Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work? We see that you have excellent taste and assume that you were involved in this fashion mode-related field. But, please tell us about that as well!

I am often asked that question. But, I don’t know until I remember, “What Happened?” After graduating from high school, I went to the clothing fashion department at a junior college. When I was studying there – – it was a school where I could learn relatively specialized things – – instead of studying quickly at another junior college. If you graduate, as it is, you will not be able to enter the Planning Room or Design Department, even if you enter a clothing company in the second year of junior college. At college, we were able to study in a more professional field, to work in the design department at a (Fashion/Design) mode company. As you know, more than 3 years of learning and studying was necessary to enter into a company and to work in the design department at that time.

-Really!?! We did “not” know that!

Well, we can say “that era” (laughs) at that time. It would be different now. And also, I was really interested and wanted to learn more about the design of fabric patterns and textile designs, too. Then, I wanted to learn a little deeper about designing clothes, so I went to a vocation school after graduating from junior college. At that vocational school, I had to learn the skills and subjects in one year. Most professional schools take 3 years of learning. Therefore, it was really hard for me and I was so busy. There are challenges. I only remember that I wasn’t sleeping at all (laughs). I didn’t do any mode (Fashion-Design Concept) related work, but for some reason I got an invitation from a school representative and became a teacher! I thought that he would recommend a person who graduated from junior college and studied in the teaching profession! (Laughing) … That was really surprising for me!

-Maybe your skills are quite excellent and you stood out that much!

Well, they might think that I needed to train a little more (laughing)! But as it is, I was learning because I wanted to join a mode company (Fashion-Design). So…I was a little worried. But, the school highly recommended me to be a teacher there. I’ve forgotten how it felt at that time, but I finally got into the teaching profession!

– Is it because you originally liked making clothes that you decided to enter a fashion school after graduating high school?

I remember faintly, but it was very popular to make handmade things when I was in high school. I was in the tennis club, at the time, so I remember making covers for the tennis rackets and bags for my tennis wear clothing. I liked making something!

– Since that time, you’ve been making many items by yourself?

Yes.

Q. I like the entire design collection of your works. Especially the combination of the different patterns of fabrics. How do you decide the colors and pattern matching for your items?

Again, there is no such thing as, “I’m gonna do it!” In a sense, there is no answer… I decide with just my inspirations. I often try arranging fabric side by side and decide with “the feeling” that this and this and this match – – so, I haven’t calculated at all (laughing!).

―Is that so?! I think that if the tone of the pattern and the color are different, it may be a little disjointed – – But, all of your works are so cute, even though there are various colors, they become one cohesive work. Your selection of the fabric combination is perfect. So, I was wondering – – How could I adjust it like this?

Thank you so much. I’m so happy – that means a lot! But, after all—I still make mistakes sometimes. There are times when I say, “Oh!” But, I guess that’s because I’m doing it by my feelings.

-So, it’s not like there is a specific foundation for “studying” to match patterns and colors?

No – I don’t think this is the case.

-In other words, it’s like your unique original innate sense. Then I can’t imitate it! (Laughs).

Well… (Laughs) I don’t remember learning “those” colors! In the beginning, it was probably difficult for me to match patterns with patterns. That’s why I probably started by matching colors that matched each other. I think I decided on the basis of the “feeling” – – that if I added even a little solid color, it would tighten up the overall “feeling”. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been doing it over and over again or…if it just happened to be cute! (Laughs). The fabric I used for this collection is called “French General”. This designer—designs— textiles based on antique European fabrics. So the color tones match each other, making it easy to match!

Q. You are very interested in antique fabrics. Could you tell us about the appeal of antique fabrics and how they differ from other fabrics?

The first time I encountered antique fabrics was about 15 years ago, when handcrafting became popular. At that time, a friend of mine happened to be in Europe and was asked to make a bag from a grain sack. (Which, I think was a bag used to store grain or seeds.) I used it to make bags for them! The grain sacks were antique, so they were very dirty at first. So, I wasn’t sure if I could make a “nice” bag out of it – – some of the grain sacks were worn out, and some of them were faded.

But, when I made it – – it turned out to be really nice! He told me that grain sacks are used to store grain, so they are woven at home. That was almost 100 years ago. The lines on the grain sacks are different in color, number and thickness, and there are stencil-like marks on the grain sacks that vary from house to house. I also used it as a pillowcase! Some of them have one point embroidered on them. Initials! They are not embroidered with great care by and embroidery artists, but they are roughly embroidered. They have the perfect nostalgic “feeling” for an antique well-loved fabric!

