Tim Coppens, designer of the men's brand "Tim Coppens," visited Japan for a trunk show at Barneys New York Shinjuku. Tim graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1998. He worked as a designer for Ralph Lauren before launching his own brand in 2011, which he presents at New York Fashion Week. We spoke to Tim about his approach to creating structured men's clothing. --What is the theme of this season's collection? The 2013-14 Autumn/Winter collection expresses youth culture. Focusing on the vintage feel of clothing inherited from his father, the theme is youth culture, including music and the street culture he himself experienced. This collection has a very structured finish. Using high-quality leather, he paid particular attention to every detail, including the tailoring, but he was particularly particular about the design of the jacket pockets. By giving the pockets large, puff-like bulges, which are symmetrically positioned, he created a sculptural, masculine, and structured design. ――Your use of color and fabric blocks in your 2013-14 Autumn/Winter and 2014 Spring/Summer collections is striking. What is the source of your creations?

Our team's design process is simple but time-consuming. First, we choose a material, then ideas that fit it come to us and we start sketching. Sometimes ideas come to us while we're out walking on the weekend, but most of the time the design is decided through conversations with people.

We always make sure to consult and discuss. I usually only answer "yes" or "no," but listening to others' opinions is really important and is essential for narrowing down the overwhelming number of ideas to the ones that really stand out. I'd say our creation is more like a process than inspiration. It takes time, but we choose a material, and once ideas come to us, we discuss them and edit them, which leads to even more amazing design ideas.

――Your women's looks were introduced in 2014 Spring/Summer. Do you have any plans to launch a full-scale women's line?

We're actively considering developing a women's line. It will probably take a few more years, but I do intend to fully develop a women's line.

--What about Japanese men's fashion?

I'm actually a big fan of Japanese designers. I think the designs of Yohji Yamamoto and Sacai are so well thought out, right down to the smallest details, that they're amazing.

Also, Japanese people have a really unique way of dressing. I think Japanese people are the only ones who can combine and style brands that you would never think of. It doesn't matter if it's a New York brand or an Italian brand, if they think the style is "good," they'll combine them and style it in a way that's really interesting. In other countries, the idea of mixing international brands like that isn't very common.