During their first ever showing in New York Fashion Week, TWELV Magazine and I got to catch up with the talented duo behind the remarkable brand, MAISON KITSUNÉ, We spoke with Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki backstage at their Spring 2015 collection presentation at The Standard Hotel.

Susan Schell: What was your inspiration for this collection?

Gildas Loaëc: The main thing is about the idea and the way the French are dressing up. It is about easily getting dressed and being chic without that much effort. We came up with the idea of effortless French-wear that is kind of casual and easygoing but at the same time really chic and very natural.

Masaya Kuroki: It is very pop, very pop in way that visually you will see through the colors and strong printing. We went much more aggressive in the choice of colors and looks. There is a mix of street style but we are always working on nice Parisian style. I think it is very French but very Parisian.

SS: Do you have a favorite piece in the collection?

MK: That is complicated because every piece is our favorite! I mean the women’s dresses are really cool.

SS: What was it like getting prepared for fashion week?

MK: It was ok, this is our first time showing in New York so it is something we have never done be before. It is very fun! I was not really nervous but its cool to do this. Seeing my team, they are happy working on this so for me seeing the team getting excited is the coolest thing.

SS: How do fashion and music intersect under the label MAISON KITSUNÉ? 

MK: I mean the music label has its own life without fashion and the fashion goes on as well without the music. Both of them can go together but it depends on the consumers. We have some followers for only the music but some of them consume both sides. Now we even have coffee shops as well. It is our life style that is the main inspiration so we did our own company and made our own rules. So if we keep on doing this maybe a hotel one day!

SS: What is it like combining music, fashion, and design?

MK: It is already difficult with the economy and with the fashion and music industries being so tough but at least we enjoy our work! We have to enjoy our journey. Until we do not have any inspiration left we have to keep moving, we have to keep doing.

SS: So what gets you excited about fashion?

MK: I don’t know, honestly I don’t! It is just exciting. Everyday I go through the streets in Tokyo, New York, Paris, or London and I mean fashion is everywhere in the streets. I just love watching them. I can’t say what it is about fashion that is exciting. It is just exciting! Maybe if I knew exactly what is exciting I would stop designing clothes.

SS: What is your favorite part of the design process?

MK: The research, looking for fabrics, trying and dying fabrics, and finding the colors. I mean my mom, she is a painter and I think I grew up seeing my mom painting with so many colors. It is just kind of patchwork for me so it comes through in the list of what kind of product I want to do. Next to that there is a bunch of colors of fabrics and then I make it happen, like patchwork. I never studied fashion, so I don’t know how that works, I just keep doing it in an organic way that is how I feel.

SS: So does that include the inspiration part of design as well?

MK: Yeah, I guess in the men’s collection for sure there is a lot of clothing that we would wear. Then in the women’s collection it is more like we see something on the street and think, “Oh she is cute,” “She is very chic,” “That is elegant.” We just get inspired by every day: walking by people, seeing magazines, or watching movies. It is very simple. 

SS: What was one of your proudest moments of your career?

MK: Right now! It is our first time showing in New York.

SS: What is next, what new projects are you working on? 

MK: We are going to open three more stores in Paris next year, our first store in Hong Kong, our second one in Tokyo, and maybe our second one in New York. We are now getting aggressive in retail because in a way, we do feel ready now. The company is independent, we are not apart of any group and we are free. 

INTERVIEW & WRITTEN BY: SUSAN SCHELL

PHOTOGRAPH:
©TWELV MAGAZINE: Titi Moriaki(FIRST PHOTO)
©MAISON KITSUNÉ(2ND PHOTO - 9TH PHOTO)