You mentioned Walter Van Beirendonck being one of your influences? I’m a huge Walter Van fan, he’s one of my all time favorites.
HE’S A GENIUS! He opened my eyes during my fashion studies and I had the biggest crush on him for years. I love his Sado/Maso funky world; he is a monument! I wish he would have an exhibition in Paris one day so I can see all his work. There is MOMAT Museum in Tokyo where they show a small permanent collection of his work and I go every year like a pilgrimage.
Now you’re working on Ni, your second collection?
Yeah, but this time I’m developing a collection inspired by Japanese illustrators from the 80s like Shigeo Okamoto, Peter Sato and Takashi Koizumi—the space universe, sexy women and the whole vibe around it. There are going to be close-ups of body parts on the clothes, but they are going to be mainly subjective. I’m really into the aesthetic and idea around those connect-the-dots drawings and unisex shapes—one-sleeve sweaters, oversized tunics, oversized tees etc. I’m showing the collection in a showroom apartment for Paris Fashion week in September.
So what exactly goes into designing a new collection for you?
I go to exhibitions often and consider that a part of my job in order to cultivate my mind. I live in the everyday search of inspiration and travelling also helps me a lot. Once I moved out of my hometown, I got to develop more concepts and ideas in different ways. I’ve always started the process from a muse, like Rinko Kikuchi, Daniela Sea and different public personalities. From there I start to create a story by mixing in other elements.
The creative process is like an on-going investigation. I gather lots of inspiration on my wall, and from there I just nerd on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for weeks. All the prototypes and creative explorations are made here in my studio. I make the patterns and experiment with graphics for the prints. While creating the looks and slowly planning the collection, I do small photo shoots to help set the atmosphere of Nattofranco.