Hiroshi Goto
Felipe Hiroshi Reis Goto or just Hiroshi Goto as he prefers to be called, is a Brazilian designer and fashion editor born in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, and raised in Japan.
Hiroshi GOTO
INTERVIEW BY THOMASINA R. LEGEND
Photography: Josh Brandão
Styling: Hangna Koh
Make Up & Hair Styling: Esmeralda Velia
Model: Lenne Tops from First Models Management
Shot at BlitzWerk Studio, London
Hiroshi began sketching as a child, learning how to sew from his mother who was a seamstress at the age of 14 progressing to the art of pattern cutting at 15 years of age. Hiroshi studied Moulage at Cool Fashion in Japan with further studies embarked upon at Central Saint Martins and recently presenting his final collection at London College of Fashion both in London. Other than fashion design, Hiroshi has worked for a magazine in Japan (Simplesmente Mulher) as a fashion editor and columnist along side styling for photo studios and has been designing for private clients and collections since 2009 when he set up his clothing brand ‘Hiroshi Goto’.
The brand operates and is based out of Nagoya in Japan and in London, UK. The brand offers high quality pieces released in limited quantity. By combining ageless designs inspired by Japanese culture and using the Rittai Saidan pattern cutting technique, Hiroshi Goto strives to create beautiful clothing with a modern flare. Since its inception in 2009, Hiroshi Goto has been creating unique designs for Red Carpet events and occasions alike and is now expanding its range to prêt-à-porter.
Hiroshi Goto has achieved a lot over the last few years as his phenomenal designs have caught the attention of so many including Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, working closely with her on a dress inspired by British Monarchy that was later in exhibition around the world. In 2013 he was invited to be part of the Victoria and Albert Museum Fashion in motion and also Showcased in the Shanghai Museum of textile and costume, New York and Dubai as part of the 'Art of Dress' exhibition.
Hiroshi shares more with us as he opens up in this interview about his brand, inspirations, issues regarding fast fashion and more.
What inspired you to start your own label? It almost started without me thinking about it. I started studying pattern cutting when I was 15 years old and was still in high school. I started showing my friends and teachers the stuff that I was learning and they started asking me to make them garments. I always loved creating websites and doing everything to do with social media and online presence, so I just felt like that could be a good chance to get the word out there about my label. It got to the point that at my own graduation ceremony in high school, all the girls in my class were wearing my gowns to prom. In my opinion finding good evening wear is a hard task, especially nowadays with all the fast fashion businesses and all that. That’s why I think the brand worked well from the beginning. For that kind of design, the designs I make, you need to spend the time understanding the client and their needs, and it has to be a personal connection.
Did you always know you would get into fashion design as a career? As a kid, did you have any other career aspirations other than fashion design? I always loved drawing when I was little and I would rather spend my time with crayons and paper than videogames or running outside. When I was a kid I always thought I wanted to be an architect as I just loved drawing those floor plan lines and visualizing entire spaces in my head. Another passion of mine was Japanese anime and one of the things that I would do was pause animes like Sailor Moon or Pokémon and trace the characters off the screen. After doing that for a while I started changing what they were wearing and I actually liked and enjoyed doing it. When I found out about pattern cutting that was exactly the balance that I needed in between architecture and fashion drawing. The flat pattern cutting was exactly like a floor plan for me, a floor plan for a garment and I could use that to make my drawings come to life. I fell in love instantly.
That is really interesting and amazing. What would you say defines and shapes the concept of the Hiroshi Goto Brand? We combine innovative design with traditional artisan craftsmanship. It’s really the crash of the new and the old, of modern and tradition. We use modern Japanese techniques of pattern cutting and combine that with traditional craftsmanship to assure an amazing fit and quality. It doesn’t matter how good of a designer you are if the garment doesn’t fit properly and its not well made. Its not a good design for me.
I like to define Hiroshi Goto as a new generation of Japanese fashion that seeks for the beauty in imperfection. Every aspect of the design is well thought and planned, but because of my experience as a pattern cutter, a lot of the details change in the process of making and it is all about how your materials react to what you’re trying to make, and how you respect and use that to your advantage.
The brand follows 7 Japanese aesthetic principles: Datsuzoku (Freedom from the formula), Geido (the appreciation of the process of creation), Monozukuri (Responsibility and appreciation for the making), Miyashi (Elegance and Refinement), Iki (Refined uniqueness), Wabisabi (The beauty in the imperfect and unusual) and Yugen (Hidden beauty and mystery). They are complicated principles that someone could spend a lifetime researching about, but combined, they are the foundation of the Hiroshi Goto aesthetic and ways of working.
