Tomo Koizumi - Designer

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This thread is to discuss and post the work of Tomo Koizumi, and the expansion of his label.



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Japanese designer and fashion week sensation Tomo Koizumi on his overnight rise, and staying grounded while thinking big

    • Lady Gaga wore him in 2016, but it was a chance Instagram post five months ago that propelled the 30-year-old to Madison Avenue and fashion’s big time
    • Recognised for his flamboyant gowns, he has since dressed Miley Cyrus, picked up a slew of orders, and is designing singer Miriam Yeung’s tour costumes
Vincenzo La Torre

Published: 6:00am, 20 Mar, 2019

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Koizumi was in Hong Kong to work with actress and singer Miriam Yeung, who commissioned him to create outfits for her world tour.

Before his show at New York Fashion Week, Koizumi had become the go-to designer for many Japanese pop stars, including the female members of Dreams Come True, making costumes for their concerts and music videos.

“I really like to make big gowns, but in Japan nobody wears them as there are no galas. I still wanted to make something big and extravagant, so the only way for me to fit in the Japanese market was to dress singers for performances,” he says.

The first international celebrity he dressed was Lady Gaga, who famously paired one of his gowns with a hat covered in Vote stickers while leaving Narita International Airport in Tokyo during the 2016 US presidential election campaign.

Working with only one assistant in a studio in the Nakameguro district of Tokyo, Koizumi hand-sews all his pieces. In spite of their grandeur, his dresses are made of Japanese polyester, which is very sturdy and can even be washed.

“It’s easy to get and affordable and I want to elevate this normal material that’s so common in Japan,” says Koizumi. “As a costume designer, I need to make sure that the clothes are easy to handle because they’re worn for performances.”

Koizumi never harboured ambitions to make it onto the world stage, until a fateful encounter in October 2018, when Sara Maino, an editor at Italian Vogue, spotted his work and posted an image on Instagram. In a sort of domino effect, the photo was re-posted several times, catching the attention of British designer Giles Deacon, who showed it to stylist Katie Grand.

Grand used a few of Koizumi’s dresses in a Love Magazine shoot featuring model Kaia Gerber. One thing led to another and before you know it, Koizumi and Grand started a private conversation on Instagram. “She suggested we do something together and in just 30 minutes we decided to do a show,” recalls Koizumi. “At first we were talking about London, but then she said that in New York it would be easier to get support.”

Grand, who is a long-time collaborator of designer Marc Jacobs, enlisted top talent such as make-up artist Pat McGrath and hair stylist Guido Palau to work on Koizumi’s show. Jacobs provided his Madison Avenue store as the show venue, where models such as Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski, and actress Gwendoline Christie, walked down a staircase clad in Koizumi’s confections, making for one of those fashion moments that are rare these days. Everyone provided their services free of charge.

“I can’t thank them enough, especially Katie. She did so much for me,” says Koizumi, who flew to New York after shipping 28 looks in three boxes a few days before the big event.

While he is aware that his clothes are not very commercial, Koizumi has already attracted the attention of buyers from stores such as Joyce in Hong Kong and Selfridges in London.

“I think that eventually I’ll make exclusive collections and collaborations with stores, but not a full commercial line, at least not for now,” he says. “I want to keep doing custom orders.”

It didn’t take long for those orders to come. Thai fashion consultant Nichapat Suphap asked Koizumi to design a couture gown to wear at the Met Ball this year, and jewellery designer Lynn Ban also placed an order. Koizumi has recently dressed singer Miley Cyrus and is considering collaborations with a shoe brand and an eyewear label.

While Koizumi is still wide-eyed when talking about the fast trajectory that turned him into an overnight sensation, he admits that he has to figure out how to evolve his signature style to avoid being pigeonholed for his ruffled look.

“I keep thinking about this,” he says. “I know that I’m known for my ruffles, but I want to keep this signature and develop it in different ways. I’m not a big brand that has to sell all kinds of clothing, so I can only do this for now.”

He is already in discussions with the organisers of a major fashion week in one of the four fashion capitals for a second show and is planning a showroom presentation during Paris Fashion Week next season.

As for what to expect next, Koizumi can hardly hide his enthusiasm. “I want my next collection to be even bigger – bigger dresses and more extravagant – because I think that the reason Katie invited me to do the show is that I’ve been following my dream and I want to keep doing that. And so, as the dream gets bigger, maybe even my dresses will get bigger,” he says.

