Most of the things I read from journalists are, you know, a little bit simplified and easy.

My intention is not to make clothes. My head would be too restricted if I only thought about making clothes.

It would have more meaning for me to hear what critics have to say if their values and their ways of living were deeper and more serious.

For me, creation can only come out of a certain kind of unhappiness. They say in Japan, this thing like the hungry spirit - the hungry mind - is what gets you going forward.

Feeling free inside oneself is being free.

The freedom I give myself for the business is in deciding to take part in the Paris collections, but also having other retail strategies that are unlike anybody else's. Not necessarily going into malls, doing the business my own way - having different brands to cover different concepts, to be able to have the cash flow to carry on.

Years ago, it was easier to make new things than it is now. The weight of experience weighs heavily, and the expectations; everybody wants to see something they haven't seen before. Now, with social media, with too much information, with the speed of information - all that is making it harder and harder to realize the objective.