Tamae Hirokawa's brand, SOMARTA, is showing new developments. The brand participated in an event held in Singapore last year and in Saudi Arabia this year. In March, the brand launched a collaborative brand with a department store.

Last November, the second Haute Couture Fashion Week 2012 was held, the only event outside of Paris to showcase haute couture. SOMARTA unveiled its couture line. "The designs, which combine traditional techniques like embroidery with high-tech, were well-received for their originality. I felt that Singaporean fashion was on the rise," said designer Hirokawa.

Although she did not travel to Saudi Arabia to attend the Creative Japan Fashion Fair in February, Harvey Nichols Riyadh, the venue for the fair, purchased some of the brand's pieces.

In March of this year, the brand collaborated with Isetan Mitsukoshi to launch the brand "Donna Vivace by somarta," and released a denim line with Seibu Department Store. "We were able to approach a new customer base by using materials that are not normally used and setting a different price range from our main line," he said. In the future, Seibu plans to release wedding jewelry exclusive to the brand, showing its ambitions in the luxury field.