The winners of the "POP ICON PROJECT TOKYO," a project established with creator Nicola Formichetti as general producer to create "a new girl group for the world," have been decided.

The final audition was held on December 22nd at Starlight Tower in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and 13 finalists, who passed two rounds of judging, including an online public vote, out of approximately 2,000 applicants from all over the country, participated. In line with the audition's concept of "combining music and fashion," the finalists performed with unique singing and costumes. After a judging panel consisting of Nicola, hair and makeup artist Yuya Nara, NYLON JAPAN editor-in-chief Takanori Togawa, and dream creator Koichi Ogawa, three university students—Marisa Yasukawa (20, from Chiba Prefecture), Nanami Tsujikawa (22, from Osaka Prefecture), and Mako Moriyasu (21, from Osaka Prefecture)—were selected. Nicola explained, "I decided on this group based on my intuition, feeling that these three girls would work well together. They have a great harmony, so I'll fine-tune their sound. They're also good singers and dancers, so I want to create a unit that can handle a variety of genres." The group is scheduled to debut in mid- to late 2014, with a focus on Japan, with a potential expansion into Asia and the West. "I want to use everything I've learned from working with international artists like Lady Gaga to help them debut in the coolest way possible," Nicola said. "Having worked with global pop icons, I've learned that the most important thing is hard work."