Air Conditioning Clothing

What Air Conditioning Clothing does

Air Conditioning Clothing Co., Ltd. (株式会社空調服, Kuchofuku) is a Tokyo-based, founder-controlled Japanese firm that since 2004 has designed, manufactured, and sold fan-equipped wearable cooling garments. The company operates the Physiological Cooler platform — battery-driven fans that circulate air through garments to accelerate sweat evaporation — paired with proprietary Super Spacer 3D mesh fabric and the ICHIGAYA Module separation-membrane technology. Its product surface spans workwear (vests, jackets, coveralls, helmets, face shields) and lifestyle items (cooling beds, cushions, backpacks), organized across sub-brands including Kuchofuku, Erefan, Thermal Gear, Kucho Bed, Kucho Ruck, Kucho Helmet, Kucho Pants, JUST COOL, FREEZE TECH, and ICHIGAYA Module.

The firm monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on its own site plus Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, and Amazon Japan, alongside a B2B portal and trade-show distribution targeting Japanese construction, electrical-contracting (notably co-development with Kandenko Co., Ltd.), logistics, agriculture, and consumer outdoor segments. Brand collaborations with STAR WARS/Lucasfilm, Ultraman, and Kawasaki Frontale extend licensing-led merchandising, while the ICHIGAYA Module sub-brand is being expanded beyond apparel into CO2 capture and industrial separation-membrane applications. Corporate activity in early 2026 — an absorption-type merger, founder succession to Ichigaya Toru as president with Ichigaya Hiroshi as chairman — signals active restructuring around a mature, horizontally diversified Japanese hardware-and-textile business.

Name

Air Conditioning Clothing

Legal name

株式会社空調服

Website

https://9229.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Conditioning Clothing (Kuchofuku) is a Japanese firm that designs, manufactures, and sells battery-powered, fan-integrated wearable cooling garments and accessories. It serves construction, electrical, logistics, agricultural, and consumer outdoor customers through D2C e-commerce and B2B channels in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (4581)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Outerwear & Technical Apparel (CRAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cleanroom & Controlled-Environment Apparel (CRAAALAG), Outerwear & Cold-Weather Apparel Manufacturers (CRAAAAAI), Sports & Outdoor Accessories Manufacturing (Performance Gloves/Headwear) (IMAOAFAI)

Keywords

• Fan-equipped cooling workwear
• Wearable cooling apparel
• Heat stress protective clothing
• Battery-powered cooling vests
• Industrial workwear cooling systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Air-conditioned apparel and accessories hardware sales: Primary revenue stream from the sale of air-conditioned clothing (vests, jackets, coveralls, shorts, long pants), fans, batteries, cables, and optional accessories. Products are sold as individual components (wear-only, fan-only, battery-only) or as bundled starter kits. Customers can purchase separately or as complete sets. This is a one-time hardware purchase model with consumable/optional accessory repurchase potential.
2. Super Spacer lifestyle products: Revenue from related lifestyle products using the Super Spacer technology: air-conditioned beds (KBTS03), cool cushions (KC1000B), cool packs/backpacks (KRKS02), portable seat coolers (DZCS01/DZCS02), air-cooled cushions, and air-conditioned helmets (HMAC02). These are standalone consumer comfort products sold through the same e-commerce channels.
3. Custom/OEM product development: Revenue from co-development of custom air-conditioned apparel with enterprise customers. The company offers original product development with color customization, logo printing, pocket repositioning, and name tag space creation. Joint development examples include products like NO5732 with Kandenko.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Air Conditioning Clothing Co., Ltd. (株式会社空調服) designs, manufactures, and sells fan-powered wearable cooling apparel and accessories under the Kuchofuku® brand, using the patented Physiological Cooler (生理クーラー®) principle to draw ambient air through garments via battery-powered fans and accelerate sweat evaporation. The product ecosystem includes air-conditioned vests, jackets, coveralls, and full-harness compatible workwear, paired with interchangeable fans, batteries, and cables, plus lifestyle products such as air-conditioned beds, backpacks, helmets, face shields, seat coolers, and cool cushions. The company sells directly to industrial buyers (construction, logistics, electrical, agriculture) and individual consumers via e-commerce, marketplaces, B2B partner portal, and trade shows, and accepts OEM/custom co-development engagements.

Product overview

株式会社空調服 (Air Conditioning Clothing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese wearable cooling technology company and the pioneer of fan-integrated cooling clothing (空惴服®). The core product is a wearable air conditioning system utilizing the body's natural sweat evaporation mechanism (生理クーラー®理論). The product portfolio includes: (1) Core 空惴服® wearable cooling clothing in various forms (vests, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, coveralls, full-harness compatible); (2) Supporting devices including fans (FA25112/25V, FA24112/waterproof, FA23112/18V, FA01012), batteries (BT25211/25V, BT23221/Bluetooth, BT23211, BTSP1), cables, and controllers; (3) Specialty sub-brands including エレファン® (upper-mounted fan), サーマルギア® (thermal gear for winter), 空調ベッド® (air conditioning bed), 空調リュック® (backpack cooler), 空調ヘルメット® (helmet cooler), 空調フェイスシールド® (face shield), クールクッション (car seat cushion), and どこでも座・クール® (portable seat cooler); (4) High-visibility safety apparel and disposable work clothing lines; (5) JUST COOL™ mist cooling and ICHIGAYAモジュール separation membrane technology. Products are sold individually or as starter kits bundling all necessary components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 空调服® (Kuchofuku): Core brand for wearable cooling garments with built-in fans
• エレファン® (Erefan)
• サーマルギア® (Thermal Gear)
• 空调ベッド® (Kuchofuku Bed)
• 空调リュック® (Kuchofuku Backpack)
• 空调ヘルメット® (Air Conditioning Helmet)
• 空调ズボン® (Kuchofuku Pants)
• 空调つなぎ服® (Kuchofuku Coverall)
• 空调フェイスシールド® (Air Face Shield)
• 生理クーラー® (Seiri Cooler)
• どこにでも座・クール® (Doko Demo Suwaru Cool)
• ICHIGAYA MODULE
• FREEZE TECH® (フリーズテック)
• JUST COOL™
• FAN FIT 空調服®

