Happy New Year, everyone! This year, I'd like to begin this editorial blog with a message from Yohji Yamamoto.

This video is from "THIS IS MY DREAM," a documentary film created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Y-3, where Yamamoto serves as creative director. A DVD is also available, and 10 clips from the film have been uploaded to Y-3's YouTube channel.

While there are many books about Yamamoto, there's a reason I chose to introduce this video. It's not just because you can see Yohji singing and playing guitar, but because he speaks in his own words, in English. I can't help but feel that his attitude reflects his pride in competing on a global stage.

The designer "speaks." When I studied abroad in London, I often visited end-of-term exhibitions at Saint Martins, the Royal College of Art, and the Slade School of Fine Art (University of London). There, I was more surprised by the length of the explanatory text and the amount of research materials on display than by the artworks themselves. The exhibitions radiated a powerful desire to somehow communicate their ideas, using every available piece of artwork and material. I was exhausted after viewing them.

Then I remembered someone's words: "At Saint Martins, you don't need to make clothes. You can be naked. As long as there's a concept." It's a very subjective opinion, but I see. It's no wonder that the country so highly values Martin Creed's work.

At the time, I just thought it was interesting, but after starting work that requires communicating creations through words, I realized how important it is. A creator's thoughts are put into words, the story they tell becomes a worldview, and those words are printed and spread throughout society through the media. The images created in this process then shape the creator's world. Now that information about creations from all over the world can be accessed instantly online, it feels even more important to communicate through words, in order to further highlight each individual's individuality.

So, creators who are quiet, don't be shy, let everyone know that you are making great things. There are many people who want to discover great things, and when they do, they want to know more and more.

And now, in the world of fashion, I sometimes hear that there is a movement to reexamine "words." I'll talk about that another time.