The toga: an ancient uniform of the people. Yasuko Furuta’s TOGA: a binary transcending, spontaneous expression of identity.
After studying patternmaking and fashion design at Paris’s ESMOD, Furuta founded TOGA in 1997 in Tokyo and it has since grown to be one of Japan’s most preeminent brands. But Furuta is not just a disrupting the fashion world in Japan, she has also shown collections in Paris and London – mixing traditional and independent cultures to create a curious, flexible and independent worldview that only TOGA can provide. Its success has also led to its expansion, including TOGA PULLA, a pre-collection, TOGA PULLA SHOE, a shoe line, and TOGA VIRILIS, a menswear line.
Furuta creates for ‘a complex woman who can only live in chaos’, blending subcultural tropes with refined femininity. Her collections take inspiration from the traditional toga, exploring the nuances and fundamentality of a garment whilst maintaining an abstract, multiplicitous quality. TOGA’s garments promote the expression of sexuality through self-awareness. Partially showing skin in unexpected areas, broad shoulder lines and multi-layered looks enhance Furuta’s belief that fashion can be borderless… It's a brand for those who are searching for something beyond.
What's the mantra you tell yourself first thing in the morning?
Engage the cold press juicer to cancel out yesterday’s sins.
How do you take your coffee?
Black, ground in a mill, and brewed in a press.
If you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing
instead?
It’s hard to imagine doing something else, but maybe something to do with living, such as interior or furniture design.
If you could only keep one outfit in your wardrobe, which would it be?
The Comme des Garcons dress I bought when I was a part-timer.
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Who's one person you'd love to have dinner with and why?
Yanis Varoufakis, the author of "Talking to My Daughter About the Economy". The book on economics has helped me understand many social issues. His thinking is also hopeful.
What's the main thing you would like to achieve this year and why?
Moving house because my lease isn’t being renewed. Mine has been a life of many moves. I feel as if I’m always looking for a place to live.
Who would you want to record your audio autobiography, voice-wise?
My friend, with whom I started TOGA when we were students, and my husband. Both have given me major turning points in my life.
Why did you end up doing what you do?
Because I was raised in an insular, provincial town. I rebelled against being compared to my beautiful older sisters by dressing differently from people. Having my own style helped me survive and I became a fashion designer.
More 8Qs:
+ Petar Petrov: "In another life maybe I would run a small bed and breakfast"
+ Anya Hindmarch: "When I was younger, I dreamed of being an opera singer"
+ Kit Willow: "Diamonds are formed in the harshest of pressures"