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately ¥55/month electricity cost for daily use (8 hours/charge, BTSP1 battery)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• 株式会社関電工 (Kandenko Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKandenko Co., Ltd., a major Japanese electrical construction company, collaborated with Kuchofuku on joint development of the NO5732 air-conditioned work jacket. This co-developed product targets extreme summer working conditions in the electrical construction industry, addressing heat stroke prevention and labor environment improvement. The product features a 100% cotton high-density broadcloth material and is designed for comfort during electrical work.
• 東レ (Toray Industries, Inc.)supportingTechnology or IntegrationToray's 'エコディア PET (EcoDia PET)' material is used in Kuchofuku products such as KU92350 and KU92354. This material supports Kuchofuku's sustainability messaging while providing breathable, water-repellent fabric for daily office-compatible designs.
• 川崎フロンターレ (Kawasaki Frontale)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerA special 30th anniversary edition air-conditioned clothing line was developed in collaboration with Kawasaki Frontale, a J-League professional soccer team. The product combines team-themed design with Kuchofuku's cooling technology, targeting both fans and athletes.
• STAR WARS / マンダロリアン (Lucasfilm/Disney)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerKuchofuku partnered with the STAR WARS franchise (under license from Lucasfilm/Disney) to release a special summer collaboration collection featuring Darth Vader and Mandalorian-inspired air-conditioned clothing designs.
• ウルトラマン (Ultraman)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerKuchofuku partnered with the Ultraman franchise (a major Japanese SF tokusatsu hero series) to release a special summer collaboration collection, bringing together the iconic hero brand with Kuchofuku's cooling technology.
• 市ヶ谷弘司 (Ichigaya Hiroshi) / ICHIGAYA HIROSHI.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany representative and inventor 市ヶ谷弘司 (Ichigaya Hiroshi), who pioneered the air-conditioned clothing technology, leads the separate ICHIGAYA HIROSHI.com initiative focused on the ICHIGAYA Module separation membrane technology for CO2 reduction and environmental applications. The module represents the company's expansion beyond clothing into environmental technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KURODARUMA (クロダルマ): Established Japanese workwear manufacturer producing fan-cooled and work-functional apparel. Targets the same construction and industrial worker segments as Kuchofuku with overlapping product lines.
• SUN-S (Sun's / サンエス): Major Japanese workwear manufacturer with its own line of fan-equipped cooling clothing, directly competing with Kuchofuku in construction, logistics, and industrial workwear. Most comparable competitor in core product category and target customer base.
• XEBEC (ジーベック): Japanese workwear maker offering air-conditioned/fan-cooled clothing lines for industrial users. Competes with Kuchofuku across B2B enterprise channels and on Japanese e-commerce marketplaces.
• BORDERS (ボーダーズ): Japanese workwear company with fan-cooled apparel offerings, competing directly with Kuchofuku for industrial B2B customers and via Japanese e-commerce channels.
• JIJYODO (自重堂): Japanese workwear manufacturer offering cooling/fan-equipped garments and accessories. Overlaps with Kuchofuku's industrial workwear positioning and B2B sales motion in Japan.
• Attack Base (アタックベース): Japanese workwear maker with a strong fan-equipped cooling clothing lineup serving the same industrial and outdoor worker customer base. Direct competitor in DTC e-commerce and B2B procurement.

Emerging players

• Techniche International: US-based personal cooling technology company producing evaporative and phase-change cooling apparel for industrial, sports, and military customers. Comparable in cooling-technology product approach but focused on North American and military markets.

Broad incumbents

• Workman (ワークマン): Largest Japanese workwear specialty retailer offering private-label and third-party cooling workwear at scale. A broader incumbent with overlapping shelf space but a wider apparel assortment and physical store footprint.
• Makita (マキタ): Japanese power tool and cordless equipment maker that has expanded into jobsite fans and cordless cooling/wearable solutions using its LXT battery platform. A broader incumbent leveraging battery ecosystem economics adjacent to Kuchofuku's strategy.
• Mizuno (ミズノ): Global Japanese sportswear brand with cooling technologies and performance apparel lines. Broader incumbent offering overlap in performance/technical apparel, but cooling apparel is not its core focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/9229COOL
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_LoZ3hm4Pyr8lhZX6Gf-cg
• Facebookfacebook.com/9229COOL
• Instagraminstagram.com/9229.co.jp

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Conditioning Clothing