KOZABURO JAPAN

Tokyo, London and New York are three very di erent and distant cities that have all played a key role in shaping Kozaburo Akasaka’s life. He was born in Tokyo, where he built his identity and studied philosophy before dropping out to pursue a career in fashion. London is the place he dreamt of when he was a teenager interested in the music of the ’80s and ’90s, and where he graduated in menswear. And New York is where he worked for Thom Browne, obtained his master’s degree and established his label. “My aesthetic is based on honesty: I design clothes that I want to wear myself. And I try to make timeless, basic products that last for a very long time,” declares Kozaburo, who won a special prize from LVMH in 2017. Sustainability has always come very naturally to him: “When I was a child, my mother taught me the concept of ‘Mottainai’, which means ‘waste nothing’.” Talking about materials, he says he prefers decomposable bres sourced mainly from Japan. “I get wool from Nagoya and denim from Okayama,” states the designer. “But I also go to vintage shops and collect pieces of old pairs of jeans, and then I sew them together to build new garments that usually have quite a slim and high-waisted t.” For Akasaka, denim is assuredly the most glorious fabric in history: “Even if jeans are a mass item, when you wear them for a while, they become completely unique. They actually change and re ect how you’ve used them. They become yours and only yours.” •