What motivated you to make an entry to the TOKYO FASHION AWARD (TFA)?

We decided to apply in order to confirm the impression of our up-cycle brand named MALION vintage in Japan from an objective point of view, and also to challenge how our five years-worth of accumulated work can stand up as fashion in global markets. Making clothes utilizing vintage clothes and/or used interior products (mainly neckties, cushions covers, tablecloths, curtains, sheets, etc.) as the material, washing, checking of stains, holes, disassembling, re-cutting, patchworking back into clothes, is a production process which requires much time and effort, but I have never been conscious of it being sustainable or in-synch with the trend of the times, and have always been challenging myself just as another fashion brand. The judges not only gave me positive opinions, but also pointed out problems I need to overcome in advancing overseas from hereon, thinking, analyzing the brand straight on, which allowed us to deeply contemplate the future of the brand, so it was an extremely meaningful time.

How do you feel about TFA’s support menu? Which menu do you feel to be the most attractive?

The most attractive point is the support towards the exhibits at Paris and presentation at Tokyo. However, I am worried about the support in overseas sales. For a brand with zero overseas experience, I feel 2 months is not enough time to find a partner who will fully understand the brand’s thoughts behind clothes making and support our overseas activities. If a brand is aiming towards overseas sales to begin with, it may be a good idea to start looking for an overseas sales partner before applying to the award. Ideally, it would be great if the financial support for travel costs covered 2 designers.

How did you feel when you received notice of winning the award?

Immediately after we received the notice, we were so very happy, the whole teamed jumped for joy. When we informed all the people who support us, they were all so happy for us and our hearts were filled with an appreciation that words could not describe. However, as time went by, we were brought back to reality, and by the time of the award ceremony, we were already starting to lose our cool. My mother warned me, “I’m sure the fashion industry is extremely harsh too, so don’t let your guard down and get your head out of the clouds!”

Seeing the activities of past TFA award winning designers, how do you feel?

After winning the award, we received much approach from all sorts of people, which made us feel the influence of the activities of the prestigious past winners of the TOKYO FASHION AWARD. I hope to capture this wave of chance of being an award winner, make sure we don’t break the tide, and put even more effort in our activities.

Please tell us your fervor and objective towards the showroom presentation at Paris and triumphant return event at Tokyo next year.

At the Paris showroom, we intend to approach the kind of clientele we wish to do business with beforehand, and secure business with even just 1 account before returning to Japan. As for Tokyo, we are thinking of presenting a fashion show at Hikarie.

Please tell us the brand’s prospects/goals from hereon.

As for future prospects, as soon as we can find the ideal real estate, we intend to open shop at a larger place than what we have now, where customers can only visit by appointment. Whether this shop will be in Japan or overseas, we don’t know yet. At this point, we have no intention of changing our atelier/shop style, but it would be best if customers could choose from within 3 unisex size patterns, if/when for example a customer wanted to have a shirt and pants order-made using their favorite necktie. It is also our dream to open a patchwork textile shop within our own store, making patchwork roles of left-over textiles, line the roles along the wall and sell at 1m/\10,000, etc. as textiles. Presently, we take the style of production to order, taking orders at our exhibits held twice a year, but because our production process takes much time and effort, we are constantly looking for a way of production which allows us to spend more time on the production itself and less unnecessary production. Even now, we limit our orders to minimum, not to take unnecessary orders, and sell only to strategically limited number of retailers, but a major theme is how to make the brand last as long as possible. In the future, if/when the cycle of production as a brand stabilizes even more, and the brand is able to grow into a brand with a strong core, I think it is OK for the designer of MALION vintage to change to the next generation in ten, twenty years. But before that, I feel I have finally taken one step closer to my long-time dream since elementary school of becoming a fashion designer, so I have engraved on my heart that this is the start.