“Even if I end up failing, at least I know that I did what I wanted to do and followed my dream.”

South China Morning Post

 
PUCCI ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH JAPANESE DESIGNER TOMO KOIZUMI

written by Freya Drohan September 8, 2020

Italian luxury brand Emilio Pucci has created a unique capsule collection with LVMH prize 2020 joint winner Tomo Koizumi for Spring Summer ’21.

Following the success of Koché x Pucci, the Florence-based brand has invited the rising designer—who could forget his incredible debut at NYFW with those colorful tulle gowns—to put his stamp on the house’s DNA.

The Tomo Koizumi x Pucci capsule will be revealed with a short film presented during Milan Fashion Week, on Sept. 26, alongside the main Pucci show.

Pucci stated in a release, “Tomo Koizumi…has been entrusted to interpret Pucci’s unique heritage. Tomo is a kind of magician, crossing his beautiful technique with a fanciful and dreamy vision of womanhood. In a dialogue with the Pucci creative team, he will be adding his spectacular and fun touch to this SS21 Pucci sophisticated and highly feminine collection.”

The Tokyo-based designer added that the opportunity was a “dream come true”.

“I have always desired to collaborate with a fashion house with such a rich heritage like Pucci. It has been a great pleasure to have the opportunity to get inspired by the timeless beauty of the Marquis Emilio Pucci styles and the perfect harmony of brand’s colors,” he said.

The collection will be available to purchase from March 2021.

Fashionweekdaily
 
System Issue 14 2019

Momentum: Tomo Koizumi


Photographer: Juergen Teller
Stylist: Vanessa Reid
Hair: Syd Hayes
Makeup: Miranda Joyce
Cast: Tomo Koizumi, Charlie Fox, Jeongmo Ku, Lily McMenamy, Jean Nkiru, Niko Riam, Victoria Sin, Ying












System Digital Edition
 
Surprise surprise-- no interest in everything Tomo LOL

What he’s doing is… cute. More power to him but frankly, it really doesn’t take creative talent nor experienced skills: It’s the epitome of a feel-good gimmick that already feels stale.

(If he does expend to RTW, I can already see the same cottoncandy-colored ruffles— just in basics like minis/tees/tanks. Rinse and repeat.)
 
Surprise surprise-- no interest in everything Tomo LOL

What he’s doing is… cute. More power to him but frankly, it really doesn’t take creative talent nor experienced skills: It’s the epitome of a feel-good gimmick that already feels stale.

(If he does expend to RTW, I can already see the same cottoncandy-colored ruffles— just in basics like minis/tees/tanks. Rinse and repeat.)

But...but...he's Japanese!?! Don't people on here like the work of Japanese designers by default? LOL.

I'm keen to see how he'll expand with his work. I mean, you can only garishly coloured puffy ruffles for so long, right?
 
Don't people on here like the work of Japanese designers by default? LOL.
Shamelessly poking my nose in this thread I have no interest on: nope, I think there was always a big gap between the more serious/artisanal work of Japanese designers (e.g. Suzuki Takayuki, all the Rei-approved ones, etc) and.. stuff like this, or like mercibeaucoup, which has been showing consistently for years and years.. it's just nobody (in the West anyway) cares.* I don't even know what's happening here but in the case of mercibeaucoup, I'm sure there are some cultural barriers for me, it's too.. too much?.

There's also Tsumori Chisato, who is good, fairly successful and used to be covered here every season but doesn't receive much attention because, I guess she's too light-hearted?. Same for Zucca, which I did love.

*eta
 
But...but...he's Japanese!?! Don't people on here like the work of Japanese designers by default? LOL.
NO! It's the Belgians we worship, not the Japanese. Remember whatsiface, who could always be counted on to always write crap like, "Well, you know, this collection draws more from Thomas Van Den Bogenhaagens 1996 mens collections than from the actual Chanel archives"
 
NO! It's the Belgians we worship, not the Japanese. Remember whatsiface, who could always be counted on to always write crap like, "Well, you know, this collection draws more from Thomas Van Den Bogenhaagens 1996 mens collections than from the actual Chanel archives"

Yes, of course the Belgians too. Mulletproof flatout said they've contributed the most to fashion - don't even deny it!
 