What kind of background do you have that lead you to where you are today? My grandma used to make most of my mother’s clothes. And my Mother was thought how to sew, embroider, paint and knit when she was a kid. She used to own and run a fashion factory in Brazil before we moved to Japan. I grew up watching her sit in the sofa at home and crochet beautiful rugs for the house or painting new fabrics to make tablecloths. She was the one who thought me how to sew when I was around 14. I remember she couldn't find great bed sheets for kids and decided to make some for my nieces. As soon as I saw her with the sewing machine out, I asked her if I could help and just fell in love as soon as I sat down and started stitching! That machine didn’t leave my bedroom from that day till I moved to London. My family have always been very supportive of my arts and me.
That is such an interesting background to have that has really worked out to your advantage. You also have a rich heritage embedded in you being half Japanese and half Brazilian. Do you utilise the amazing wealth of culture to your advantage? I was born in Brazil and moved to a small town in Japan when I was only a year old. I find that my aesthetic is way more Japanese than Brazilian, probably cause I lived in Japan my whole life. I do take inspiration from Brazilian culture every now and then. Brazil is a great country with an amazing mix of races and cultures that form this unique atmosphere. My mother was raised doing traditional Brazilian knitting and handmade lace, and I am planning on making some pieces using those techniques for a collection in the close future. Researching about Brazilian culture is always great. One of my previous collections, ‘The Moving Queen Mother’ was heavily inspired by a Brazilian/African religion called Candomble, which is very popular in the North states of Brazil.
Japan is always the base theme for my collections. I grew up in a small town as I mentioned, in the middle of beautiful traditions that date to centuries ago. I remember going to the summer and spring festivals, watching the blooming of the cherry blossom tress along the river next to my house, going to ceramic classes, playing the drums for fun and dressing up in kimonos during festivals. All of that have really influenced my designs and every time I go back to Japan I keep finding more and more sources of inspiration.
That is great to know because I was literally about to ask where you derive inspiration for your designs. It is great to know that you really utilise the vast and untapped sources of inspiration that are embedded within the beauty of Japanese culture & traditions. So what happens after you find inspiration, can you describe your creative process? Inspiration for me just happens whenever it happens. I can’t really force my process of inspiration. Sometimes I’m just walking down the street and something just comes to my mind, and I just have to grab my sketchbook from my bag and sketch it quickly before I forget it. A lot of the inspirations for my designs actually come from the fabrics that I’m using, I normally like to go fabric shopping first and then come up with designs that would suit that fabric. Whenever I’m feeling like I don’t have any ideas, I like to take a trip to Kyoto, the history and culture of that city inspire me so much! I could spend hours going to their museums and just doing little doodles of people and details I find in their streets. Once I have a few good ideas or details that I really like, I try to develop that and think how I can create a whole collection using that as my base, most of that happens when I’m pattern cutting. I have a really hard time narrowing down my inspiration, so all my ideas just combine and blend together, for most people it might not make sense at first, but it works in my mind, and they just have to wait for the final product so that they can understand the whole story behind it and how it all connects.
What questions do you ask before you begin any design project? What information is most important? If I’m working with a private customer, it is really all about her. I always ask questions like what are the areas of your body you feel comfortable showing? And what parts would you rather cover? I ask them about colours, fabrics, how the weather is going to be on the day she wears the garments, what is the garment for, and from that we start the designing process.
If I’m designing a collection, then it is really about the feeling I want to express with it. I like to cover one of the walls in my studio with pictures of my research and pictures that I took during, so I keep looking at it and remembering what it is all about. In this case it is a little bit easier to design as I can create for the ‘muse’ I have in my head.
Talk me through the goals of this new collection and the thought process behind your solution/ Can you tell us about your new collection? What did you want to say through this collection? The collection is called ‘Kamisama no Seppuku’. Kamisama in this case means Goddess, but it refers to any kind of deity as Japan has more than one god. Seppuku is a Japanese suicide ritual, mostly known as Hara-kiri in the west. Samurai’s as a way of dying with honour originally performed it and it has been romanticised as a form of beautiful death by many. The collection then means the Suicide ritual of the Goddess. It is basically the story of this Goddess who is punished by other gods for falling in love with a human. Every gown is named and also inspired by a demon or folk legend in Japan. The collection starts quite light and flowy, as in the beginning she still has hope for her love. It then becomes more heavy and restricted. She has to live by the rules of the gods but she would rather kill herself than live by those rules. The last piece of the collection is called Hitodama. In Japanese culture, Hitodama are balls of fire that float during the night and it is also said that they represent the souls that were separated from bodies. So the end of the collection represents her death, after the Seppuku, because she would rather not live than to live without her loved human.
