What are the key points of the styling you put together using fmn items?

I don't usually wear very formal clothes, and I haven't worn a leather jacket in years. But this time, I saw some lovely clothes and wanted to try a style I don't usually do.

What sneakers did you pair with it?

The sneakers are my personal items, a Kiko Kostadinov x ASICS collaboration.

What are your usual styling preferences?

My recent theme has truly been "comfort."
I don't like to feel uncomfortable in what I wear, but lately, I've taken that too far, so I want to challenge myself with more structured, feminine clothes like the ones I just chose. I'm quite particular about accessories, like sunglasses and glasses.

What inspired you to start your brand?

I was living in New York, and you know those editorial pages in magazines? The four or five-page fashion stories at the back? I absolutely loved them, I'd always look at them in Vogue, and I thought, "I want to do that too." But I didn't have any money, so I'd approach girls on the street and ask them to model. I'd set up rooms in my house, style everything, and shoot stories constantly.
But during that time, I had no money and couldn't buy a lot of clothes. I realized I didn't have many accessories. When I realized there weren't many distinctive, large accessories, I decided to make my own. I hadn't gone to school or learned how to use a sewing machine or anything, but I'd cut cardboard to make things, or make earrings with patches, or cut fabric with patterns and shape them into various forms, combining them to make earrings. People on the street started noticing me a lot.
One time I went to a club, and a girl said to me, "I work at a store, why don't you come show me? We'd like to stock your pieces." The place I went to was Patricia Field's store, a super famous stylist. And I went to New York because I loved "Sex and the City," and she was the one who did all the styling for it.
So, the day came when my work could be stocked at the store of the stylist from the show I loved, which I'd moved to New York for. From there, things really took off.

Cycle by myob is committed to environmentally friendly manufacturing. What was the trigger that made you start thinking about environmental issues?

Becoming a mother and raising children significantly changed my perspective. Around that time, I think there was an increasing amount of media coverage about global warming. I watched a documentary about polar bears potentially going extinct in the Arctic, and it really hit me hard. After seeing that, I started to think, "Is there anything I can do in the realm of fashion?" even if it's a small contribution. Honestly, that polar bear documentary completely changed my brand's direction.

Where does your design inspiration come from?

For inspiration, I believe my past experiences and culture are very important.
I went to New York after knowing Japanese culture. New York is a place where various cultures mix—street style, of course, but also subcultures like European ones, and hippie culture. I lived in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which was full of Rasta men and jerk chicken shops. The culture I saw and felt there was huge. In the city, you'd see punks, reggae people, super street people, skaters, hippies. I think that feeling from back then still forms my original culture today.

What are the highlights of this POPUP?

The highlight is the collaborative silkscreen workshop.
We've created a few collaborative logos, which we'll have prepared as screens. We'll have several blank items available, so you can choose which garment you want to use, and together we'll decide which graphic to apply and where. Then, you'll get to silkscreen it yourself.

What values do you cherish?

I try to prioritize having fun. Sometimes I can't enjoy things even when I try. But I try to face challenges, difficulties, and obstacles with enjoyment, and overcome them lightly and easily.

Please give a message to independent, hard-working women.

Lately, I've been realizing that everything is connected. Things that were really unpleasant in the past, things I worked hard on, experiences I had—they all connect like dots, and they definitely become useful later or lead to enjoyable things. For example, people I met years ago, just casually talked to, might now reconnect and become great work partners. Things like that happen often. So, even if you're feeling bored or exhausted right now, I hope you'll try to enjoy it as much as possible, keep going without getting discouraged. And I think we should all try to live lightheartedly and enjoy ourselves.

What do you want to challenge yourself with in the future?

I actually come from a rural area, and there are empty houses near my family home, so I'd like to renovate one of those and open a small shop of my own. I hope to eventually set up a base in the countryside, not just in the city, and create an atelier or a shop there.

While in New York, she self-taught and launched the accessory brand . Upon returning to Japan, she and her colleagues opened a flagship store in Laforet Harajuku. She held pop-ups in New York, Los Angeles, London, Taipei, Shanghai, and Korea, and participated in the Paris Fashion Week Showroom.
From the 2020AW collection, she went independent and rebranded, establishing . Recycled fabrics, recycling, solar power generation, fair trade, environmental pollution, human connections, and destiny = cycle. Through this project, she aims to create opportunities by uniquely expressing environmental issues through fashion. Currently, she is researching plant dyeing, indigo dyeing, and mud dyeing.

@comi_myob