PACE

PACE: Brazilian-Okinawan Design in Motion

In 2017, Felipe Matayoshi launched PACE with a focus on handmade footwear. The debut collection, Surface, was small — just sneakers and a handful of leather goods — but it carried the DNA that would define the brand: a deep respect for craft, a commitment to function, and a point of view shaped by his Brazilian upbringing and Okinawan heritage.

The evolution came quickly. By May 2018, a capsule of ready-to-wear designed to complement the footwear sold out in less than two weeks. That moment shifted PACE from a footwear brand to a full-scale lifestyle label. Today, the brand’s scope spans ready-to-wear, accessories, sportswear, store design, and even hospitality.

Matayoshi’s design language is rooted in the collision of cultural memory and industrial precision. Steel cables and aluminum rivets, now brand signatures, speak to a love of functional detail, while silhouettes carry both futurist tailoring and nostalgic familiarity. Each collection reflects the multiple geographies of his identity: Brazil, Japan, Okinawa, and the cities that shaped him.

Over the years, PACE has built a global presence, stocked by Dover Street Market, Nubian, Arkive Studios, and other influential retailers. Collaborations with New Balance, ASICS, Akila, Budweiser, Nissan, and Spotify have expanded its reach without diluting its core codes. In 2024, the brand opened its first flagship store in São Paulo, housing both the retail space and Café PACE, a cultural hub featuring rotating exhibitions from Nippo-Brazilian artists.

For Matayoshi, the brand is more than a collection of products. It is a living ecosystem. Below, he speaks with 713 Magazine about the origins, philosophies, and future of PACE.

The brand launched in 2017 with sneakers and quickly evolved into lifestyle. What was the pivot point in your mindset to embrace apparel, accessories, store design, and community programming?

It was something that came both naturally and out of necessity for us. When we debuted our first collection, Surface, in December 2017, it focused solely on footwear and a small selection of leather goods. We needed clothing that would complement the footwear properly, which led to the idea of creating a capsule collection. When we released it in May 2018, nearly everything sold out within two weeks. That moment marked a turning point because we decided to pivot the business and evolve into a lifestyle brand, with ready-to-wear collections as our main focus and footwear and accessories as complementary elements.

As for store design and community programming, it took us almost eight years to fully bring our vision to life. Starting in 2021, we hosted an annual pop-up shop each December in São Paulo. Rather than investing in traditional marketing or runway shows, we chose to focus on our customers. From there, the desire to open a flagship store became deeply rooted within our team. In 2023, we finally found the right space and took the leap to design it ourselves, carefully considering every detail to reflect the brand’s core pillars. In a special way, our community felt that intention and wholeheartedly embraced our home.

How do you translate that dual heritage into a consistent visual and sensory brand language?

This dual heritage is my story. It defines who I am and what I have experienced throughout my life. Every conflict I have faced, every moment of doubt about my identity, whether navigating my Brazilian upbringing with Italian and Portuguese roots, or embracing my Japanese and Okinawan heritage, has shaped both me and the brand.

With that in mind, I try to translate and share these experiences with others who may be going through something similar. We do this through design that honors our roots and through campaigns that carry this message forward. In essence, we translate this package of emotions into our design ecosystem.

What was your vision for turning a store into a cultural locus, and what does success look like in that context?

We envisioned every detail that could shape PACE into a fully immersive physical experience, from the pieces in the collection to the furniture design and the architecture itself. Music plays a vital role as well. We have a vintage Italian speaker from the 1970s, and as a drummer myself, sound has become a key pillar of PACE.

We also created Café PACE, a brand under our umbrella, where people can enjoy high-quality coffee, find a space to work, connect, or take in the current exhibition. Every month, we feature a Nippo-Brazilian artist whose work is showcased in the integrated café space on the first floor. By weaving all these elements together, the community naturally gathers and brings the space to life. In the end, we are simply the canvas.

What is the strategy or philosophy behind branching into sub-brands? Are they extensions of the original vision, or do they each represent something new entirely?

PACE is our main line, but each label allows us to explore a different facet of our identity. As creative director, my taste, studies, and life experiences are reflected in every detail across the brand. Now, as we approach eight years, I feel the PACE main line is finally becoming what I envisioned from the beginning. I have changed a lot over the past two years, and that personal evolution is directly shaping the brand. Moving forward, PACE will expand with more freedom, leaning deeper into music and Brazilian-Okinawan design. We are building this main character with strong, grounded roots.

DT2 PACE is our sportswear line, a space to experiment with technical fabrics and forward-thinking design. It allows us to explore different silhouettes using variations of the same materials, with many new pieces in the pipeline.

Café PACE invites people to experience Japanese cuisine in a warm, everyday way. It is a kind of fusion: Okinawan culinary traditions combined with Japanese staples and a touch of Brazilian flavor, like our pão de queijo.

Solehunter is my personal custom upcycling project, focused on giving new life to pre-loved pieces through thoughtful design. Each label expands the PACE universe while staying true to its core values, but this one is more of a passion project.

Why did you gravitate toward tiger iconography? What does the tiger represent within PACE’s evolving mythos?

It is not actually a tiger. It is called a Shisa, which is a kind of lion-dog hybrid. It is a deeply respected figure in Okinawan culture, symbolizing protection, respect, and family for the home. We placed our Shisas at the main entrance of our flagship store to honor our roots and to make our customers feel the energy of being protected and welcomed, like stepping into a familiar home.

