"Yoshiokubo Journal" brings you the rarely talked about "real" side of designer Yoshio Kubo , as well as real stories about his creations. This time, we'll be sharing his thoughts on the show and what went on behind the scenes. (Planned, interviewed, and written by Yaro Matsushita)
Yoshio Kubo walked the runway at Tokyo Collection for the first time in 2009, four or five years after starting his own brand. When asked why, he replied, "Hmm, I can't really say, but I just thought it was something I'd do."
After working with an haute couture designer in New York for four years and creating all of his collections together, he returned home and launched his own brand, so perhaps he felt it was only natural to do so. After several years had passed since the brand was launched and he had a track record in business, perhaps he was ready to take on the challenge.
In the end, with the exception of the autumn of the Great East Japan Earthquake, he continued to participate for 10 years from 2009, and became one of the designers who attracted the most visitors.
Yoshio Kubo After graduating from the Fashion Design Department of the University of Philadelphia's School of Textile & Science in 2000, he worked in New York for four years under the direction of haute couture designer Robert Danes, creating all of his couture collections together with him. After returning to Japan, Yoshio Kubo began presenting his collections in the 2005 S/S season.
With 10 years having just flown by, he decided to move his collection presentation venue overseas. "I thought there was meaning in continuing, so I had no intention of stopping. However, 10 years is a milestone, and to be honest, I was starting to get tired of presenting my collections in Tokyo."
■10-year milestone and the next stage
There was a turning point. One day in 2018, while he was still exhibiting his work in Tokyo, a journalist from the Italian edition of Vogue magazine invited him to apply for Giorgio Armani's program to support emerging designers, and Yoshio Kubo was selected. Kubo, who had planned to hold an exhibition in Paris in late January, traveled to Italy early in the new year, and showed his work there on the 3rd and 4th. He had crossed the bridge to the next stage, which was prepared for him just before the 10-year milestone.
In 2019, the brand was selected to participate in Pitti Immagine Uomo, the top men's exhibition, which at the time had strict exhibitor selection criteria, and later that year it had the opportunity to show its collection in Milan.
However, after realizing that the exhibitions and shows in Italy were not attracting as many buyers as expected, he later moved the stage to Paris. As a result, he held three physical shows and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, showed his collection three times digitally.
"Unlike Italy, Paris wasn't bad. There were high-quality press and discerning buyers. I'm glad we moved there." The Spring/Summer 2020 presentation, held in June 2019, was held on a boat anchored on the Seine. A video filmed on the coast of Chiba was made available in VR and shown to press members on the boat on the Seine, which was well received. 
■The cost of one domestic luxury car
By the way, when doing a show in Europe, how many staff members are needed, how far in advance, and how much does it cost? I asked Kubo.
"It probably varies a little from person to person, but we usually go about a week before. What we do is mostly cast models. On the first day after arriving, we first go to see the show venue, then cast. Once the models are decided, we do fittings, prepare for the exhibition that will be held after the show, and then the show is on the next day."
"Three people will accompany me from Japan: a PR and sales representative, and a designer. Including myself, there will be four of us. The rest will be local staff who we ask to do spot work." In Paris, he asked a Frenchman named Christophe for all three shows. He just laughed and wouldn't tell me how much it costs to hold a show in Paris, but he says it's about the cost of a Japanese luxury car.
In fact, Kubo has yet to decide when she will present her work overseas in the future. She's done it a few times, and it's been rewarding. Experience is never wasted, and she's learned many lessons about running a fashion business. Even so, she says she's starting from scratch. "I wonder if it's sustainable to spend so much money to put on a 15-minute show. I want to rethink what it means to showcase clothes." The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the world and people's values. It's only natural to reexamine common sense from scratch, and Kubo is exploring new ways of doing things with this in mind.
