The origins of creation

“I love European fashion. In the future, I want to go to Europe, work in Europe, and die in Europe.”
Looking back, I believe the true beginning of MIZEN was rooted in this vague yet passionate dream I held in my mid-teens.

From an early age, I was fascinated by the shapes of things. I still remember how I used to sketch car profiles with a pencil on paper—captivated by how each car, while essentially the same, had a unique line along the back.
One moment that remains vivid is from elementary school, when I said aloud, “Cars come in all different shapes, don’t they?”
A classmate responded, “Aren’t they all the same?”
That simple exchange came as a shock to me. It made me realize for the first time that the way I saw things was different from how others did. Though trivial, that moment marked the beginning of an awareness—of the perspective that is mine and mine alone.

Later, in junior high school, I encountered an Alexander McQueen collection that shook me to the core.
I hadn’t yet immersed myself in the world of fashion, but there it was: clothing with tire tracks, models walking across water.
What struck me wasn’t the spectacle—it was the silhouette of the shoulders, the tension between what was cinched and what was left loose. It was beautiful.
I instinctively knew then: to recreate what I saw in my mind, I would need the freedom to manipulate patterns. That realization sparked a deep interest in pattern making.
It was undoubtedly McQueen’s work that first inspired me to pursue a path in fashion.

What I felt in that moment—and continue to believe—is that pattern making itself can be design. That discovery was a turning point.
Later, I would come to realize that in Europe—where the roles of designer and pattern maker are often strictly divided—the fact that designers like Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo design through pattern still leaves people stunned.
Through my work overseas, I’ve seen this firsthand, and it has only deepened my conviction.

After spending my junior and senior high school years focused on academic studies, I entered university following a year of retaking entrance exams.
But my passion for making clothes never faded. I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
I enrolled in a night fashion school, full of hope—finally, I would begin learning how to make clothes.

Via Threads