"Ask the Future of Fashion," a series that highlights Tokyo-based creators and delves into their creations and roots, is here.

In this first installment, we'll be looking at designer Keisuke Yoshida of "Keisuke Yoshida," a pop-up shop that opened on May 25th at the concept shop "TOKYO Kaihoku" on the second floor of the main building of Isetan Shinjuku.

Click here for part 1/2.

--Is that a manifestation of your rebellious spirit against established high-end brands?

No, that's not true. I love high-end brands myself, and you could even say that I became a designer because I admired Hedi Slimane and Raf Simons. But when Dior Homme was all the rage, I was too embarrassed to wear it. It was just too cool for me... Hedi's cool clothes were worn by cool models, but I felt like I couldn't fit into that world. I felt a huge distance from the perfect world on the runway. To fill that gap, I needed to use models like them for my brand, and I wanted to present not just "cool" but also the "shyness" of the moment when they first step out onto the runway.

--It takes courage to "reveal yourself." In the past, it was the flip side of a cynical attitude, but now it's cool to "reveal" yourself honestly and directly, and I feel like that's what the times demand.

I think there's something cool about bullied kids. The reason they're bullied is because they're somehow different from others. Because they're somehow extreme. On the other hand, they're unique, and I think that makes them somehow "strongest."

I had a classmate in junior high who may have influenced the Keisuke Yoshida brand, but he was a bit of a bookworm and not very cool at all. But around the third year of junior high, he suddenly dyed his hair blonde and came to school. To those of us who wanted to look fashionable but were afraid of getting told off, and who had light brown hair, it seemed cool. That day, the whole grade came to see him. He ended up getting told off by the teacher, and the next day he went back to black hair, but that day he attracted a lot of attention. It felt like I was witnessing a moment when fashion really transformed a person.

The moment when someone becomes cool is the moment they shake off and overcome emotional confusion. The 16-17 FW collection we announced in March had a similar feel to the moment he dyed his hair blonde. Next season, I want to go even further and confront the softer parts of our hearts that we've hidden by trying to "stretch out," which has been the theme of the past two seasons.

As a next step for the brand, I would like to expand my customer base. By broadening the scope of empathy (sharing) as clothing, I would like more people to see and wear my clothes. I would also like to be conscious of improving the precision of each and every item. Right now, I am strongly focused on expression through styling, but I would like to incorporate emotion into each and every item.



--The pop-up at TOKYO Kaihoku in Isetan Shinjuku, which opened on May 25th, has the theme of "uniforms." What are your thoughts on "uniforms"?

This is something that philosopher Washida Seiichi also says, but I think uniforms are "an opportunity to encounter fashion." Dressing down your uniform is the moment you discover style. Within the rules of the uniform, you can try tying your tie wider or leaving two buttons on your shirt open.

I went to a combined junior high and high school, so I wore the jacket I was given in junior high until my third year of high school. That means I grew about 30cm taller. I could have just bought a new one, but it got shorter and it didn't stay in place anymore, but at the time I was like, "Wow, this is Dior Homme!" (laughs). I feel that uniforms have a unique youthfulness that adult attire doesn't have. That's probably why I'm so fascinated by them.

--Are you under any pressure? What kind of pop-up will it be?

Rather than pressure, since it's originally a men's brand, I was wondering what to do. This time, it feels like I've made a new capsule collection as a special order. I've mixed in uniform-inspired items from the SS16 collection. I also set myself the theme of "summer vacation." I want you to think back to when you were a boy in junior high school. In the first year, you'd dress casually, pairing slacks with Nike sneakers and wearing a long shoulder bag. But in the upper grades, you'd start wearing loafers, buttons up your ties, and dress more formally.

This time, we're looking at women's clothing, and we're imagining a neat and tidy uniform. But I'm also keeping in mind the liberating feeling of summer in the design. We'll also be featuring dresses using lace and silk, and I created the collection with a slightly more mature feminine image than the usual Keisuke Yoshida collection. I've tried to make it appealing to a generation a little older than the Keisuke Yoshida fanbase currently.

--Finally, what is your vision for the future, five, ten years from now?

Right now, I'm creating only what's within my reach. In other words, I imagine my message and fashion reaching customers through talking to them on the sales floor and at exhibitions. In the future, I would like to further develop my designs so that they can be expanded into sales areas that are completely out of my reach.

Also, while my current collection is an introduction to so-called "mode," next I would like to incorporate it into "mode." I want to create a pure form of mode. I would like to re-examine the "world of mode" that I admired when I was in high school.


People tend to hide their flaws and weaknesses by dressing up, but Yoshida shakes that up. It's a direct exposure of our inner selves and emotions, as if we could only reveal them to a true lover, and when we share and empathize with that, we feel truly at peace and fulfilled. Yoshida's collection allows us to experience this feeling by "wearing" it, and it is undoubtedly a mirror reflecting our current "emotional times."

The pop-up "The drama ~TOKYO uniform~" at Isetan Shinjuku TOKYO Liberation Zone, which began on May 25th, is not so much about unleashed fashion, but rather fashion itself is about unleashing your true beauty, and is sure to be filled with clothes like that.

[Event Information]
The drama ~TOKYO uniform~


<1st installment>
Dates: May 25th to June 7th
Venue: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building 2F = Center Park / TOKYO Liberation Zone

*"The drama by Miss iD begins" will be held from 2pm to 5pm on May 28th. Mizuno Shizu, Kadomai Yuka, Yumi Raika, and Raimu from the Miss iD audition hosted by Kodansha will appear as living mannequins in TOKYO Kaihoku.

<2nd round>
Dates: June 15th to 21st
Venue: JR Kyoto Isetan 5th Floor Special Venue

<3rd round>
Venue: July 27th to August 2nd
Venue: Ginza Mitsukoshi 3rd Floor Le Place Promotion Space