KEISUKEYOSHIDA

Designer

Keisuke Yoshida

Category

Men’s & Women’s / Clothing

Brand information / About the designer

―What inspired you to become a fashion designer? Describe developments leading up to the brand launch.

When I was a junior high school student, I wasn’t good looking nor smart nor good at sports. Then I got interested in fashion to be cool. And I realized that fashion became everything for me. At that time, I admired fashion designers in the way that other people admired rock stars, who I can never reach. After 10 years of dedication towards fashion, my visions, what kind of designer I want to be and what kind of things I want to create, got clearer and stronger. That’s why I decided to create my own brand.

―What is the brand’s concept? What do you want to communicate through fashion designing?

My brand concept is, “the adolescence, which is ambiguous, bright and dark, and the adolescence fashion in that time”. I create fashion using garments that signify the time of adolescence. Additionally, I want to create the feeling that when you have a scratch back your throat, seemingly insignificant but at the same time a nuisance nonetheless.

―What is your source of inspiration in creating fashion? What is your process of developing a design concept?

I get a vague atmosphere and idea in daily life, and once something touches my feeling, my creation starts. And gradually, I find something congenial, then it becomes my concep.
I got an idea for my previous collection, 2015 a/w collection in the way. When I was listening to Mr. Children’s songs, it reminded me the memory, which my friend was singing the song at karaoke when I was in high school. I felt something strong from that.

―Who are your current stockists (areas, retail formats, etc.)? Describe the typical followers of your brand.

Now I have one store in Tokyo and one store in Kansai stocking my brand. Although my brand is mostly for men, regardless of gender, I feel they got interested and sympathized with my brand concept.

―Which brands, designers, styles and cultures have had the most impact on your fashion designing, and why?

I’ve learned designs from Mr. yamagata, who’s a designer of writtenafterwards, and Mr. Sakabe, who’s a designer of mikiosakabe. I believe that I got affected by them a lot. Hedi Slimane also affected to my creation. Because he got huge attention from people in Dior Homme collection when I started being into fashion. Raf Simons is also big part of my fashion life. Those people changed the image of mode fashion, which was for mature men, to young boys’ fashion. I would like to create fashion for young boys from different angle.

About 2016 S/S collection

―Why have you chosen Tokyo (or MBFWT) as the venue for presenting your collection?

Tokyo collection is the opportunity to show my own brand to many people. That would be great if people get interested in my brand or feel something from my collection.

―What is the concept / image for your brand’s 2016 S/S season?

Theme for 16 s/s is “the conflict, the revelation and the bravado in the time of adolescence”.

―What is your vision for your show / installation?

we, the five brands of Tokyo New Age, will have a fashion show. I think it will be the show that people can enjoy the each of our original atmosphere.

Future

―What are your brand’s future outlook and goal?

I want to make my brand as something, such as people share their feeling, which is insignificant or difficult to put in words, and spread their abstract thought, and then again, those people or feelings get together through creation. The biggest goal is to make Japanese teenagers as a solid culture in fashion.

About TOKYO

―What does Tokyo represent for you?

I think the fact that I’m from Tokyo helped me to get interested in fashion and encounter various things immediately. Tokyo is the place you have access to what you want to see easily.

―Which parts / sites of Tokyo do you like most? Why?

Jujo.
It’s actually my hometown and it has unique atmosphere. It is a traditional Japanese area, but is really close to central of Tokyo. There’s a big shopping street called “Jujo Ginza”. There’re many bars and many cheap things (you can sometimes get a clothes for \5). This is such a emotional town. It looks really vigorous yet nostalgic. I believe that my creation got influenced by this unique atmosphere. Since I’ve commuted to other places by train since I was little, I didn’t have strong emotion toward my hometown. However, recently I get really attracted to this unique place.

―What are your favorite / recommended shops (of any genres, e.g. fashion stores, homeware stores, food services), facilities and sites?

It’s Jujo again, but I often go to the second hand store called “PEG” in Jujo. I like second hand clothes and I go many those shops, but this shop is my most favorite one.