That is a fascinating theme and story for a collection. Can you talk us through your research process for this new collection? My research started with Mineko Iwasaki who is probably the most famous geisha Japan has ever had. She worked as a geisha after the Second World War and the bomb in Hiroshima. I started researching Post War Japan and how they lived, what they wore, how American culture influenced the Japanese way of life and what their (Japanese people) response was to those influences. I researched a lot into honour and the definitions of that in Japanese culture, especially during that time. It was really just a combination of various things that I came across while researching post war Japan. I don’t really limit myself on the amount of inspiration that I’m taking in, specially if I keep finding more and more information that interest me.
Do you ever go through times when inspiration is hard to find? How do you get unstuck creatively? I think getting out of the place where you’ve been working helps. I particularly like to travel for inspiration; small cities and towns always have hidden spots that can be amazing font of inspiration. One of the things that I think that helps me a lot is to set a ‘track list’ for my collections. I like to pick an artist or a good album by someone and listen to it the entire time that I’m working on a certain piece or a collection. The same songs playing over and over again might annoy some people, but I think that it really puts me in a headspace to focus on a certain thing till I accomplish it.
What has been the most difficult aspect of getting your brand off the ground and how did you overcome that? One of the challenges that I found for my brand was how I could justify the price point of my pieces. Some people wonder why would they buy from a small designer when they could be getting an Erdem gown for almost the same price? I think that the thing that kept my brand going is the connection that my customers and I have created over the years. They now understand that these pieces are made to measure and crafted for their needs and desires. You can’t really get that from a Department Store or a Boutique. Most of my clients come back whenever they need another dress for a special occasion and I think they know that those pieces represent way more than just garments, there is a lot of thought and love put into every single one of them.
What other challenges have you encountered since setting up your brand and how have you dealt with them? The thing about eveningwear is that people don’t buy it as often as they buy shoes or t-shirts. There are times when there is not much happening, and all of a sudden a few orders come in at once. I had to learn how to say no and how to prioritize. Some people will only contact bespoke designers after they have looked in all the boutiques and department stores and don’t find anything, which leaves us with a very small gap of time to have the products made. I used to take those orders and just have people working around the clock to get everything done. Nowadays I don’t do that anymore. If Hiroshi Goto was not your first thought when picking a dress, then I really don’t feel the need to pressure myself and my team to get the garment done in time and delivered to that client. The appreciation has to be mutual. People have to understand that small designers are not Plan B or C.
A point I totally agree with. What would you say is wrong with the fashion industry today that affects you and your brand? I think this is something that every person that works in bespoke or luxury would say and that is the fact that high street nowadays have such a big impact on the fashion world. I have never understood the appeal of just having more when you could have less with more quality, but I can see how people are attracted to it. People think of clothing as something disposable, something that you would only wear a few times then throw away. I like to hold on to the thoughts of those times when people would choose their own fabric, choose their own designs, have their body measured and truly have something made that only they would have. For me everyone in the streets today just looks the same. How many girls can I see in one day with ripped jeans and a top shop cropped top? People just lack a sense of identity.
Another very valid point made especially in respect to the high streets and fast fashion. What changes would you like to see happen in the industry that you feel will be really beneficial to start ups/ emerging designers? I think that startups and emerging designers need a bigger platform and voice. They need a way to let people know that the choices in the high street are not everything that are out there. There is so much hidden and unexplored talent just waiting to emerge and shine. I would love to see the fashion industry slowing down a bit, people start paying more attention to how the clothes actually make them feel, to be able to create that connection between the garment and the person wearing it. I wish people could actually appreciate all the work that goes into a garment, even if it’s a simple t-shirt.
You have created some absolutely stunning gowns and even worked with HRH the Countess of Wessex, on a dress inspired by British Monarchy that was later in exhibition around the world. Can you tell me how that came about and what that experience was like? / Tell me about the ‘Art of Dress’ exhibitions Showcased in the Shanghai Museum of textile and costume, New York and Dubai that you participated in? The dress that I designed inspired by the British Monarchy was part of the LCF ‘Art of the dress’ exhibition. We were asked to choose any British Royal that has ever lived and be inspired by them. Queen Alexandra inspired me because she was a queen who was not afraid to dress up, wear a lot of jewellery and show off what she had. We had a runway show at the Savoy Hotel in London and the pieces went in exhibition around the world after. The exhibition ended with a beautiful reception at the Saint James Palace where the garments were displayed in different rooms with different themes. I had the honour of displaying my garment at the British throne room and talked about my designs with the Countess of Wessex, who was becoming a patron of LCF that year.
