SHOHEI Interview on NASTY MAGAZINE
COLLIDING DISTANCE Editorial & Interivew NASTY MAGAZINE
CLICK THE LINK TO read the interview and to view the editorial
Tell us more about your connection with Japanese culture and how did the name SHOHEI came about.
I’ve always been fascinated by foreign cultures, sociology & anthropology. It happened that I was hired by a big Japanese fashion-house where I had been working for the last years. During this time I also met my Japanese business-partner and partner in life, who’s name is Shohei, too. He once told me that the name SHOHEI means ‘world-peace’. When starting the label, it came to my mind again and thought it is a quite suitable name for a brand creating womens and menswear clothing and in the same time I wanted to create a label build on a meaningful message.
You have a background in menswear fashion-design, how does this affect your creations?
During studying MA fashion & technology menswear at the London College of Fashion I was able to learn from one of the most important tailoring lecturers that London has. The way menswear is constructed has affected the way I design womenswear in many ways. Especially thinking of quality, function and traditional rules of garment making etc.
Is there any particular experience that inspired your creative process lately?
The A/W17 Collection was inspired by the science fiction book of Aldous Huxley ‘BRAVE NEW WORLD’ describing a world engineered by government, giving up individuality in order to achieve economical prosperity. The main character of the book is an outsider, not fitting in the society described in ‘BRAVE NEW WORLD’. This character shows the niches of any system which tries to program nature and humans themselves. The book which was written in 1932 has touched me as it made me realize it’s describing a vision of the which has become today’s world’s reality. AW17 collection holds various metaphors of the world which has always a niche – place for individuality and freedom.
Craftsmanship & artisan crafts vs. technology & machines. How do you see a key value in fashion as “handmade” in an ideal future?
To me, craftsmanship & technology go hand in hand. Any sort of craft has its own technology and uses its own machinery. Archaic cultures have built their own tools in order to create. In an ideal process handcrafted work and modern technology machines would enhance each other to create a garment unique with a long lasting life. What hands can do machines will never be able to do and the other way around. Therefore both are needed in order to create a long-life sustainable but also a unique product.
How do you see sustainability in fashion?
To me the most important factor which comes is to use and create everything with respect and make things with a long lasting life. How come the garments of our grandparents last until today and the ones produced in today’s world do not last longer than a season, a year or two. in a world where we have all machinery to create long lasting products?
Imagine that you have the power to change one thing in the current fashion industry, what would you choose?
There are many things that could be changed but one thing I would wish for is a way to communicate higher transparency on the supply-chain along with a better way of end-consumer communication. More money runs into advertisement than the real value – the people who make the materials and clothes. People buy products because of advertisement rather than because of the real value of the product. The focus should be set on what can make our planet sustain and what is the values of products and those who make them rather than what can entertain. A good balance of both is needed to make this industry keep going into the right direction.