What constraints are you most proud to have overcome, and how do they shape your creative process?

I am incredibly proud of our journey as a brand and of the team we are building. Neither my wife, who is also my business partner, nor I come from wealthy backgrounds. Every step we have taken has been built with our own hard work, persistence, and dedication. Looking back at where we started, and seeing where we are headed, fuels us. It gives us even more strength to keep going, because we want more. One thing we have learned along the way is that with honest, consistent work, no matter how long it takes, the results will come.

Do you see PACE’s detailed design approach as storytelling? How do you balance subtle complexity and visual simplicity?

Especially in the early days of the brand, we developed strong design codes that became part of our identity. Two of these have evolved into true PACE signatures.

The first is our steel cable, a removable piece that appears in about 90 percent of our collections. The idea was to offer our customers a functional element they could take off and repurpose, like a keychain or accessory. But over time, something interesting happened. Our community chose to keep it on, wearing it proudly as a symbol. Since 2018, that steel cable has become our most recognizable signature, so much so that people can spot a PACE piece even without a visible logo.

The second is our aluminum signature rivet, which has a funny origin. Our good friend Criolo, a respected Brazilian musician, once visited our office before a concert. He mentioned that his steel cable was on the back of his jacket, and no one could tell it was PACE. That stuck with me. I remembered a special aluminum hardware we once used on a moccasin, originally made in Germany. In 2019, we revisited that design and created our own version, custom-made in São Paulo, to place on the front of our garments, making the detail visible and iconic.

We took that even further. The hangers and door handles in our flagship store use the exact same design as the aluminum rivet. These elements are a key part of our storytelling. We pay close attention to detail, but in a way that feels natural and never overwhelming. It is all part of an industrial design ecosystem, subtle, functional, and deeply considered, woven into our garments through textures, materials, and utility.

Which channel is hardest to master, and which has most surprised you creatively?

This year, PACE turns eight. Having opened our first flagship store less than a year ago, we are still learning how to master the physical space and translate our strong, proven online strategy into it. So far, the results have pleasantly surprised us and we are excited about what is ahead.

How do you calibrate the tension between futurism and home?

Each collection weaves personal, intimate, and nostalgic elements to evoke a sense of home without sacrificing innovation. At the same time, the complexity in every garment drives us to keep pushing boundaries and evolving in the market. In our flagship store, this contrast comes to life. The space is minimalistic and visually clean, with sleek steel furniture, while the fitting rooms offer a warm, comforting atmosphere inspired by a traditional Japanese home, featuring natural wood, soft lighting, and tatami flooring.

Another example is in the PACE main line. Home means you can find a classic tailored fit with a slightly rebellious cut, or a good pair of jeans with a special pattern. On the other hand, our customers can appreciate futuristic fabrics and technical innovation in the PACE DT2 sportswear line, which is rooted in performance but experiments with new pattern variations to create unexpected silhouettes.

Looking ahead: what is the next frontier for PACE? What scares you, and what excites you?

With our Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Yugen Rust, which we just presented in Paris last month, we are entering a new era for PACE, one that feels more evolved and more aligned with the direction we envisioned for the brand.

We are also focused on expanding global awareness, which means exploring new collaborations, reaching new markets, and venturing into categories we have not explored before. We are always excited to take on new challenges. They scare us, but at the same time, they motivate us to keep moving forward.

You have spoken about identity in terms of lineage, culture, and geography, but what does identity feel like when you are designing alone in a room? Who are you designing for in that moment?

I am creating for myself. I am building an integrated ecosystem that relates to and reflects certain things, products, and environments I feel are missing in the world. As for the products themselves, they come naturally and are shaped by my experiences, my background, and everything that surrounds me.

In the very beginning of PACE, I was designing for the version of myself at 27 or 28 years old. At that time, I did not have money, so I tried to create shoes and garments that I could not afford. Those products reflected that period of my life.

From a creative perspective, if you asked me whether I am proud of those early pieces today, maybe not so much. But they were part of my journey and part of the life process. From an entrepreneurial perspective, I am very proud of what that phase taught me.

Nowadays, I feel more aware of what PACE is becoming. But everything in life is a process, and each phase has taught me something that informs how and where I invest my energy into PACE today.

In the end, I am still creating for myself, and if people connect with that, they support the brand. At the same time, I keep my eyes and ears open to them. If they say something about the products, I listen and apply it to improve and evolve future versions.

You have built an ecosystem where every object has intention, even hangers, rivets, and speakers. What is something in your process that people never see, but holds the entire structure together?

The songs I listen to have a huge influence on the mood, the way the product comes to fruition, and even aspects of the photo shoots. I do not share my playlists, though sometimes people might hear a song or two at the flagship. It is something I plan to share in the near future.

There are also many emotional triggers when I come across something that speaks to me in a certain way, whether it is a lyric, a poem, or even the people I see in the streets, who influence me a lot.

Café PACE, DT2, Solehunter — they all explore different modes of life. If PACE was a person, where would they be at this point in their life story?

From a creative perspective, there are many surfaces you can touch. They represent different modes of life, but in a way, they are all connected, and they tend to make sense when you look back. As we approach eight years on this journey, I would say we are just now finishing our coming-of-age. There is still so much to learn, but a lot of experience has already been gained and shared along the way.

PACE is not just a brand. It is a Matayoshi family product rooted in Brazilian-Okinawan design.

For more from Felipe and the world of PACE, follow Felipe and Pace on Instagram.