That truly is wonderful. You have also participated in and been a part of the Victoria and Albert Museum Fashion in motion 2013, can you discuss that experience and what that meant to you? The V&A has been my favourite museum in London since the first time I visited it, when I was 17 years old. It was an honour to showcase one of my designs during the LCF Fashion in Motion. We had a lot of younger students who were thinking about studying fashion watching the show and hearing their feedback and questions about my work was great. It was my first catwalk show in the UK and I was extremely excited. Hopefully one day I will have a piece in display there! Or even an exhibition.
Oh I am sure you will one day soon and I am very sure it will be an exhibition. That will be really amazing and totally deserving for you because you have worked so hard to get here. Having had the opportunity to be a part of such amazing projects that most can only dream of, what would you say are some of the most important lessons and points you picked up on that has impacted your brand positively? I think that you have to be selective of the events and press that you will allow your garments or brand to be associated with. At the beginning I used to accept any requests of sample garments for photo-shoots or any kind of coverage. I used to think ‘any press is good press‘. With time I learned that my clientele is niche and they don’t actually read or are interested in the publications I was being shown in. Having had the opportunity to be a part of these amazing experiences, it enabled me to see that I really needed to be more selective not only with where my garments would be shown but also who would shoot my collections and not forgetting who would be wearing my garments to events. I think that the most important thing that I learned from being part of projects like the ones mentioned, is that you have to be selective of where and how you want your brand and image to portrayed and seen.
With your collections, you only create a limited quantity, can you explain why and how beneficial this is? To be honest, most of the pieces that belong to a collection are mainly there for press, only a small part of those actually get sold to a client, so not actually may pieces of the main collection are made for pret a porter. Most of the people who buy Hiroshi Goto prefer to have the garments made to measure and those are truly unique garments. I never repeat or copy a design, even if it is my own. I like the person to feel like they are getting something special, something that only they have, that they can nourish and keep forever. I want people to open a box with one of my dresses inside in 10 years and tell their kids the stories of the places and occasions they wore that dress to. I want to create memories.
Being based between London & Japan, where are your collections produced? What is it like shuttling between London and Japan? It really depends where I am based at the moment and where my client is. I spend most of my time in London but if I have a few pieces that have to be made for clients in Japan, I would work there for a few days till those are done. Plus doing a fitting in person is better than just having their measurements so I really don’t mind shuttling between.
What does ‘Vision’ mean to you as an individual and for your brand? I believe that Vision should be what you truly believe in, where your heart and mind find peace. I like to believe that everyone has their own point of view, their own feelings, their own skills; your vision should be the full definition of who you are and what your goals are.
I like to say that I create this fantasy world around Hiroshi Goto that I like to transport the people who wear my garments or see my work to this beautiful, magical, world that I have in my mind. That world that I have created is my vision.
What’s the ‘Vision’ for Hiroshi Goto going forward? I think that I will be always the kid who read fantasy stories and fell in love with that. The vision for Hiroshi Goto is to bring a little bit of fantasy to this dull, grey, fast passed, homogeneous world that we live in. If I can make the people who wear my garments forget about all their problems and feel special, even if it is just for a few hours, I will be very happy. I just want them to share a bit of this fantasy world with me through my creations.
‘Kamisama no Seppuku’, my latest collection has only been out for a few weeks, but I am already thinking of my next one. I always feel sad saying goodbye to a collection but this feeling of euphoria follows straight after and my mind just has to keep busy and moving forward creating the next one.
I am definitely already looking forward to your next collection. What words of wisdom would you give to anyone interested in pursuing a career in fashion design?
I would say that you have to believe in yourself and in your vision. The fashion world is full of people who are in it just for the fake ‘glamour’. You really have to be passionate about your vision and be open to spend sleepless nights fighting for your dreams. You have to stay truthful to who you are and what you believe in and surround yourself with people who are truly happy to be around you and believe in you.
Beautiful and truthful words of wisdom. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. I really appreciate it and wish all the best for Hiroshi Goto. Thank you for having me.
