What inspired your journey into fashion design and the creation of your brand?

As a child, I was shy and found it difficult to express myself. Watching my mother create clothes from a single piece of fabric with her sewing machine felt like magic to me and sparked my interest in making things. I naturally pursued a career as a pattern maker and later founded my brand with the desire to give my grandmother’s kimono a new life as clothing that reflected my own style. Clothing is an important tool that allows me to express myself freely. Giving new life to inherited kimono and passing them on to the next generation is the foundation of my creative work.

How does your background as a pattern maker influence your designs?

My experience as a children’s clothing pattern maker allows me to apply my technical skills and ideas to kimono, creating new value from traditional Japanese culture.

What can people expect from your collection?

The collection is inspired by the traditional Japanese toy “kamifusen” (paper balloon). Just as a single sheet of paper transforms into a three-dimensional form when air is blown into it, a flat kimono is reborn as free, three-dimensional fashion through new ideas and pattern making.

What story or message does the collection convey?

What matters most to me is not the kimono itself, but the feelings and memories it carries. I want to carry respect for Japan’s beautiful textiles and the craftsmanship of its artisans into the future.

Does your brand incorporate sustainable practices?

My work begins by giving new life to kimono that are no longer often worn and have remained unused. My approach to sustainability is to revive inherited kimono as contemporary fashion and carry their value into the future.