AME's has now launched a series of funky dreamy collection that is inspired by Tsumori Chisato. Stay tuned!
Love,
AME's
Tsumori Chisato may be known for her flowing fabrics, colorful embroidery and cult following among fashion-conscious young women, but that’s only half the story of her rise to the top of the Tokyo fashion world. A former protégé of Issey Miyake, Tsumori has spent the past 20 years keeping a firm grip on the latest Japanese street trends, surrounding herself with talented people and putting in long hours at her atelier.
Tsumori’s first career break came when she attracted the attention of Miyake, but it was her mother who encouraged her to pursue a career in fashion after seeing the clothes she made for her dolls. After graduating in 1976 from Japan’s top fashion academy, Bunka Fukusogakuin, Tsumori worked on the now defunct Issey Sport line before getting her own brand, I.S. Chisato Tsumori Design, in 1983.
Tsumori is hardly a verbose woman, but when it comes to talking about her mentor, she verges on gushing. “Issey-san has granted me so many precious chances,” she says. “He’s like a master and a father to me. I’m obstinate and not the type of person to listen to other people’s opinions but I still have Issey’s wondrous words here in my heart.”
Indeed, Tsumori recalls with fondness anecdotes such as the time she spray-painted an old basket she found in the company warehouse, only to find out it was a valuable and treasured part of her mentor’s antique collection. “Even when he said harsh things it gave me a new energy and vigor,” she recalls. But above all, she says emphatically, “Issey-san taught me the way a designer should be.”
Under the umbrella of A-Net, the sprawling sister company of the Issey Miyake firm, the Tsumori Chisato brand as it exists today first came into being in 1990. It now has six stand-alone boutiques and 35 in-store concessions in Japan, one boutique in Paris and another in Hong Kong. Tsumori’s husband handles license deals for footwear line Tsumori Chisato Walk and other fashion accessories under the name Tsumori Chisato etc. Establishing a name that sells so well is no mean feat. But this business-savvy mother of a teenage son has spent two decades honing her reputation on a delicate combination of folksy looks and modern street chic. Her signatures are patchworks of fabrics like silk and chiffon, colorful embroidery and delicate hand knits, more often than not in her trademark bold colors of pink, turquoise and purple. The designer herself describes her work as “sexy but cute and funny,” three adjectives that strike a deep resonance with fashion-savvy young women in Asia, France and beyond.
The label’s biannual show is one of the few in Tokyo to attract attention from overseas press, particularly from Taiwan and Hong Kong, where Tsumori Chisato is held in particularly high esteem. As her brand gains an ever larger international following, the pressure on Tsumori to quietly abandon the Tokyo Collections has grown ever stronger. But the designer replied with a stern “no comment” when quizzed about rampant speculation that, like fellow A-Net stablemate Zucca, Tsumori Chisato will be shown on the Paris catwalks from next season.
Having fun while she works is an element of the Tsumori mentality that has made working for her a highly attractive proposition. In a recent survey by Women’s Wear Daily, A-Net came out as the company fashion school graduates want to work for the most, making the Tsumori Chisato team possibly the most coveted position in the industry. One of this superwoman’s most celebrated attributes is an ability to surround herself with extremely able and talented people. When it comes to choosing her staff, she says, “I want people who are on the same wavelength, that kind of temperament. Also people who are interesting to work with, that’s an essential point.”
津 森千里在日本是设计比赛常胜将军，1976年自出产时装猛人的东京文化服装学院毕业后，次年立刻成为三宅一生的助手。她得过Kanebo Japan Award、Soen Award 、Fashion New Star Awards等众多设计大奖。1990年，她创立了同名品牌，1999年在日本开设了首间专门店。2000年，是津森千里的一个重要转折点，在这一年里以 她个人名字命名的品牌时装秀首次登上东京举办的时装发布会。2003年10月13日，她在巴黎举行时装发表会，立刻获得欧美时尚评论界的好评。次年，津森 千里的春夏系列终于登上了国际品牌之列。
星星、月亮、太阳、花朵、跳舞的小女孩、美人鱼这些美丽的童话图案，是津森千里作品不变的主题。 这位设计师以少女般天真而梦幻的风格在日本年轻人心中获得了流行教母的头衔。日本《纤研新闻》以日本全国学生为基准的“流行意识调查”，针对“最喜爱的设 计师”以及“最喜爱的品牌”两项做问卷，结果“最喜爱的设计师”由津森千里连续三年蝉联第一，打败了第二名John Galliano 及第三名山本耀司。
从小喜欢画画的津森千里 对于设计的看法，就是有趣和好玩儿。对她来说，设计自己想穿的漂亮裙子，凭借自己心情来选择颜色的工作非常有趣，而买她衣服的人应该和她有相同的看法。
津 森千里的设计内核来自于传统的日本和服文化，和服上的印花和颜色的搭配成了她设计灵感的源泉。近年来，她又开始运用亚洲元素。去年秋冬的津森千里服饰系列 灵感源自于1920年亚洲的文化，深受中国、不丹和日本等地的文化影响的津森千里在整个系列中加入了龙、老虎、神仙及云彩等富东方神话色彩的图像，又以中 国水墨画演绎世外桃源、喜马拉雅山等风景，配合阔手袖、中国小凤仙设计和复古盘扣，体现出别样的东方神韵。此外，津森千里还在设计中加入了1920年最流 行的 art deco 几何构图，感觉古典怀旧，整个系列看来，便宛若经历时光流转一般。
Photo credit: Courtesy of Tsumori Chisato
Love,
AME's
Tsumori Chisato may be known for her flowing fabrics, colorful embroidery and cult following among fashion-conscious young women, but that’s only half the story of her rise to the top of the Tokyo fashion world. A former protégé of Issey Miyake, Tsumori has spent the past 20 years keeping a firm grip on the latest Japanese street trends, surrounding herself with talented people and putting in long hours at her atelier.
