Tadashi Shoji | yohana
We caught up with Tadashi Shoji (pictured with Dania Ramirez during his spring 2011 presentation at NYFW) at a Bloomingdales event in Santa Monica, Calif, to get a glimpse into the fabulous mind of a design genius...
WHY WOMENSWEAR?: I chose to design dresses because I don't have to wear them. If I'm wearing men's clothes and it doesn't look good, people will say, "Oh, you're a designer, and you're wearing bad clothes?" It's not good advertising. That's why I design for women; it's much more easier, and I can look at it objectively.
MAINSTREAM MUSE: The woman who wears Tadashi Shoji is an everyday woman who is busy, has kids and a career. It's for regular, regular women. People ask me who the muse is. The muse is the very busy, regular woman. When you're wearing my dress, it's comfortable.
LOFTY INSPIRATION: The aerial view from the airplane over Asia was what inspired my newest collection. The bird's eye view is so different. The details, the fabric and the ornamentation—it all comes from that idea.
TREND FORECAST: For next spring, I predict pastels. It's toned down pastels and silk chiffon overlaid with lace. It's soft and romantic. That sort of stuff will be coming out.
DESIGN TEAM: Out of Gap, H&M and Target, I would do a collaboration with Target. Target is more accessible. H&M is too fashion-fashion. It's good for one season, and that's it. It's too trendy.
STYLISH ADVICE: Aspiring designers think designing is so easy, but it's hard work. It's not just trends; you have to take into account news, movement and history. If you don't study that, you can't design. Young kids just talk about fashion, and its such a small aspect of life. Design comes from many backgrounds.
SECRET TO SUCCESS: I am tuned into what my customers need. And passion. If you lose passion what are you doing? Immediately customers can feel it. They'll say, "Oh it's so boring." If you don't have passion, they don't buy.
DREAM CLIENT: I would love to see Oprah wear my dress to an event. She wore one on her show, but not on the red carpet. Either her or Beyoncé. Lady Gaga is too much, she's not the celeb for my kind of dress.
fashionsandmode.blogspot.com
WHY WOMENSWEAR?: I chose to design dresses because I don't have to wear them. If I'm wearing men's clothes and it doesn't look good, people will say, "Oh, you're a designer, and you're wearing bad clothes?" It's not good advertising. That's why I design for women; it's much more easier, and I can look at it objectively.
MAINSTREAM MUSE: The woman who wears Tadashi Shoji is an everyday woman who is busy, has kids and a career. It's for regular, regular women. People ask me who the muse is. The muse is the very busy, regular woman. When you're wearing my dress, it's comfortable.
LOFTY INSPIRATION: The aerial view from the airplane over Asia was what inspired my newest collection. The bird's eye view is so different. The details, the fabric and the ornamentation—it all comes from that idea.
TREND FORECAST: For next spring, I predict pastels. It's toned down pastels and silk chiffon overlaid with lace. It's soft and romantic. That sort of stuff will be coming out.
DESIGN TEAM: Out of Gap, H&M and Target, I would do a collaboration with Target. Target is more accessible. H&M is too fashion-fashion. It's good for one season, and that's it. It's too trendy.
STYLISH ADVICE: Aspiring designers think designing is so easy, but it's hard work. It's not just trends; you have to take into account news, movement and history. If you don't study that, you can't design. Young kids just talk about fashion, and its such a small aspect of life. Design comes from many backgrounds.
SECRET TO SUCCESS: I am tuned into what my customers need. And passion. If you lose passion what are you doing? Immediately customers can feel it. They'll say, "Oh it's so boring." If you don't have passion, they don't buy.
DREAM CLIENT: I would love to see Oprah wear my dress to an event. She wore one on her show, but not on the red carpet. Either her or Beyoncé. Lady Gaga is too much, she's not the celeb for my kind of dress.
fashionsandmode.blogspot.com
