer, I doubt you'd feel much itchiness even wearing this over a short-sleeve shirt.

Staff H:

In spring, from around March to June, and in fall, from around October to early DecemberI think you'll be able to wear it comfortably. Thanks to the crisp texture of linen and the moisture-absorbing quality of wool, you should be able to wear it right up until the point where the heat makes you sweat. It's thin and very lightweight, so I think it would also work well as protection against air conditioning during the height of summer.

Since it's collarless, it's easy to wrap a stole or something similar around your neck, making it perfect for staying warm as well.

>>Click here for the product page. The colors are beige and a brownish charcoal.

▼Click here for the product page