Tsumori’s first career break came when she attracted the attention of Miyake, but it was her mother who encouraged her to pursue a career in fashion after seeing the clothes she made for her dolls. After graduating in 1976 from Japan’s top fashion academy, Bunka Fukusogakuin, Tsumori worked on the now defunct Issey Sport line before getting her own brand, I.S. Chisato Tsumori Design, in 1983.
Tsumori is hardly a verbose woman, but when it comes to talking about her mentor, she verges on gushing. “Issey-san has granted me so many precious chances,” she says. “He’s like a master and a father to me. I’m obstinate and not the type of person to listen to other people’s opinions but I still have Issey’s wondrous words here in my heart.”
Indeed, Tsumori recalls with fondness anecdotes such as the time she spray-painted an old basket she found in the company warehouse, only to find out it was a valuable and treasured part of her mentor’s antique collection. “Even when he said harsh things it gave me a new energy and vigor,” she recalls. But above all, she says emphatically, “Issey-san taught me the way a designer should be.”
Under the umbrella of A-Net, the sprawling sister company of the Issey Miyake firm, the Tsumori Chisato brand as it exists today first came into being in 1990. It now has six stand-alone boutiques and 35 in-store concessions in Japan, one boutique in Paris and another in Hong Kong. Tsumori’s husband handles license deals for footwear line Tsumori Chisato Walk and other fashion accessories under the name Tsumori Chisato etc. Establishing a name that sells so well is no mean feat. But this business-savvy mother of a teenage son has spent two decades honing her reputation on a delicate combination of folksy looks and modern street chic. Her signatures are patchworks of fabrics like silk and chiffon, colorful embroidery and delicate hand knits, more often than not in her trademark bold colors of pink, turquoise and purple. The designer herself describes her work as “sexy but cute and funny,” three adjectives that strike a deep resonance with fashion-savvy young women in Asia, France and beyond.
The label’s biannual show is one of the few in Tokyo to attract attention from overseas press, particularly from Taiwan and Hong Kong, where Tsumori Chisato is held in particularly high esteem. As her brand gains an ever larger international following, the pressure on Tsumori to quietly abandon the Tokyo Collections has grown ever stronger. But the designer replied with a stern “no comment” when quizzed about rampant speculation that, like fellow A-Net stablemate Zucca, Tsumori Chisato will be shown on the Paris catwalks from next season.
Having fun while she works is an element of the Tsumori mentality that has made working for her a highly attractive proposition. In a recent survey by Women’s Wear Daily, A-Net came out as the company fashion school graduates want to work for the most, making the Tsumori Chisato team possibly the most coveted position in the industry. One of this superwoman’s most celebrated attributes is an ability to surround herself with extremely able and talented people. When it comes to choosing her staff, she says, “I want people who are on the same wavelength, that kind of temperament. Also people who are interesting to work with, that’s an essential point.”
津 森千里在日本是设计比赛常胜将军，1976年自出产时装猛人的东京文化服装学院毕业后，次年立刻成为三宅一生的助手。她得过Kanebo Japan Award、Soen Award 、Fashion New Star Awards等众多设计大奖。1990年，她创立了同名品牌，1999年在日本开设了首间专门店。2000年，是津森千里的一个重要转折点，在这一年里以 她个人名字命名的品牌时装秀首次登上东京举办的时装发布会。2003年10月13日，她在巴黎举行时装发表会，立刻获得欧美时尚评论界的好评。次年，津森 千里的春夏系列终于登上了国际品牌之列。
星星、月亮、太阳、花朵、跳舞的小女孩、美人鱼这些美丽的童话图案，是津森千里作品不变的主题。 这位设计师以少女般天真而梦幻的风格在日本年轻人心中获得了流行教母的头衔。日本《纤研新闻》以日本全国学生为基准的“流行意识调查”，针对“最喜爱的设 计师”以及“最喜爱的品牌”两项做问卷，结果“最喜爱的设计师”由津森千里连续三年蝉联第一，打败了第二名John Galliano 及第三名山本耀司。
从小喜欢画画的津森千里 对于设计的看法，就是有趣和好玩儿。对她来说，设计自己想穿的漂亮裙子，凭借自己心情来选择颜色的工作非常有趣，而买她衣服的人应该和她有相同的看法。
津 森千里的设计内核来自于传统的日本和服文化，和服上的印花和颜色的搭配成了她设计灵感的源泉。近年来，她又开始运用亚洲元素。去年秋冬的津森千里服饰系列 灵感源自于1920年亚洲的文化，深受中国、不丹和日本等地的文化影响的津森千里在整个系列中加入了龙、老虎、神仙及云彩等富东方神话色彩的图像，又以中 国水墨画演绎世外桃源、喜马拉雅山等风景，配合阔手袖、中国小凤仙设计和复古盘扣，体现出别样的东方神韵。此外，津森千里还在设计中加入了1920年最流 行的 art deco 几何构图，感觉古典怀旧，整个系列看来，便宛若经历时光流转一般。
Photo credit: Courtesy of Tsumori Chisato
