FASCINATE

The collection primarily focuses on ecru and black colors while selecting lightweight fabrics with the season in mind.

The silhouettes range from regular fits to casual yet refined styles, aiming to offer a natural sense of ease in styling.

Before starting the design process, I always set my own image or direction.

Regarding design itself, as a fashion brand, I believe it's not just about incorporating the current trends; it's about creating designs based on my own sensibility, regardless of the season.

We don't often consider compatibility with past season's products during the season, as I believe in creating a simple seasonal image that remains true to myself, just as we did when the brand was founded.

While I understand that thoroughly adhering to a major theme in design can enhance the clarity of a collection and its direction as a presentation, DEVOA remains consistent with its original philosophy.

We produce designs based on a balance of what I personally want to wear and my own sensibilities, rather than following a rigid theme.

It's like enjoying a meal; my preferences may not change drastically over time, but I might get bored if it's always the same.

Many people who have invested a considerable amount in a certain category of clothing are often interested in items that are "ordinary but not ordinary-looking" or "ordinary-looking but not ordinary" in terms of fashion.

Looking back 12 years ago, I realize that my design expressions were more straightforward. As I've grown older, I've experienced the difficulty of creating clothing using higher-quality fabrics.

While our philosophy remains the same, I believe our designs have evolved to become simpler, with a greater focus on internal structural processing, including interfacing and sewing.

In fact, the personality and humanity of the creator are reflected in meticulously crafted products, just like they are in meals.

This is not just about fashion; it applies to any product.

The way one thinks about and cares for a product, including the attention to detail and empathy,can be felt through the product itself.

If we don't notice small things, we can't evolve for the better, and without empathy, we can't consider the needs of the wearer or user.

While it may sound a bit forceful, we often tell our staff that "awareness is a person's value." Knowledge and skills can be learned, but manners, empathy, and awareness are difficult to teach and acquire.

While this may seem like I have digressed from the topic of design, whether it's designing products or creating them, whether it's clothing or cooking, planning, or any form of customer service or manufacturing, ultimately, the mindset and empathy of the person doing it are the most important factors.

This was an interview about design ideas for the simple season of 24SS, I apologize for going off track.

For tops, we primarily focus on regular fits.

As for pants, we produced a range of styles including slim, jogger, curved (shaped like a stag beetle's horns), and loose cropped pants.

We are creating emphasis on baggy pants, which are currently popular in fashion.

Creating baggy pants was particularly challenging because the appearance can vary significantly depending on the fabric, making it difficult to gauge the amount of fabric needed.

Regarding the hems, we use DEVOA's unique morning cut technique.

I encourage you to check out the actual products to experience their features firsthand and enjoy the assistance from our sales staff.

In terms of sewing, we produced products using pressure bonding sewing of natural fibers.

We sourced materials for pressure bonding from overseas and went through numerous tests before achieving the final products.

This process provided a good opportunity to learn many aspects such as seam processing and trimming of interfacing, rather than focusing solely on waterproofing.

Although it's something we do regularly, interfacing and sewing need to be adjusted according to the fabric and pattern, so it's not limited to just this time.

I believe we found many opportunities for improving the quality of future DEVOA products and identified several tasks for our next steps.

Aside from the background of the connection between TEIJIN Frontier and our company, we were able to find materials that are not used in fashion and materials with high functionality, so we asked TEIJIN Frontier to produce them for us.

We asked TEIJIN Frontier to produce the fabrics because we could find materials and high-functional materials that are not used in the fashion industry.

In particular, the jersey material called Wavelon was originally a fabric for wedding dresses.

The drape and drape of the fabric was originally intended for wedding dresses, but it was made to have the same properties and mix ratio as the normal dress material, which would have drowned when photographed underwater.

The fabric was produced in black because it was only available in pure white, but due to the nature of the yarn, it cannot be dyed black, so it has become that color (sumi-black).

This material is not used in the fashion industry, but I think it has many features such as abrasion resistance and stretchability.

The price of the fabric is twice that of regular jersey material, so it cannot be used continuously on our company's scale, but we are very satisfied with the production this time.

Before the impact of COVID-19, we used to share the Paris exhibition venue with『incarnation』and conduct exhibitions together.

While we had some joint overseas clients and shared some stores, the period we spent together was very stimulating, and we enjoyed conducting exhibitions.

During conversations with Mr. Ogawa, the designer of『incarnation』, about leather products and other matters, I was genuinely drawn to the charm of his footwear products, which led us to request a collaboration together.

For this production, we provided the design and shoe lasts, and we entrusted Mr. Ogawa with many requests, including some challenging ones. He responded sincerely, and we are very satisfied with the finished product.

I wore the samples during a business trip to Paris and received inquiries about them everywhere I went, including hotels.

While the design is simple, I believe we've created distinctively unique products.

Although it wasn't included with the samples, we have also produced original shoelaces.

Using GORE-TEX thread, we created laces that are durable and have secure knots, and I would be delighted if customers could enjoy the actual products.

The shoes will come with two types of shoelaces for the oxfords: cotton and GORE-TEX thread.

The overlapping collaborations were my own proposal, but it feels like a coincidence or perfect timing.

I will explain the background of ISO on another occasion, but I don't think this collaboration with Mr. Ogawa from『incarnation 』would have happened without the experience of exhibiting together.

I am always grateful for the mysterious connections I encounter.

Even in terms of simple production, I have learned a lot.

apologize if I seem to be writing the same thing every time.

While we produce new items each season, I personally feel that not much has changed overall.

It's challenging to consistently pursue what I can do within my own pace, so even after 16 years since the brand's inception, I still feel like I'm on a journey toward my dream.

I am grateful to those who choose DEVOA among the multitude of clothing options available each season. I am thankful for their support and will continue to enjoy and strive to protect the company, both for myself and for them.

With heartfelt gratitude.