TALKING w/ PURPLE THINGS designer KIKUNO Vol.1 About “What she cherishes inside of her?”
By Forget-me-nots Director Kyoko NAKAJIMA

Kyoko: As a brand and as a designer, what were those five years like?

KIKUNO: Those five years saw some pretty big changes. I started the brand five years ago, but for three of those years, I was working part-time and saving money, so my situation now is completely different from five years ago. When I first started creating, I wasn't satisfied with what I was making, and that period lasted a very long time. Now, I've gained more confidence in my creations. But I'm still truly exploring (laughs). I think I've had a very lucky three years, thanks to the help of those around me. I was blessed with good people, and I was able to believe in myself and work hard. It was a very significant three years in my life.

Kyoko: I see. So, was it really only two years ago that you were able to focus as a designer?

KIKUNO: At some point, I decided that PURPLE THINGS had to be my main output. From then on, I started holding proper exhibitions.

Kyoko: What efforts did you make to create an environment where you could concentrate as a designer and output your work?

KIKUNO: Continuously exposing myself to areas I'm interested in. For example, places I love. Going to places I love gives me color inspiration, and seeing unfamiliar scenery is stimulating. The scenery I see every day becomes familiar, so I try to go to new places and do new things. I explore my favorite music, artists, and culture. I don't want to force myself to incorporate things that I don't naturally take in, so it's important to be sensitive to what I love. I value being able to unconsciously incorporate those things.

Kyoko: "Being sensitive to what you love" is really good! It's surprisingly hard to do.

KIKUNO: Right, because there's too much to be swayed by.

Kyoko: Like social media and everything.

KIKUNO: I think many people overlook a lot of things. They spend too much time looking at their phones and computers, especially while commuting. I want to focus on myself rather than being swayed by information and people. I want to prioritize how I feel, what I want to do, and what I want to achieve. I can't always do it, and it's easy to forget when busy. Taking a deep breath is also important.

Kyoko: How did you spend your time when you couldn't travel?

KIKUNO: All I could do was reminisce (laughs). But truly, I looked back at photos and tried to remember those times. I remembered going to this place, doing that, and thinking about how good that shop was over there while looking back at photos and videos.

Kyoko: It sounds like your imagination would run wild if you couldn't go (laughs).

KIKUNO: The sadness of not being able to go was greater than that... But it's true that I remembered things precisely because I couldn't go, and usually, there aren't many opportunities to look back at travel photos, are there? Even casual photos must have been taken for a reason, and it became a time to cherish and look back at them. Remembering them made me appreciate them even more.

Kyoko: When I think about how I usually relieve stress, I realize it was by traveling abroad and seeing my favorite places and things. For some reason, it's hard to just space out and not think about anything in daily life, but I can do that when I travel.

KIKUNO: Right, not having that sense of liberation is really tough. And I haven't really found a solution.

Kyoko: But you seemed to be enjoying yourself making efforts like spending time on your balcony!

KIKUNO: Yes, I make sure to spend time outdoors.

KIKUNO: I haven't really had a strong "I want PURPLE THINGS to be like this!" vision, neither now nor in the past. For better or worse, I'm not very good at planning. Maybe it's something I'm not good at, but I created the brand with the idea that I could express myself at any given moment, so rather than planning, I hope to continue "making a positive impact." I hope that a positive "VIBE" is conveyed to the people who see it. That's the fundamental idea, and it's all there is to it.

Kyoko: That connects to what you said earlier about focusing on what you want to do, what you love, and not being too constrained, doesn't it?

KIKUNO: Because I'm not doing it for anyone else. Of course, there are customers, and the brand exists because people buy things, but I still want to do it for myself. I want to be an attractive person, and I hope that by seeing me, people will be positively influenced or feel something good. I want PURPLE THINGS, as an extension of myself, to have a positive impact on everyone.

Kyoko: Do you want to open a store overseas?

