The face of C inspired by B DARK GRAY [Only offline store]

During my trip to Paris for the AW24 showroom, we also took the opportunity to shoot the collection there. As always, I worked with photographer Naoya Matsumoto, who mentioned that once the shoot was over, he wanted to visit Brancusi’ s studio.

When we headed there together, we found it closed for renovations. Instead, we ended up exploring a photography exhibition at the Pompidou Centre.

Five months later, when I returned to Paris for the SS25 exhibition, I was surprised to find that the Pompidou Centre was hosting a Brancusi exhibition.

I was deeply captivated by the delicate yet bold nature of Brancusi’ s work—the beauty, the raw power, and the way his sculptures have the ability to startle the viewer. Even after returning to Japan, I couldn’ t stop thinking about his pieces, particularly the reclining face sculpture. I wanted to translate that motif into knitwear, but soon realised that, due to copyright concerns, I would need to alter the face.

That’ s when I thought of my friend C. Her smooth features seemed to align with the aesthetic of Brancusi’ s polished sculptures. When I asked her about it, she told me that after visiting my studio and seeing a Brancusi book, she had been so intrigued that she tried to buy one hersel, but hadn’ t been able to find it.

With this unexpected connection, I eventually designed a jumper featuring a portrait inspired by Brancusi but based on C’ s face.

Brancusi’ s approach to materiality—pairing elements that feel both harmonious and subtly disruptive—also influenced my choice of yarn. I experimented with different material combinations both personally and with the factory, until I arrived at this final selection.

I’ m particularly fond of the way the face is positioned at the hem of the sweater—it feels just right.