What's your favorite item you've purchased from fmn?

When they were carrying Levi's Red Line, I bought a denim shirt, and it's so easy to wear that I wear it all year round.

This time, you created a special order item in conjunction with the opening of the Forget-me-nots Nagoya store. Please tell us about the product's unique features and points ofこだわり (こだわり - attention to detail).

This item includes two camisole colors. To match the image of Forget-me-nots, my staff and I collected photos of flowers we found in our daily lives. For example, flowers found on the way home from the atelier, or flowers found by the roadside while out and about. We made an album together for this project, like street snaps of flowers. From there, we picked out about 5 or 6 patterns, simulated the graphics, then gave the graphics to the store, and they narrowed it down to two colors, which we then incorporated into the design. It's the first time I've made a graphic camisole. It has three straps on the shoulder, and they are all different colors, which is the key point of this item.

You've created a styling that incorporates the special order item. What are the key points of the overall styling?

What I value is ease of movement and color.
I really like items with lots of colors, so I incorporated colors. And the three points are: I can run if something happens, and I can stay active.
I really like graphic items, so I layered graphics on graphic items and included graphic bags as accessories to create a lively styling.

What sneakers are you currently interested in?

Since I usually wear patterned clothes, I often choose white or single-color shoes. I basically always wear Air Force 1s, but Jordan has a lot of sporty yet cute and pop-tension shoes lined up for fall and winter, so I'm interested in those.

Where do you usually draw inspiration for your styling and fashion?

I instinctively choose things that express and complement my inner self and emotions at that moment, without needing words. For me, life and work are continuous, so what I wear in daily life and what I feel while working are linked. Being honest with myself is the most important thing, and I believe that ultimately connects directly to our creations.

Please tell us what led you to start your current activities.

I've always known since I was little that I wanted to work in fashion. I've never tried any other profession or had any other work experience. I'm always thinking about what I really want to do, what's best for me at the moment, and what makes me happy. It might sound strange to say I just realized it, but I'm truly grateful to be able to do what I'm doing now. Even when I get lost, I just do what I want to do straightforwardly. What I find enjoyable or what I can be passionate about, might seem very difficult or require a lot of energy to others, but for me, it's fun. The passion that makes you feel like no one else can do this as well as you can is something incredibly important and irreplaceable, so having that straightforwardness has been with me since I started.

As a woman, what do you constantly keep in mind or what values do you cherish daily?

There's a lot, and it's quite difficult, but for me, the most important thing is to value my feelings and intuition. To advance my career and pursue what I want, there are times when I need to be very logical, present myself with words, and act to showcase myself. When I face such situations, I often feel like the things I cherish and my abstract, intangible feelings are being stripped away. During those times, I feel very exhausted, or there are moments when I can't be the self I like. At such times, I want to be the self I like as much as possible, including my favorite fashion. So, it's very important for me to present myself not just through words, but also through my demeanor, what I wear, my facial expressions when I speak, and other non-verbal aspects. I believe women are very sensitive to these intuitive aspects, and precisely because of that, they each have very delicate expressions and nuances. I really love that about women, and I want to cherish that part of myself as well.

Please tell us your future goals.

It's been about 10 years since I started my brand, and I still want to create things other than clothes. I've had collaborations in the past, but I'd like to challenge myself to create things related to fashion other than clothes within my brand's regular line, such as footwear, lingerie, innerwear, and jewelry.

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1991. After graduating from a high school specializing in fashion in Nagoya City, she went on to ESMOD Tokyo. After graduation, she worked as a designer at an apparel company while studying at "Cocono Gakko", then returned to ESMOD AMI after leaving her job. Based in Tokyo, she launched her own brand "kotohayokozawa" in 2015. She develops experimental creations that prioritize improvisation, without being constrained by existing manufacturing and sales methods in the fashion industry.
In 2018, she won the "Tokyo New Designer Fashion Award" in the professional category. In October of the same year, she held her first show at AMAZON FASHION WEEK TOKYO.

@kotohayokozawa