“I made the uniform by picturing a world that is unfamiliar to me”

During this project, I always kept in mind to think about the users and wearers of the uniform I was designing. Although it wasn’t possible for me to see them actually doing a window display or decorating store interior, I had several face-to-face discussions with them and developed my design by imagining how they work in the outfit. Of course it required me to take a completely different approach from the one for my seasonal collections. For the latter, I develop my creative ideas based on things I know or I’ve seen before. When designing Ibuki’s uniform, on the other hand, I made it by picturing a world that is unfamiliar to me. To compensate my lack of actual experiences in the industry with my imagination, I even did my everyday work in a prototype uniform at my NYC office. But it was really difficult to determine the details and fitting because the outfit is for both men and women with various body types. I wished I could have redone it over and over again, but, realistically speaking, we cannot make so many prototypes for one design. However, it was also the most interesting part of this project. Researching, thinking and imagining a world you don’t know are such fun things to do.

“I designed it to be simple without excess details and colors, while placing emphasis on the charm of fabric aging”

As for the design, I reflected Ibuki’s requests and ideas as much as possible. There are many things that only real wearers can understand, so I gave priority especially to those. Because I was planning to use an American factory to produce the attire, I chose a fabric practically used for uniforms made in the U.S. Such a cotton-poly material with stain-proof finish is still popular in the American market, so incorporating it in my design was the first thing I thought to do. Utility and durability are considered as the important features of American uniforms, but only some particular military outfits have those at the highest level. It can be said that such randomness and easiness make U.S.-made uniforms more attractive. I designed mine to be simple without excess details and colors, while placing emphasis on the charm of fabric aging. Though I believe I could successfully combine the details of workwear and other types of outfits I’ve seen so far into one uniform, the honest reaction of the wearers is my top concern. I’d like to ask what they think when I meet them next time. All the people working at Ibuki have excellent taste and are meticulous at work, knowing how to work as a team. I think it comes from their outstanding personalities, just like the company’s CEO. While designing their new uniform, I often admired their strong commitment not to settle for minor details. I would be more than happy if I could have a chance to make an improved version of the uniform someday, reflecting feedbacks from the wearers and my experience from this time. First, I’d like to see how it will look like in a few years from now. I am now looking forward to that day.