On January 17th, Yoshiokubo presented its Fall/Winter 2017-18 collection in Milan. Long a leader in Tokyo Fashion Week, this Milan show was supported by Giorgio Armani and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. With 13 years of experience, veteran designer Yoshio Kubo's achievements and vitality are truly remarkable, including collaborations with OPENING CEREMONY and designing costumes for DREAMS COME TRUE's live shows. After graduating from the Philadelphia School of Textiles and Science in 2000, Kubo worked as an assistant designer under couture designer Robert Danes in New York. After returning to Japan in 2004, he launched Yoshiokubo. Yoshiokubo currently offers men's clothing. At Muller of Yoshiokubo, he designs women's clothing and even oversees patterns. He produces such an enormous number of garments that one wonders if there are more than 24 hours in a day. Kubo's philosophy as a designer seems to lie in the sheer volume of designs he creates. "Design until you're exhausted, and just keep going. That's what I think a designer needs. Just keep repeating until your passion dies out." His ability to continually create and update new products, even after so many seasons of experience, is a testament not only to his immense creative talent, but also to his hard work. We interviewed him two days before the Milan show, during the final fitting for the models. I was expecting a tense, tense atmosphere, but the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. The team, who have been working together for eight years, seem to understand each other without even needing to be told. When I asked Kubo about his Fall/Winter 2017-18 collection, his clothing creations, and the fashion business, he answered my questions with a warm and welcoming attitude, occasionally throwing in jokes. --What is the theme of this collection?

As with every season, I don't have a specific theme. If I had to choose, I'd create textiles based on cowboys riding rodeos, and designed clothes with the intention of "having" them rather than wearing them.

I'm the type of person who always questions and challenges what is taken for granted. The foundation of my design is to create things that no one has seen or made before. Each season, I set a theme, get inspired by something, and even "wearing" clothes seems like a cliché, so I wanted to do something different.

--Was there anything you were conscious of when holding a show in Milan?

The collection pieces were already completed, so there wasn't one. It was only about a month ago that we decided to hold the event in Milan.

In this day and age, where the internet and social media are so prevalent, information spreads instantly, so I don't think there's as much difference between Milan and Tokyo as there used to be between showing the collection in Milan and Tokyo.

As long as I choose the right place to throw the ball, I don't have any particular preference for the location of the collection. However, there's a possibility that holding it in Europe, where fashion culture is deeply rooted, might produce something different from Tokyo, and I'd always thought I'd like to hold an overseas event at least once. I never expected things to go so smoothly, and I certainly never imagined that the location would be Milan.

--You said you received support from Armani this time. How did they actually contact you?

It seems that Sara Maino, senior editor of Italian Vogue, came to see your show in Tokyo a year ago. She liked it there and invited me back. I'm grateful for this unexpected connection.

--Every season, your elaborate, story-driven productions are very impressive. Last season, you held your show three months earlier than the official Tokyo Fashion Week schedule, perhaps with overseas buyers and the press in mind. What do you think is the importance and role of a show?

We strive for entertainment in our shows. It's not just fun, it's "omoroi" (interesting). This nuance may be difficult to understand unless you're from the Kansai region (laughs), but "omoroi" doesn't mean funny in the sense that it makes you laugh; it has a humorous and creative connotation.

However, rather than simply creating something "omoroi" (interesting) and innovative, I believe it's also important as a designer to read the market and the times and design clothes that meet their needs. That's difficult, though.

--Business and creation. How do you strike that difficult balance?

Anyway, I think it's important to keep going. The cliché of having half pieces to show off and half pieces to sell is much harder for a designer than it sounds. I think you have to struggle with that conflict and keep trying, so I think the most important thing is to just keep going.

Honestly, it's like only God knows how to strike that balance. It's like if you keep firing multiple times, one will hit the jackpot. I think the important thing is to just believe in yourself and keep making clothes. I've seen a lot of clothes and made a lot of clothes. Wherever I am and what I'm doing, I'm always thinking about design. I'm sure this isn't just me, but all creators are like that; I use everything I see as inspiration for my designs.

I often tell my in-house staff, "If you were asked to draw 100 design drawings in five minutes, you couldn't do it." I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I think you can't create truly great things unless you have an abundance of ideas and keep going.


Part 2: "Leaving your mark on fashion history" - The philosophy of Yoshio Kubo, designer of Yoshio Kubo - click here.