FINAL HOME was Kosuke Tsumura’s Japanese storage-garment project, commercially launched in 1994.
Its adaptable nylon coats turned the space between shell and lining into portable storage. MoMA’s 1994 parka had 44 pockets for necessities, newspaper insulation or optional cushions, while other documented coats had more than 40.
A-net manufactured and operated the original label. Its retail business ended in 2015, after which Tsumura continued FINAL HOME as an independent project rather than reviving the former commercial label.
History
Its adaptable nylon coats turned the space between shell and lining into portable storage. MoMA’s 1994 parka had 44 pockets for necessities, newspaper insulation or optional cushions, while other documented coats had more than 40.
History
A-net manufactured and operated the original label. Its retail business ended in 2015, after which Tsumura continued FINAL HOME as an independent project rather than reviving the former commercial label.
Significance
The project challenged the boundary between fashion and survival equipment, proposing that clothing could provide storage, insulation and a degree of preparedness when conventional shelter was unavailable. Tsumura connected the design to the vulnerability of people displaced by disaster, war or unemployment.
Its importance was demonstrated through the garment's adaptability: newspapers could provide insulation, compartments could carry essentials, and the wearer could change its contents according to circumstance. Recognition by MoMA and the Kyoto Costume Institute, alongside the 2013 Kanazawa exhibition, established its place in design history.
From Concept to Collection
- Tsumura’s official biography dates the storage-jacket concept to 1992; Musashino Art University associates FINAL HOME with a presentation that year.
- FINAL HOME was commercially established through A-net in 1994 and appeared in the Paris and Tokyo collections during its launch year.
- Musashino Art University records a FINAL HOME-related appearance at London Fashion Week in 1997.
Documented Coats and Construction
- MoMA’s 1994 parka, object 182.2006, has 44 pockets intended for supplies, newspaper insulation or optional cushions that could also adjust its fit.
- The Kyoto Costume Institute records a 1994 nylon coat, inventory numbers AC9420 and 1997-2, with more than 40 pockets.
- Tsumura described the usable space between the outer fabric and lining as storage for items including newspapers, emergency food and medical kits.
Exhibition, Closure and Continuation
- The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa presented Philosophical Fashion 1: FINAL HOME from 12 January to 30 June 2013.
- The commercial FINAL HOME business ended in 2015; Tsumura’s later activity continued as an independent project rather than a revival of the original retail label.
- Tsumura proposed that used coats might be collected through volunteer organisations and passed to homeless people, but this was an intended route rather than a documented continuous programme.
Key facts
**Region:** Japan; France; United Kingdom; United States; Luxembourg
**Associated With:** Kosuke Tsumura - designer; A-net, Inc. - manufacturer and commercial operator
**Defining Feature:** Adaptable storage compartments between the outer shell and lining
**Status:** Discontinued - commercial business ended in 2015; Tsumura continued the idea independently
Region
Japan; France; United Kingdom; United States; Luxembourg
Associated With
Kosuke Tsumura - designer; A-net, Inc. - manufacturer and commercial operator
Defining Feature
Adaptable storage compartments between the outer shell and lining
Status
Discontinued - commercial business ended in 2015; Tsumura continued the idea independently
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Caption
A coat imagined as a last home. Kosuke Tsumura designed FINAL HOME so its pockets could be filled with newspaper for warmth or used to carry essentials.
