Stool Pants -- are they pants for pooing or perching? Stool Pants is the witty name given to shorts which enable the wearer to sit down anywhere in comfort. They are plastic pants with an inflatable behind. Anyone who has suffered "rigor mortis" in the lower body after a dinner on tatami mats will understand the need for a pair. Ready-to-wear furniture, chairs where there are no seats, wet suits for tables and the Thalidomide Chair, are all part of "Future Interiors," an exhibition of contemporary design on show at Gallery Speak For. Seven designers from around the world show their latest examples of innovative thinking and design problem solving.

Wandering along the fashion conscious streets of Daikanyama, where Gallery Speak For is hidden under a shoe and fashion outlet, one tends to forget that clothing has/had a practical purpose -- warmth and protection. ixi designs, the designers of the Stool Pants, break the traditional fashion mold and take an innovative look at what we wear and why. Their designs add further function to fashion when they combine it with furniture. Truly ergonomic, to ease our loads anywhere, anytime. (http://www2.neweb.ne.jp/wd/ixilab)