"Ask the Future of Fashion," a series that takes a closer look at young talents who are expected to lead the future of Japanese fashion, is here. For this, the third installment, we speak with Ryota Murakami, designer of RYOTA MURAKAMI.



After graduating from Ueda Yasuko Fashion College, he worked as an assistant at writtenafterwards while attending coconogacco. His graduation project, which he worked on in collaboration with his mother, was nominated for ITS, Europe's largest fashion competition, attracting attention. Her diverse activities include providing costumes for Dempagumi.inc and designing the window display for the Italian department store Rinascente, sponsored by VOGUE ITALIA.

This interview was conducted at TAV GALLERY in Asagaya during the "Murakami Chiaki Art Exhibition," where design drawings by her mother were on display. We visited Murakami while she was in the gallery.

--This is the first question I've asked you all in this series. When did you become interested in fashion?

When I was little, I wore clothes made by my mother. They were like girls' sweaters with ribbons. Until then, I hadn't paid much attention to my clothing, but then I moved when I was in the third grade of elementary school. I was going to a new school, and for the first time, people started asking me strange things like, "What's with Murakami-kun's clothes?" (laughs). It was an anxious time for me after transferring schools, so I was really shocked when they started teasing me. After that, I stopped going to school for about half a year.

That was the first time I became conscious of what I was wearing and felt something. At the same time, I felt like my mother had been mocked, and I was deeply hurt.



--It's cruel for a child to be teased so much over something like the clothes they're wearing that they stop going to school. Was it hard for you to tell your mother?

That's true. But she kept asking me about it, so when I finally confessed, my mother apologized frantically, saying, "I'm sorry." After that, she went to a nearby supermarket and bought me a bunch of clothes just like everyone else's. But they were also kind of out of place. They looked like fake Puma clothes (laughs). But I ended up going to school in those new clothes. After that, my mother stopped making clothes, and I gradually forgot about it.

--When did you first develop the desire to become a designer?

At first, I was interested in clothes because I wanted to look like everyone else, and as an extension of that, around middle school and high school, I vaguely began to think about working in fashion. When I was in my second year of high school, I happened to come across a "Margiela Special" in a magazine at a used bookstore, and I was genuinely moved by the realization that fashion could do so much. From then on, my desire to become a designer grew stronger and stronger.

--After graduating from Ueda Yasuko Fashion College, you worked as an assistant at "writtenafterwards."

I attended Coconogacco while studying as an intern.

--Why did you choose Coconogacco?

I was already aware of its existence. One of its graduates has won the grand prize in an overseas competition, so I had been interested in it even before moving to Tokyo. What attracted me most was that it was run by Yamagata of Written Afterwards. When I was in high school, I first saw Yamagata's work in an article in Soen magazine, and the "big bra" was featured. I'm very embarrassed to say this, but I remember thinking at the time, "I absolutely cannot lose to this designer." From then on, I looked forward to the Written Afterwards collections every season, and after moving to Tokyo, I had the opportunity to work as an assistant.

When creating collections at Written Afterwards, I worked on the clothes until the very end, and often had to overturn everything I had been working on at the last minute. Of course I learned design techniques and how to present things, but more than that, I learned a passion for fashion and a pure attitude towards creation.

--So, at what point does your mother (commonly known as "Okan") come into the picture?

When I was creating my graduation project for Coconogacco, I started by exploring my roots. After thinking about what makes me different from other people, I realized that wearing the clothes my mother made when I was little might be special. In fact, when I told everyone about it during our discussions, they were surprised, and I realized, "Oh, so that's where the difference lies."



At Coconogacco, we all had one goal: to eventually enter an international competition. Everyone worked diligently, but we couldn't do anything for about 10 months of the first semester. Even with only about two months left, things were still going awry. Feeling helpless, I finally contacted my mother, asking her to draw me a design drawing. That's how it all began.

--I heard you opened the cardboard box containing the design drawing in front of everyone at school. I think this story is very Murakami-like.

No, I hated it (laughs). But at that point, I was under such pressure that I had no choice but to show them... So I mustered up the courage to show them, and the classmates sympathized with me. To be honest, I still feel embarrassed to show my mother's design drawings. Although it looks like I'm proudly displaying them (laughs). On the other hand, I also feel like I want people to re-evaluate the things my mother drew and made, the things that were ridiculed when I was little.



--Like Keisuke Yoshida (designer KEISUKE YOSHIDA), I think "revealing your embarrassing side" is a new approach.

By revealing your embarrassing side, I think there are at least a few people who can empathize. I think that exploring the place where designers themselves live can create new opportunities and empathy. At the same time, I think it's important to consider how to translate empathy within the brand story into fashion values.

[Asking the "future" of fashion] Fashion that will make the world a little, but definitely a little, happier, says designer Murakami Ryota -- continued on 2/2.