We've also welcomed a new year. 2016 seemed to fly by, but looking back, it was a year in which I was able to encounter many people and places thanks to fashion.

■Fashion is always for the future

I also had the opportunity to speak with designers and buyers about why fashion attracts people. Some people love the materials that make up fashion, while others became interested in fashion because they wanted to be cool.

One thing that came up several times during my interviews throughout the year was that "fashion doesn't end with negative emotions." Art, such as paintings and films, can end with negative emotions trapped within the work. But fashion always seems to be moving toward positive emotions. It makes you want to be this person, it matches your mood today...

Fashion is always there to capture the feelings of those who have high hopes for the future, and the mood of the times, and I realized this from both those who create and deliver fashion.

And when I think about fashion, I realize that it is always in front of our eyes, closest to our skin. When you meet someone, you don't just look at their face and not notice their fashion. Fashion is something so close to us that the boundaries between us become blurred, and when you think of them, you also think of their outfit; it's something that is always present in our daily lives.

Yes, "fashion" is always right next to us!

Everyone has their own reasons for being attracted to fashion, but I would like to continue to convey the joy of fashion and the world that expands through fashion, without forgetting the feelings we had when we first fell in love with it.

Thank you for your continued support this year!

In lieu of a New Year's greeting,