Meeting Josie
Josie Natori. She looks ageless, looking almost the same as she did years ago when she first came to Cebu—when that was, she cannot remember. Short-haired, very slim and very vibrant. She was in Cebu again to introduce her Spring / Summer 2016 collection at Rustan’s in Ayala Center Cebu. Sun.Star Cebu was privileged to have an interview with her.
Jenara Regis Newman (JRN): You look ageless. How do you keep trim?
Jose Almeda Natori (JAN): I exercise three times a week. It’s tiring but it is necessary and I watch what I eat. JRN: You are based in New York. How often do you come to the Philippines? JAN: Since my father died two years ago, I have been coming every month for my mother. She’s 92. JRN: You have different brands: Josie Natori, Natori, Josie and N. Natori. What differentiates one from the other?
JAN: Natori is the mother brand, that started it all. Josie Natori is high-end and luxurious. Josie is contemporary, young. N. Natori is still Natori but more affordable, universal; for every day. I also have home products under these brands and I also have a fashion jewelry line.
JRN: What inspires your designs?
JAN: East-West sensibility, this goes for my huge collection of art be it textile, costumes. I am inspired by works of art from what I acquire in travels to Japan, Morocco, Turkey, India. I have always been drawn to the rich culture of the east, like the origami of Japan. You see, through the years, things that identify Natori is something Asian about the creations, be it the shape, the color, the pattern of different cultures— Japanese, Chinese. I love to bring art into life. I like that you can go out with it in your daily life. You live with it every day by making art into something you incorporate in what you use.
JRN: Do you design your own textiles?
JAN: I design textiles and work with the manufacturer to develop my fabric. I have a design team in New York and in Manila. Eighty percent of Natori products are made in the Philippines.
After the short chat, Josie then went to her boutique in Rustan’s to show what she meant by Eastern sensibility. She showed her clothes, her home products, her fashion jewelry, and then she was off, to a more pressing engagement: the mini fashion show of her collection. (CONTRIBUTED FOTO)