Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 35
Occupation: CEO and creative director of CFCL.
Instagram: @cfcl_official
Hometown: Tokyo.
Studio location: Tokyo.
Describe what you make: We make clothes. The name of our brand CFCL is an acronym for “Clothing for Contemporary Life,” which is also the brand’s definition and statement. We eliminate the designer’s ego and thoroughly address and propose the elements necessary for contemporary life (e.g. minimum waste, easy care, gender-free, timeless, transparency of production process, etc.).
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The signature item of my first collection is called Pottery Dress. It’s a knit dress that’s created through computer programming and looks like it was made by a 3D printer. It’s made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles, hardly wrinkles, and can be washed in a household washing machine. Since it’s made directly from the yarn to the product, almost no waste is generated in the production process. It’s stretchy, so it can be worn by any body type, even pregnant women. Since there are no seams, there’s no need for seam allowance to make the garment uncomfortable to wear. Most of the production process is automatic, so there’s no difference in production cost between countries with high and low labor costs.
Describe the problem your work solves: We’re helping to make people’s lives more comfortable by designing clothes that are environmentally friendly.
Describe the project you are working on now: We’re currently working on Vol.3 (SS22). All of CFCL’s clothes are computer-programmed knitwear so we’re always researching for more comfortable, dramatic, easy-care, and environmentally friendly ways to make clothes.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We’re growing step by step. February is a big month for us. We’re launching the brand at retail this month with SSENSE, ISETAN, SKP, United Arrows, Galeries Lafayette, and Tomorrowland, as well as our own e-commerce. As we’re an environmentally friendly brand that uses technology to help move design forward, we’ll finish calculating the LCA (life-cycle assessment) of Pottery Dress and announce it to the public. In addition, Feb. 18 will be our one-year anniversary, and we’ll apply for B-corp certification.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: A tidy environment, wi-fi, and an open sky.
What you do when you’re not working: I recently became a father to a beautiful daughter, so I enjoy spending time with her.
Sources of creative envy: Issey Miyake, Thomas Adès, Damien Hirst, Herzog & de Meuron, Philippe Starck, Masamune Shirow, Andreas Gursky.
The distraction you want to eliminate: None in particular.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Low-rise apartment.
Remember or forget? Forget.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Light.
