AKIKO AOKI is a fashion brand whose appeal lies in its constant glimpses of girlishness, transcending each season's theme. Where does this creativity come from? We spoke to designer Akiko Aoki at her studio in Taito Ward's Designers Village. Click here for part 1/2.

--And after Coconogacco, you went on to St. Martin-in-the-Fields. What was the curriculum like?

It was completely different from Japanese schools. It was all about individual effort, in a good way, or in other words, you were left to your own devices.

--Left alone?!

Yes. Classes were only twice a week, and only for two or three hours in the morning. Anyway, you had to complete your work by the day, give a presentation, show your work, and do tutorials. It was a constant cycle of doing that.

--I see. So you mean you have to spend time on research?

In addition to research, we explored all kinds of possibilities for shapes, materials, and designs in tutorials, and were told to "develop it further by next week," so we worked frantically on that for a week and brought it to them. During that time, they checked my work in detail, but they never told me what to do. Even if I wanted to ask questions or seek advice, there weren't any teachers at school (laughs). So, in the limited tutorials, I inevitably had to clarify what I wanted to ask, and just push forward on my own. But it really trained me. In Japanese schools, it's common for everything to be done in great detail, so I think that rather than doing it yourself, you often just go along with the teacher's guidance, saying "Maybe that's right."

--That's a big difference.

Really. And if your work isn't good, they'll just tell you to "move that rubbish away" (laughs). I put my heart and soul into it (laughs). And they say that in front of the whole class.

--That's pretty depressing.

It's depressing (laughs). And even more frustrating. Sometimes what I want to do and what they say just don't mesh at all. When that happens, we're at a stalemate (laughs). But I get into the habit of thinking about why they're saying it, what perspective they're taking about my design, and whether it might represent a new value or possibility I didn't have before.

At the same time, I try to figure out how to convince them with what I want to express. It's like thinking two seemingly opposite thoughts simultaneously. When a new path suddenly opens up in the labyrinth, what was trash from last week suddenly becomes awesome. I'm sticking to my core values, and I'm sticking to something that people have always opposed, but it turns out to be awesome. Anything is OK as long as it's cool. From my perspective, I thought for a moment that they were so opposed to it, but I can understand why they decided it was a good idea so quickly, and I think it's a reaction that only a truly unbiased view of fashion can make.

--Students come from all over the world, right? What's the name of the department?

It's a Graduate Diploma course that's open to those who have graduated with a BA (undergraduate degree) in their own country or overseas, or who have had some work experience in the corporate world. It's a course between an MA and a BA, and students who graduated with a BA from St. Mary's can skip that and apply for a Master's, but those who graduated from a school other than a London art school and want to apply for an MA must either go back to a BA at a London art school or spend a year on the Graduate Diploma. After that, they can go on to a Master's, or many go independent, and I returned to Japan myself. There were only two Japanese students, including me. Some of my classmates started their own brands in London, and others got jobs at fashion houses. Everyone is a rival in a good way, and they still inspire me to this day.

--Did you ever think about staying in London, Aoki-san?

First of all, realistically speaking, Japan was the base where I wanted to start my brand. And secondly, it's generally difficult for Asians to obtain visas. The current situation is that it's quite difficult to obtain a visa and launch your own brand in London.

--I see. But you were able to realize your dream of launching your own brand in Japan!

I think you're very lucky. I'm happy that I've been able to continue doing what I want to do. 」。 English:



--Where do you think you got that strong will?

I think the biggest thing was meeting Sakabe-san and Yamagata-san. I was impressed by how they were steadily pushing their own brands forward in Tokyo in their own unique ways. They have even changed the fashion system itself, which thought that there was "no other way." I have come to realize this through the example of these two, and it makes me think, "From here on, I have to start thinking about my next approach."

--In my opinion, Aoki's collections always convey the image of a woman who harbors a kind of strong will. Can you tell us again about the concept of your brand?

The brand concept is to intuitively capture the fantasy hidden in reality, and to see fashion as the act of living itself, proposing clothing that reflects the wearer's lifestyle and attitude. For the first season, the theme was the strongest image in my own background. For the second season, I used the image of a person that caught my eye at the time as my image source.

From now on, I'm conscious of focusing more on the clothing itself, and I would like to design the clothes first, rather than coming up with a theme. While I have a vague theme, I thought it might be okay to proceed without being able to clearly put that image into words. I would like to create fashion that reveals the human image from the collection that is born in this way.



--Is it close to the style you learned at Saint Martins?

It may be. It's probably similar in the sense of how sensitively you can approach an idea through your own senses. Looking back now, the very first thing I did after enrolling was the "London Project," and the assignment was to "find inspiration in the city of London." I feel like this approach is fresh, as it involves going to all sorts of places and looking at things like stains on the streets, patterns on the floor, or even people, and figuring out what you focus on in ordinary things and how to develop them.

--That's interesting. Will your next collection be something like this, focusing on really small details and designing from those?

I want clothes that I find more appealing. It's not just about a specific image of a person, but I also want the clothes themselves to have a sense of the times and a new image of a person. I think Japanese people have always loved backgrounds and stories, and I think that suits the national character, but these days, I think there may be communication that operates on a deeper level, even if the story isn't easy to understand.

--I see. Rather than following the same route as a novel, where everyone reads it, we may be living in an age where people can freely choose and edit the story they receive, each with their own individual episodes, on social media or the web.

The more "points" there are, the more connections there are with the instinctive part of humans we are born with. I think each person's senses become more acute, and there are more opportunities to absorb things.

--They say we live in the age of social media, but in the end, rather than the tactics of disseminating or spreading information, if the product itself is attractive, people will naturally go there to get information. It's about the essence, or whether there is strength in it.

We live in an age where anyone can create and photograph a work of art, so I feel like creating visuals that emphasize that is a little outdated.

--It's true, everyone's desire for reality is really growing.

It feels like it's accelerating even more.

--In two years, you'll be graduating from your current atelier (Taito Designers Village), right?

I'm really realizing how quickly time has flown. I also want to find my own independent atelier after I graduate.



【Event Information】
＜Part 1＞The drama ~TOKYO uniform~
Dates: May 25th to June 7th (end of period)
Venue: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building 2F = Center Park / TOKYO Kaihoku

＜Part 2＞The life ~TOKYO uniform~
Dates: June 15th to 21st (end of period)
Venue: JR Kyoto Isetan 5F Special venue

＜Part 3＞The days ~TOKYO uniform~
高野公美子