^ ugh, I skipped a beat for a second thinking you had dug out one of my posts from like 2006. What a relief. I stand by everything I said in 2017. Just a few PC rides later: I'm sorry I simultaneously called Belgians 'an insignificant population' lol..

Also, nobody likes Walter, let's just finally come clean.
 
^^^ Walter Van Beirendonck?

I like him. I wouldn’t wear anything of his— but I like him well enough. He’s like a big old gay Bluto-come-to-life ( I mean, there’s a whole population of gay Blutos out there, but he’s especially cartoony-looking as are his fashions). There’s a whole host of designers I wouldn’t wear even if I were given the stuff for free, but they add a much needed “diversity” (that word gives me hives) to the fashionscape. And frankly, Tomo is giving that sort of simple joy right now, as basic as he may be. And much like Slick Woods, he’ll be gone in a flash.
 
Don't be nasty, lol, this is a Tomo Koizumi appreciation thread and now we're talking Belgians and Bluto.
In that System feature, Tomo actually spoke about how hard it is for him to do what he does in Japan, which was why he went to NY and found the response so impressive. Well, Katie Grand must've helped with that too. I suppose in a sense it's snobbism on their part of the Japanese which in itself if odd because his looks are not too far off from the Harajuku girls which practically kept the country on fashion's radar for years, decades if you will.
 
Well, Katie Grand must've helped with that too.
nothing against this guy (lol at the 'Slick Woods of design') but this association isn't helping!.. somewhere between this and that Hans Ulrich Obrist touch and of course Lady Gaga.. and my nose transforms like when people rave about urotherapy.
 
^^^LOL

Well of course he had to go to the US-- thats' where all the basic, gimmick-laden ones are: Birds of a feather and all that.
 
Emilio Pucci joins forces with Tomo Koizumi for capsule collection

BY Dominique Muret
TRANSLATED BY Nicola Mira

Emilio Pucci has announced its latest collaboration. The Italian luxury label owned by the LVMH group has invited Tomotoka Koizumi to create its next capsule collection. The talented Japanese designer, who leads his own womenswear label, Tomo Koizumi, was a finalist at the LVMH Prize this year. As such, he was a joint winner of the prize’s seventh edition which, owing to the lockdown in France, was exceptionally awarded to all eight finalists.




Tomo Koizumi - photo by Tim Walker

French designer Christelle Kocher, founder of the Koché label, was the first to feature in a collaboration with Emilio Pucci. The Florentine label has been without a creative director since 2017 and, last season, it decided to team up with external designers to reinterpret its archive collections.

Koizumi has been a fashion enthusiast since age 14, when he set eyes on the Christian Dior couture collection for summer 2004 by John Galliano. He is still relatively unknown to the general public, but his womenswear label Tomo Koizumi has already caught the luxury industry's eye. A costume designer by training, Koizumi has dressed several artists and celebrities, among them Lady Gaga in 2016. He launched his own label in Tokyo in 2011, after a buyer placed an order with him for a model he designed as a student.

Koizumi’s voluminous, sculptural couture-style creations in polyester organza, embellished with brightly coloured frills and flounces, won over British journalist and designer Katie Grand, who helped Koizumi stage a first catwalk show at the Marc Jacobs store in New York, in February 2019. The event was a big hit and, after another show in September, Koizumi’s name was on the map.

“Tomo is something of a magician, blending together fine craftsmanship with a fantastically oneiric vision of femininity. Sharing ideas with Pucci’s creative team, he will add his own spectacular, amusing touch to this sophisticated, highly feminine Spring/Summer 2021 collection by Pucci,” stated the label in a press release.

The Tomo Koizumi x Pucci capsule collection will be unveiled with a short film released for the Milan Fashion Week on September 26 2020. The film will also present Emilio Pucci’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection. The models created by the Japanese designer will be available at Emilio Pucci stores worldwide and at selected retail partners from March 2021.

Fashion Network
 
He's lucky he's kind of cute in a cuddly way, otherwise I would feel compeled to write even meaner things about his work.
 
He's lucky he's kind of cute in a cuddly way, otherwise I would feel compeled to write even meaner things about his work.

Hahaha, telling it like it is since May 26, 2016, whether we like it or not.

I don't see the 'hot Asian bear/daddy' vibes that all his followers constantly bang on about, just intrigued by the buzz. And it' looks like it will pay off for him. This stint with Pucci is likely a test run for LVMH.
 

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