The feelings embedded in objects that captivate people. The journey from the birth of a brand to its growth. "Creators VOICE" started with the desire to "let the creators of those brands tell their stories in their own words as much as possible." By looking at the true faces of creators that are not usually seen, we would like to consider the reasons behind the "richness" that is felt through the five senses created through design.


For our fifth installment, we feature Tatsuro Horikawa, the designer of JULIUS. Among the Japanese brands available at the International Creators section on the 2nd floor of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building JULIUS has consistently exuded an exceptional charm for the past 10 years. What is his journey like, and what is the worldview he envisions...?

"For about 20 years since our debut, the core elements of Julius's designs have been 'chaos' and 'industrial.' For example, the twisting of the clothing is one form that embodies the image of chaos. On the other hand, the minimalist and rugged rigidity is what we consider industrial. To express that worldview, we basically create things by focusing only on form and color intensity."


"This is getting into the details, but for Julius, the color 'black' is very important. Even when expressing 'black' as a single color, there are reddish, bluish, and greenish blacks, as well as ink black, formal black, and charcoal black. By bringing these different shades together each season, he creates a sense of unity in his collections. In contrast, white evokes lightness and a dignified atmosphere. Like black, it is often used as a color that conveys tension. Last season's collection had a flexible and linear image, so I carried that over and wanted to use objects again this season. That's how the vague image of an 'iron ball' came to mind... I kept designing circles and spheres like doodles, and as a result, it became a collection that was uniquely suited to the show. What I kept in mind was to draw the most extreme designs possible. This gave me confidence and the discovery that even outrageous designs can be given a solid form." This chain of interests is the source of inspiration that leads to the next collection.


"I think a major reason why customers perceive us as having a distinct image is that we've been based overseas and have developed our collections with an eye on areas beyond Japan. We've been creating unwavering designs as Julius for over a decade without categorizing ourselves. Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2F = International Creators, which selects items with the same perspective as us and also looks overseas, gives off a very European impression. Just like overseas, Julius' best-selling items at Isetan, such as suits and trousers, are those with edgy cuts. In that sense, I think we've built a good partnership with Isetan. I'm happy that customers are attracted to our unique Julius items that can't be found anywhere else. I'm also satisfied with the solid, custom-made items that we regularly commission. Personally, I wear a custom-made suit from Isetan and our company to weddings. I've learned so much from our business relationship over the past 10 years or so, and I've received a lot of discoveries and inspiration."


"Furthermore, I've launched a new label called Nils, and we've started selling it at Isetan. To put it simply, if Julius is techno, then Nils is dark hip-hop. That's how I describe Nils. It's a new attempt that consciously fuses with other things in a way I've never done before. With my main collection, I eliminate anything that isn't necessary for the theme and create my own framework, but with Nils, I can take a step back and look at it from a distance, so the range of acceptance is endless. While maintaining the consistency of Julius in terms of the logo and title format, I'm creating items with a lot of freedom, such as flip-flops, swimwear, and hats to hide dreadlocks. It has a good groove, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it expands and what kind of chemical reactions it will have in the future. Please keep an eye on it."

Tatsuro Horikawa / JULIUS Designer

In 1996, he founded Third Stone and focused on graphic design. In 1997, he launched "nuke." In 2001, he launched JULIUS as an art project. It's called an art project because it encompasses four forms of expression: clothing, video, graphics, and music.

1996 Established “THIRD STONE”
In 2001, I launched the art project JULIUS.
In 2003, they opened their flagship store, and from the Spring/Summer 2005 Tokyo Collection, they began presenting their collections in a runway format.
In 2008, the dress line JULIUS MA was launched. Later, it became an independent brand called "MA Julius (MA_JULIUS)".
NILøS was launched in 2015.

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