-That gives us a feeling, in our imagination, of what life was like at that time.

That’s right! So, even though the bags were simple…there were no gussets (or seams), and I just put long handles on ordinary bags. I was able to make some really cute bags!

-Wow, it’s amazing! The charm of the antique fabric, or rather, the stains and abrasions, are included in the creation of that fabric bag.

At that time, I was shocked to see how cute they were no matter what I made with that material. It had quite an impact on me!

-It has 100 years of history and charm, right? Then, I’m sure; you would be fascinated to that view of the world, at that time!

That’s right! Nowadays, there are many people who sell such antique fabrics. I used to buy a few pieces from those places, but now they’re getting more and more popular, so it’s hard to buy them especially due to the Corona virus. I’ve loved antique fabrics since then, and “French General’s” fabrics are somewhat similar to antique fabrics in terms of color and fading. It’s just a pity that I can only find one type of sheeting, and I can’t find any other types of canvas. I wanted to try use Canvas fabrics with antique patterns. This fabric is probably made for quilters, so I think it is made with sheeting, which is easy to sew by hand.

Q. Each of your works seems to have its own meaning. Please tell us about your most special work and its message.

I don’t really have a meaning for each of them, but if you were to ask me which one I like best, I would say…the pincushion on the cover of this book, which was recently published!
When you find a piece of fabric that you like or that you think is cute, you can’t throw it away, no matter how small the scraps are. But, even if I keep them, what am I supposed to do with them? They accumulate to the point where I wonder what to do with them. “French General” fabric was especially easy to make into pincushions. I thought it was kind of cute, so I asked the publisher if I could make a lot of them. (Even though, they didn’t ask me to.) They said, “Yes!” I thought it was so cute; they made it into the cover!
And then there are other things…new materials each time. In particular, there are many new “clasps” coming out, aren’t there? For example, like a Gama mouth handbag clasp. I don’t know how to make such things, but I want to try it! So…I do a lot of trial and error to figure out where to put it in and what shape will it take when I put it in? At that time, I was using sheeting – – I use sheeting fabric for testing because it is used to make clothes, but it is a little difficult and challenging to use new tools.

So, if you’re interested and curious about a new product, you’ll try it… Even if you don’t know – – you will buy it and try it anyway?

Yes, of course, there are some failures, too (laughs).

Q. What is the most difficult part of creating your work?

I want my work to have some playfulness to it. Always! That spirit has grown during my school days. But, when I get too elaborate, I find myself in the dilemma of not being able to achieve the desired shape. If you don’t use it, it will just be displayed, so the most important thing is to make it practical. When I was making clothes, or even when I was studying, there were pockets that I thought no one would look at, the side pockets called seam pockets. The fabric in those side pockets is so tucked inside that no one can see it. Make the pockets patterned so that they can only be seen when you take them on and off! When the buttons are attached, there are beads behind the buttons, and when the buttons are removed, there are beads on the back. But even then, no one can see them when the buttons are closed. Maybe it’s a waste of time, but I like to play with that kind of thing! That type of hidden play on clothes looks very fashionable – – I think! It may not be practical, but I like to have such a playful spirit on my work!

Q. Do you have any big dreams or things you would like to challenge in the future – in your work?

I don’t have a big challenge in mind, but I do hope that I can make new creative pieces with people who have seen my works and books and have taken notice of them – or – who have come to learn from me because they like my style. I always hope that we can laugh and make something together! I’m always hoping to create something with a smile on my face. It makes me so happy when I see people who are happy with the finished product!

Since last year, we are not able to gather and it is quite difficult to meet people physically, I believe it’s a necessity. What I’m trying to do now is that “handmade” is more analog. It’s been such a hard time since last year, and I feel that video lessons and online lessons are still necessary. But, I’m really “not” that good at it! (Laughing!) But I think I’ll try, because I’m driven by such video lessons. I’d like to give lessons (for example on YouTube). Nowadays, you can create things for free just by watching YouTube, right? There are a lot of people making videos. How to differentiate myself from those people is also an issue for me. That’s what I’m trying to do, and that’s what I’m thinking of now. That is my challenge for now.

We really hope that your career, success and work will expand while exploring more and more.

Thank you so much!