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2016.04.29 update

[Interview] Ichiro Suzuki (Designer) | Another ICHIRO

Ichiro Suzuki, Henry Poole's first Japanese cutter, joined the Made to Measure line on the 5th floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building as the fifth person to join in September 2012. A few months later, he was recruited by a French designer maison.



Ichiro Suzuki

 Born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. After studying at the London College of Fashion, he completed a Master's degree in Menswear at the Royal College of Art's Fashion Department. While still a student, he worked as a cutter at Henry Poole, a long-established tailor on London's Savile Row, and in 2012, he won the Grand Prix in the fashion category of "ITS (International Talent Support) 2012," one of Europe's largest fashion competitions. He is currently active as a member of the menswear design team for a French designer brand.


Suzuki was a competition disruptor.

Half of the tuition fees for the Royal College of Art (RCA), ranked number one in the world for art and design, were covered by prize money earned up to that point. In her graduation year, she won the grand prize at the International Design Society (ITS), an international competition for emerging designers, and received offers from numerous fashion houses. She has now been working for a well-known brand for three years. While this is an incredibly glamorous career, it is only a part of Suzuki's story. After spending three months at a language school in Eastbourne, about an hour by train from London, Suzuki enrolled at the London College of Fashion (LCF), where she initially skipped design classes and focused solely on sewing."As an ordinary student attending an ordinary university (in Japan), I naturally developed an interest in fashion at my age. The money I earned from part-time jobs disappeared into designer goods. I spent so much that I even made it onto the customer list, and I realized that price and quality don't always match. I started to pay attention to materials and construction, and a vague longing to become a tailor began to sprout within me."


Suzuki, who was steadily immersing himself in the world of tailoring, chose a training course in Italy for his future studies the following year. However, "the course was canceled because not enough students signed up."
It was instructor Alan Cannon-Jones who guided Suzuki when he was at a loss. Encouraged by the promise of a Bachelor of Arts degree, which he needed for employment, he enrolled in a menswear design course. It was here that he discovered the joy of creation and began submitting his work to competitions, but it was also Alan who gave him the foothold to get into Henry Poole.
During the day, he worked as a cutter, and after work, he spent six years learning tailoring one-on-one from a seasoned craftsman. The structured shoulder line and the English drape created by the cinched waist evoke the beauty of a classic British gentleman. This made-to-measure silhouette is the result of absorbing the authentic atmosphere of England and letting it permeate every part of his body. He attended the RCA while working at Henry Poole. For Suzuki, taking the exam was part of testing his skills, but since he had passed, he diligently went back and forth between his atelier and the college.


 The revolutionary tailor


According to Yosuke Kagami, a buyer at Mitsukoshi Isetan, when customers who frequently visit the creators' and designers' floors decide to have a suit made, eight or nine out of ten will choose a suit by Suzuki. Through Suzuki's filter, the suits exude a masculine feel with a touch of modern flair.
Made to Measure was launched by assembling a group of up-and-coming Japanese tailors who were recognized by everyone. In contrast, Suzuki was virtually unknown at the time.
"In a word, I felt like I saw the future of tailoring. At first, I thought he was Simon (Cundy, the seventh Henry Poole)'s interpreter (laughs)."

From tartan checks with the weft threads removed to coats featuring printed and patchwork cubes in a three-dimensional form, to garments where different outerwear pieces are sewn together with saw-tooth-like embroidery... even to an untrained eye, these pieces easily transcended conventional notions of clothing. The rich imagination evident in the works accumulated so far, as well as the skill to bring them to life, was truly impressive.
Currently, Suzuki's title is designer, and he also works on made-to-measure garments. His creative talent is evident from his past works, but his core remains tailoring, and he asserts that what he learned at Henry Poole is the main component of who he is.


"I want to create a timeless classic, like a lounge suit, that will last forever."
Generally, craftsmen dedicate themselves to honing their skills. Of course, that's an important quality, but Suzuki is looking a little further ahead. And I sense a potential in him to suddenly put his words into action. It goes without saying that his experience at a fashion house is an asset, but what shouldn't be overlooked is his forward-thinking nature that captivates everyone he meets.

Suzuki had people lending him a helping hand at crucial moments. Alan of LCF took notice of him after seeing the incredibly detailed portfolio of fabric swatches he had created at the fabric shop he frequented. Not content with being the first Japanese person to achieve this honor, he was a man everyone respected during his time at Henry Poole.

It was Henry Poole's seventh generation who helped me cover the remaining tuition fees for RCA, which I couldn't fully cover with my prize money.

Text: Takegawa Keiji
Photo: Fujii Taku

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