Here is a special interview with Ms. Kurara Omichi who won the grand prize in the 4th of Kokka Print Textile Competition, which has been held every other year. The name of her brand, “Koto Thouin”, is the old Japanese phrase meaning “let me ask” or “there is something I would ask”. At the timing of its debut, Koto Thouin made a good start with working for the spring/summer collection of HaaT of ISSAY MIYAKE. Omichi represents a new style of textile with her avant-garde design and distinct coloration. What cultivated her unique artistic taste? What did she discover through creating textile? With a few interesting anecdotes about her childhood, we will be investigating the mystery of “The World of Omichi” from a variety of angles.
I grew up in Sendai City, Japan. I attended “Kangaroo Kindergarten” that was a unique kindergarten specializing in cultivating students’ sensitivities and creativities under the principal’s educational policy. We often went to a nearby pond to pick up fallen leaves or branches to make something with afterward in the classroom. My first action as “drawing” in my memory is that we laid down birthday classmates on a big paper and traced around their entire body. It was, so to speak, a kind of annual body measuring on birthdays. We additionally illustrated his or her favorite items around the drawn figure. It was the moment for me to become aware of “the act” of drawing. Probably this kindergarten was the starting point of my journey to pursuing artistic expression. I feel gratitude toward my mother who chose the school for me.
(pic: The hat Omichi made when she was in elementary school)