Atelier Favorites

When I asked Kanda what she liked about the atelier, she said, "Because the colors of the walls and floors are my favorite colors..." "They're a soft pale blue and mint. If they had been warmer colors, I might not have been so drawn to them. Also, it's been slightly renovated, which I like."

The large windows let in a lot of natural light, which I really like. (Kanda)
After the previous occupant passed away, this property was listed with R Real Estate, with the intention of renovating it and passing it on as a new home. "Because it's a renovated property, the wood and pillars from the old house were retained, and the large windows are because they were converted from shoji screens. By making use of what was originally there, we've blended the new with the old, and I think this sense of the coexistence of the new and the old is very much my style."

※R Real Estate = A website where you can discover real estate from a new perspective.
It's both a select real estate shop and a completely new type of real estate media.
Another key point is the spacious dirt floor. You can assemble small pieces of wood and hammer in nails, and cardboard boxes arrive in large quantities.



I also like the studio the best on sunny days. Sunny days make me feel more motivated. When the bamboo that grows in the garden sways in the wind, the sunlight filtering through the large windows in the studio rustles. The light comes in beautifully in the morning, but it's especially beautiful in the afternoon, around 2:30 pm.





Also, when I started living in the studio, I found that my favorite cat lived there and would sleep by the side of the stairs on the way in and sometimes come to play in the studio garden, which gave it a bit of a Ghibli feel and made it very much like me. I only realized this later on, though.

When did you start choosing your studio?

My original place, Taito Designers Village, was a place where I graduated in three years, and the studio was like a school where I could get closer to my ideals after three years. Since April 2019, my third year at Desavile (Taito Designers Village), I've been regularly checking out property listings on sites like R Real Estate. I graduated between December and March and left Desavile, but some of my classmates had already decided on their post-graduation studios around summer. I knew that if I didn't decide sooner, I'd have to graduate and leave, so I checked every day with anxiety. So when this listing was posted, I contacted them right away. It was fate. lol

*Taito Designers Village = Established in April 2004 in the former Kojima Elementary School building as a facility to support designers and creators aiming to start businesses in the fashion, miscellaneous goods, and design-related businesses.
More than 70 groups of designers, including AKIKOAOKI, have graduated from the village.

What are the similarities and differences with your old atelier at Desabile?

Having an atelier and working there just happened naturally, so I guess it's the same.
Ever since I was little, I loved building cardboard houses and would sleep in them with my cat. So I've always loved those kinds of everyday environments, interior design, lifestyle, buildings, houses, and things like that.





But at Desabile, even though I was making clothes, I was focused on working in the space I had now, and that felt like everything. It's not a "process," but rather, you need space and knowledge to make things. I was only 23 at the time, and although the brand had fans, I was still in the stage where I had a lot to learn about production as a business. That's why I couldn't make the space very stylish, or rather, I didn't have the time to think about space other than just getting my work done.
In this atelier, I've been collecting the things I like, and little by little I've created a more comfortable space for myself than before, and I feel like I'm getting closer to my "ideal." I've put in my favorite furniture and lined up my books. But of course, it's still not complete.
Also, with Desabille, I could send mail right away, but this time it took me about 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the post office, so sending mail is a bit of exercise. (laughs)


≫Move on to Vol. 3, the atelier where Kanda's ideals began.