Brand information / About the designer

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

Since I was a child, I loved playing with draping my mother’s clothes. It was a pleasure memory. From the meomory, it lead me to go to Central Saint Martins in London to explore my creativity. At Central Saint Martins, I became classmates with the designer who I am now working with on our brand. Through our time in London, we were both strongly influenced by the culture of charity, to the point that it became a part of our lives.
And while we were in London, we made our first collection together for a friend who runs a charity shop to run a school in Afghanistan, and donated whole collection to the shop. Participating in this charity movement inspired the two designers to create a brand, having learned about the positive influence that fashion can have. This value remains the core belief of our brand today.

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

Korean designer River Garam Jang and Japanese designer Nobuhiko Kohama graduated from the Central Saint Martins Womenwear Department in London, England, and had internship experience at Christian Dior, Lanvin, and Celine, gaining experience with Maison brands.

Through their experience at luxury brands, the two designers decided to create a new vision of luxury with couture handwork that everyone could enjoy. Based on the concept of ‘Wild luxury: practical couture’, they established RIV NOBUHIKO with the goal of creating a brand that redefines couture handwork in a modern way by challenging the values of traditional luxury fashion. RIV approaches couture handwork realistically and creates collections using RIV’s unique embroidery techniques, using ordinarily accesablematerials such as covered buttons and beads.

Also We focused on people who lost their social status through marriage, raising children, and retirement. We train such ordinary people and help them reintegrate into society as artisans at RIV NOBUHIKO. Most of our clothes and accessories are created by the hands of RIV’s artisans.”

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

I am often inspired by my emotions at the time, and then I develop these emotions through my experiences and environment to create my collections.

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

Our brand’s fans are people who are classic yet delicate, and who understand the value of artisan.

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

I was influenced by Patricia Belli and her approach of creating artwork using everyday clothing that symbolizes women, such as tights and corsets, reinterpreting their original values, and questioning the image of women.

About 2025 A/W collection

── Why have you chosen Tokyo (Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO) as the venue for presenting your collection?

This is because I was given the valuable opportunity of winning the Tokyo Fashion Award.

── What is the concept / image for your brand’s 2025 A/W season?

Designer’s personal memories are the starting point. In the designer’s childhood, she felt that her mother was a strong and reliable person. However, designer turned to similar age as her mother at that time she was much more delicate and fragile than she think. And I thought that would represent many of modern woman.
The 25AW collection was created a woman who has strength yet fragility and delicacy.

Future

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

We want to cherish the spirit of charity that led us to start our brand. As the brand grows, we would like to create a new line dedicated to charity. In this line, we would like to create a positive cycle in society by not only hiring people who are struggling to find a job but also donating a large portion of the sales to society. Through the social movements we are representing, we have realised that fashion can create a positive impact towards this.

About TOKYO

── What does Tokyo represent for you?

Although it’s close to Korea, and it’s different from the various countries I’ve experienced in culture. I think it has a new, diverse energy.

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

I like Louise Bourgeois’ spider sculpture at the Mori Art Museum.