It was a very pleasant experience to be able to work with Ms. Miyashita.

—We asked you for your honest reaction when you received the offer from Isetan to hold a pop-up shop.

This is wonderful news for me, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to exhibit my clothes and artwork together. I'm also happy that people who usually come to my art exhibitions will be able to see my work. I'm curious to see how fans of <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.> will react, and how people who are interested in fashion will view my work.

—How did you first meet Takahiro Miyashita, the designer of <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.>?

I can't remember how many years ago it was, but when we first met, he gave me a walking stick. At the time, I was collecting walking sticks, and I had one with me then. Mr. Miyashita knew about that and said, "I think this walking stick would suit you, Takanori, so I'll give it to you." I was so happy about that.

—Did Miyashita offer any advice when you were working together on this project?

We asked Mr. Miyashita about the theme for this season's <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.> and his thoughts on the matter. For me, it wasn't so much about creating a work of art, but rather a strong feeling that I would be happy if it functioned as part of the brand's collection.

—This pop-up event is packed with highlights. One of them is your first attempt at something new with your own work.

This was my first time creating an edition piece. Until now, I had only created original works, but it was a very enjoyable and interesting experience to see my work turned into clothing, to have a runway show, and to see reproductions of my work spread along with the clothes of <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.>. That experience sparked my interest in creating edition pieces.

And most of all, what I'm personally looking forward to at this pop-up is buying clothes from <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.>. Miyashita's clothes are the best, so when I'm creating my own work, I make sure to wear clothes from <Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist.>.

—What do you want to convey through this exhibition?
I really love Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist, and my work is very cool and stylish.