On January 17th, Yoshiokubo presented its 2017-18 Fall/Winter collection in Milan. Now in its 13th year since the brand was founded, Yoshio Kubo, a longtime leader of the Tokyo Collection, is steadily on his path to becoming a world-class designer. The thunderous applause he received at the show's finale likely signaled the beginning of a new chapter. Kubo always takes a different approach, pursuing never-before-seen new clothing. What is his unwavering philosophy? Read the first part of the article, "Brands grow through 'continuity' while battling business and creation, and the conflicts that bind them together." Read more about Yoshiokubo designer Yoshio Kubo's philosophy here. It seems your overwhelming passion for creating clothes is what drives you. When did you first want to create clothes and become a designer?

Perhaps it was because my mother was a seamstress, but I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer from elementary school onward. My first design project was in the third grade. My father asked me, "I'm going to submit a design for a bicycle logo, would you like to try drawing it?" I think my father suggested it without much thought, probably because it was in the newspaper or something, but it's a memory that's stayed with me.

However, my mother often told me, "You'll never be a fashion designer." When I was in my 20s, I moved to the United States with the goal of becoming a filmmaker shooting music videos and the like, but when I thought about it again, I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer after all, so I applied to a nearby school, got accepted, and decided to attend.

--After graduating, you worked as an assistant designer at a couture brand in New York for four years. Considering that you're now making masculine clothes at Yoshio Kubo, the term "couture" seems a bit surprising. To be honest, I didn't know much about my mentor, Robert Dence, but I went to New York for a little while and interviewed at a few brands with my portfolio. When I visited his atelier, I was captivated by the sight of a couture dress hanging there. I was blown away by the dress and knew I had to work for him, so he hired me on the spot.

He works with the finest couture fabrics, so mistakes are not an option, and watching him do all of the cutting and pattern making in his own way allowed me to learn advanced techniques. At Muller of Yoshiokubo, we focus on how to create pieces using high-quality couture fabrics, and we sometimes incorporate couture techniques into the details.

However, there's no point in simply imitating my mentor, and I always wanted to do things differently, so from the very beginning of the brand, I felt I had to do things my own way.

--The brand's core values remain unwavering to this day.

There was a time when I asked myself if what I made had really been seen anywhere else, or if anyone had ever made anything like it. As I gained more experience, I lost the reckless energy I had as a novice and wondered if I was making clothes just to be popular.

That's when I realized that it's important to be honest with yourself and to stick to your own philosophy on clothing and design. That's why I won't compromise even a centimeter or two to create a beautiful silhouette.

--Finally, can you tell us about your future plans?

I really just want to keep creating. I hope to invent or create something new in design and clothing.

To that end, I will continue to make clothes over and over again, until the moment my passion dies down. I will never lie to myself and believe in my philosophy.

ELIE INOUE