KIKUNO: Rather than putting products somewhere, I'd be happy if "PURPLE THINGS" spread to various communities and people recognized that there's a cool brand in Tokyo. When I first came back from San Francisco, it wasn't common in Japan for girls to wear men's clothes or oversized clothes, and I felt constrained. It's really tough when you can't find clothes you want to wear or buy, isn't it? There was a frustration that they weren't sold anywhere and only existed overseas. So, I thought, "Then I'll make the clothes I want to wear myself," and that's partly why I started the brand.

Kyoko: Is that why you created a brand that feels masculine?

KIKUNO: I switched to men's in the middle because I also felt I couldn't design women's clothes, and I wanted to express something only I could do as "a man's brand made by a girl." But truly, that gender border is nothing. Brands are separated by clothes, but I think either is fine. I create without much thought about borderlines, like "this looks good on girls, this looks good on boys." It's neither and it's both. Whoever wants to wear it can wear it.

Kyoko: How long ago did you come back from San Francisco?

KIKUNO: Around 2011.

Kyoko: For me, that was around my second year of working... Oh! Indeed, at that time, when you said LA, it was all about the surf style, and women wore skinny jeans with tight shirts.

KIKUNO: Exactly, and then when I started appearing in magazines, I hated being told, "You're so masculine." I wasn't trying to be "masculine." I wore men's clothes, but I wasn't "masculine." Whenever that word was used in an interview, I'd definitely redline it and reject it (laughs). I think it's a good era now where girls and boys aren't separated.

Kyoko: For a while, it was a new value and way of thinking, even expressed with terms like "gender-free" or "genderless."

KIKUNO: Exactly. But in reality, it's nothing. You don't have to be too conscious of it.

Kyoko: Like "unisex," you don't even need to say it, do you?

KIKUNO: Exactly, it's truly either. They try to separate brands by clothing, but I think either is fine. I create without much awareness of such borderlines. I don't consider at all whether "this looks good on girls, or this looks good on boys." It's neither and it's both. Anyone who wants to wear it should wear it.

Kyoko: In 2011, it was very conservative, or rather, skinny jeans were in fashion, right?

KIKUNO: Exactly, skinny, pinky, and all that. It was very hard to live in.

Kyoko: The power of magazines was strong, and when they said, "This is good!", everyone wore the same things like a uniform. They'd wear them regardless of whether they suited them or not.

KIKUNO: I also disliked everyone's lack of willpower. Immediately after returning from America, I even hated walking in Shibuya. At that time, I was very sharp-tongued and thought, "Everyone is unfashionable" (laughs). I truly thought I couldn't live in such a world. Now I wonder how fashionable I was, but I hated seeing everyone's "conformist mentality." It wasn't about whether their outfits were actually unfashionable, but rather that "everyone wanting to be the same" mentality.

Kyoko: Like, "If I wear this, I'm safe!" Right. While you weren't necessarily sending a message to those people, were you expressing your own intentions projected into "PURPLE THINGS"?

KIKUNO: Yes. I'd be happy if people who resonate with my stance follow me, but I know there are also people who don't.

KIKUNO: Well, it's wonderful, isn't it (laughs)?

Kyoko: I initially came up with the concept, and the creative director put it into these words for me. I want to appeal to women who create things themselves, who are independent and autonomous. It's not about saying everyone should become such women, but rather that this value is HAPPY, so I want to recommend it. It's been over a year since we first talked about "fmn (Forget-me-nots)," but what did you think when you heard about it?

KIKUNO: It's my first time doing a pop-up in a women's store, and it's also my first time expressing the brand's worldview through a space, so I was really looking forward to it. The collaboration rug with "fmn" was designed to incorporate fmn's key colors and be an item that allows you to feel the happy Californian atmosphere you love, right in your home. I'm very confident about it, and I really like it myself. My design skills are still immature, so there are always times when things don't go exactly as I imagined... but this time, I'm really glad we were able to create something I genuinely like together.

KIKUNO: I want everyone to come with warm hearts and excitement. I made it solely to satisfy everyone (laughs)! I want to see everyone's happy faces. I hope those who always support me feel a sense of happiness when they come. Even for people who don't know me well, I hope they'll just pop in. I haven't had the chance to show it, including the space, like this before, so I want everyone to feel the atmosphere and vibe of PURPLE THINGS.