余白を楽しむプロジェクトA Project to Interpret the Unseen

In today’s mainstream fashion, the designer takes the spotlight,
while skills and artisans are treated as tools to realize that vision.
As demand for kimono has declined, many weavers have turned to global markets, exhibiting at fashion and interior fairs overseas. Yet they are almost always told:

“With fabric this narrow, you can’t make clothes. Make it wider, then we’ll consider it.”

It was then that Teranishi asked himself:
“What if design did not force craftsmanship to adjust—
but instead, adapted itself to craftsmanship?”

Drawing on his background as both a pattern-maker and desiner - 3D designer,
he began creating forms that embrace the narrow width of kimono fabric.
This vision comes to life in MIZEN.

The center of fashion has long been in Europe.
Fashion weeks are held regularly around the world,
yet all are synchronized to their schedule—
a highly refined and complete system.

Naturally, they hold the rules.
To succeed in fashion, one must follow them.
In fact, most people are not even aware of these rules,
moving unconsciously within them.
And for many fashion brands,
operating under this perfected system feels entirely natural.

Then why not create our own rules?
A system shaped around craftsmanship,
where artisanship can shine most brightly.
This is what MIZEN envisions:
instead of binding all artisans to one uniform rule,
we consider the natural cycle of each maker,
and build a system where craft can truly thrive.
That is why MIZEN’s rhythm does not align with fashion weeks.
We act from a philosophy
where craftsmanship takes the lead.

By contrast, kimono is a world where the form hardly changes.
Step into a kimono shop, and what you see lined up are rolls of fabric,
all in the same standardized size.

So what do people value?
What gives one bolt of fabric more worth than another?

The answer lies in the story behind it:
Which region it comes from,
what historical background shaped its technique,
and whose life and hands created it.

Because the form of kimono is unified,
people naturally look beyond the object itself,
imagining the unseen stories of the maker and their environment.
This created a unique way of evaluating value—
not only by what is visible, but by what lies beyond.

In this way, what was once born from the wisdom of ordinary people simply trying to live,
has, over time, been transformed into something treasured and refined.
To us, this is a profoundly Japanese story.

Among the many materials MIZEN works with, tsumugi holds a special place—
because it was through tsumugi that we first came to understand
the Japanese sensibility of reading the unseen space (yohaku).

And this yohaku becomes even richer when it carries the presence of people.

MIZEN aspires to a vision of richness opposite to today’s dominant ideals of material and economic wealth:
a mindful form of luxury born of human involvement,
and the spirit it brings to life.

We believe Japan holds an abundance of qualities to pursue this path.
And now is the time to reconsider this potential—
and to gather companions who will help us share it with the world.