Hiroshi Fujiwara Renews His Partnership With MAMMUT for Life-Saving Gear | Interviews

A first look at the design details fragment has brought to the new Barryvox S2 avalanche beacon.

Hiroshi Fujiwara’s fragment design has teamed up with Swiss outdoor brand MAMMUT once again.

When the two brands first collaborated in 2023, the centerpiece wasn’t a jacket or a bag. It was the Barryvox—an avalanche beacon used to search for victims buried in the snow. For Fujiwara, who has carried one into the backcountry for years, it is quite literally a lifesaver.

Almost three years later, the new Barryvox S2 FRGMT Edition takes the upgraded Barryvox S2 and coats it in fragment’s signature blue and white. It features a special “FRGMT x MAMMUT” logo and a custom startup animation. The core functionality, however, remains untouched—a deliberate choice to leave perfected safety equipment exactly as it is.

“To me, it doesn’t feel like a second time, but more like a natural extension,” says Fujiwara. What did he add to the new model, and what did he leave alone? And with the environment surrounding snow mountains in flux, how is he approaching the snow himself these days? We caught up with him to follow up on our interview from three years ago.

Hypebeast: It’s been about three years since your last collaboration with MAMMUT. Can you tell us how you came to make another Barryvox?

Hiroshi Fujiwara: To me, it doesn’t really feel like a second time; it’s more like a natural extension. That said, the theme this time is that there’s a new Barryvox out. I’m the type who always wants to upgrade my beacon to the latest model, so it felt like the perfect invitation at the perfect time.

This time, it’s based on the new Barryvox S2.

Apparently it’s lighter, thinner, and supports voice assistance. I haven’t actually used it myself yet, though.

How did you approach the design?

Like last time, changing the color is about all we can do. It’s designed for pure functionality, so it’s not the kind of life-or-death equipment you should be messing around with. Within those limits, I did what I could.

Is there a specific kind of fun in designing a product with such limited touchpoints?

It’s less about the fun of design and more about the fact that it’s something I absolutely use myself in the winter. It’s always a nice feeling to be able to put your own logo on the gear you rely on.

What parts did you intentionally leave alone this time?

The shape, of course, and the button placements. I haven’t changed those, and I don’t think they should be changed. What I did change was the color. I made it blue, which you could say is the color of fragment.

The standard model is mostly black, so the white and blue this time gives it a very different feel. It almost has a bit of a retro video game console vibe.

That’s the white. It has that Nintendo feel (laughs). It does feel nostalgic. But there are regulations—you can’t just make the whole thing pitch black, for instance, because the buttons have to be clearly visible. With white, the blue stands out. There are quite a few rules like that. Making it all black just because it looks stylish isn’t a good idea.

When people think of fragment, they think of blue. Why blue in the first place?

I don’t know (laughs). I liked blue and used it a lot, and then people started asking me to make things blue, so it just sort of became our thing.

Like last time, the “FRGMT x MAMMUT” logo incorporates the mammoth. It’s a bit unusual to see a character in a fragment logo.

But it’s not so much a character as it is their actual logo, right? I think it’s nicer to have the mammoth pop up than just putting the logos next to each other.

MAMMUT hopes to use this collaboration to communicate the importance of avalanche beacons to a wider audience. When did you first use a beacon yourself?

The first time I went to Alaska. That was probably about 30 years ago. We did some training where we hid them deep in the woods and went looking for them. That was the first time I used one, and I realized, “Oh, you really have to know how to use these properly,” so I bought one. I’ve carried one every year since. Most people probably wouldn’t use one unless they’re going into the mountains, but backcountry skiing has become really popular lately, and in places like Niseko, you can’t even get through certain gates without a beacon.

In our interview three years ago, you said that turning on the Barryvox makes you feel a bit of healthy tension. Has that feeling changed?

No, it’s still there. In the morning when you wake up and head out. We test them ourselves, but even after we climb up, the guide checks to make sure everyone’s is turned on. When that happens, you definitely get that feeling of, “Okay, we’re going into the snow mountains.”

Has your relationship with the mountains changed over the last three years?

I might be skiing less often. With global warming, it’s getting harder to hit good snow. The season is shorter, too. So there are times when I go but don’t end up skiing. I still go, and I want to go to the mountains, but if the conditions aren’t good, I don’t ski. I don’t ski run after run every day like I used to; now it’s more about getting a few good runs in a day.

Even so, you still head to the mountains quite often every winter?

If I have the time and there’s snow, I go about once a week. I go to Aomori, I go to Hokkaido. I also go to Niigata a lot. Niigata is easy because you can just decide to drive up the next day. I still go to Seki Onsen, too.

Alongside the release of the Barryvox S2 FRGMT Edition, there will also be an apparel drop featuring hoodies and crewnecks.

Yeah, using the logo. It’s more of a promotional tool to help sell the Barryvox.

By the way, MAMMUT originally started as a rope maker.

I should have made a rope (laughs). If I ever need to use rope for something, I think I’ll ask MAMMUT. I’ll keep that in mind.

The Barryvox S2 FRGMT Edition is scheduled for release on Thursday, October 15, 2026 (88,000 yen). Ahead of the official launch, it will be available for early purchase at the large-scale exhibition event MAMMUT Innovation 2026. Release dates for other regions will be announced later. To coincide with the launch, two apparel pieces supervised by fragment will also be available: a hoodie (20,900 yen) and a crewneck (17,600 yen). For stockists and other details, check the MAMMUT official website. (All prices in text include tax.)

MAMMUT Innovation 2026 Pop-Up Information
Dates: Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, October 4, 2026
Location: MAMMUT Shinjuku (Front Place Minami-Shinjuku 1F, 5-33-6 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Opening Hours:
Thursday, October 1: 11:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Friday, October 2: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, October 3: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Sunday, October 4: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
*For more details, click here.