HUMAN MADE Inc. is expanding its universe with the launch of Buffer, a new brand helmed by Tetsu Nishiyama. Founded by NIGO, the Tokyo-based company behind some of Japan’s most culturally significant creative projects taps one of streetwear’s most influential minds to lead the charge. That name may ring a bell to some. Nishiyama is the mind that gave us WTAPS back in 1996, and has spent the better part of four decades quietly shaping what Tokyo street culture looks and feels like.
Buffer isn’t trying to be loud about it, though. The whole concept lives where the old passes something real to the new. The brand’s name says it all: a buffer, like the space you actually need to slow down and take something in, especially when the rest of the world is moving too fast to notice anything worth keeping.
The mascot, Buffy, sets the tone perfectly. A pink rabbit dressed like a wizard, staff in hand, ready to lead anyone curious enough to follow. Nishiyama has cited Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a long-standing reference point, and that energy is fully present here. Art director Yuji Kamiyama brought Buffy to life, and the character carries the brand’s identity with this low-key charm that feels both nostalgic and completely fresh.
The debut collection keeps things deliberately simple. Four graphic tees, the Buffer Logo, Buffy, Buffer Kana, and Tagline styles, all priced at ¥6,600 yen, which is roughly $41 USD, are available in white and black, ranging from S through 2XL. Alongside the tees, souvenir goods round out the first drop: checkered socks, button badges, BIC lighters stamped with the Buffer wordmark, pins and more.
The brick-and-mortar experience is just as considered. The Buffer Store opens April 25th in Jinnan, Shibuya, and it’s not just a retail space. The store will have sections curated by the Jinbocho-based used bookstore Magnif, who offer old Vogue and i-D magazines, and by the Nakameguro-based cassette tape shop Waltz. Culture you can hear, read, and wear, all under one roof.
Then there’s Buffer_Delta, an installation space in Jingumae that doesn’t sell anything. It’s purely a place for the Buffer worldview to breathe, hosting exhibitions and functioning as a creative hub with no transactional pressure attached.
HUMAN MADE Inc.’s bigger vision here ties back to its “Cultivate Culture” ethos, positioning Buffer as part of Japan’s next wave of creative exports. The first collection drops Saturday, April 25th at Buffer Store and on buffering.jp (10am JST). Check out their first collection below.
Buffer – The First Collection
Release Date: April 25, 2026
