Facetasm, the first Japanese designer to be selected as a finalist for the 3rd LVMH Young Fashion Designers Prize, made its Paris Fashion Week debut this summer. Having expanded beyond Japan and steadily gaining recognition on the global stage, Facetasm continues to transmit Tokyo street style to the world of fashion by "cutting and pasting" and "layering" elements of Tokyo's unique culture.

Hiromichi Ochiai, designer of Facetasm

Hiromichi Ochiai, one of the most talked-about designers both domestically and internationally, feels a certain sense of accomplishment from what he has accomplished so far.

"As a designer, becoming a finalist for the LVMH Prize allowed me to compete as a Japanese person within the mainstream of fashion, and I learned a great deal beyond the competition itself. Working alongside a group of fashion professionals was a truly special experience."

Ochiai speaks with conviction, saying that the way the world looks at him has clearly changed. The LVMH Prize seems to have been a fruitful contest for him, not only in terms of direct creative work.


"Every aspect of how the LV staff treated the designers and the support they provided was special and comfortable, making it a very valuable experience. Seeing the world's top designers who were judges firsthand, I realized that each of them possessed a certain personal charm—from their demeanor to their subtle gestures—that made me understand why they had risen to the position of judge."

One reason why the brand Facetasm is considered unique in the mainstream of fashion is that it directly conveys "what's happening in Tokyo right now." The brand's founder doesn't easily use its identity as a weapon, saying, "I don't think of it as a brand that represents Tokyo." But still, like many of us, "Tokyo culture" is so "super" that it's something to be proud of to the world.