16th annual IFFTI conference

After graduating from School of Law I, Waseda University, Mr. Hirouchi joined Kashiyama Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Onward Group, in 1965. In 1981, he started to build his career actively in the international business field as the company’s first head of the overseas business department. During his tenure he cultivated relationships with many internationally acclaimed designers, including Jean Paul Gaultier, which laid the foundation for current overseas businesses of the Onward Group. Since 1997, when he was named the Representative Director and President of Onward Kashiyama Co., Ltd., Mr. Hirouchi has been continuously leading the company for over sixteen years. Currently, he contributes not only to the further success of the company as the Representative Director, Chairman and President he assumed in 2011, but also to the development of the entire fashion and apparel industry in Japan as the representative of major industry associations as referenced above.

Susumu Kataoka took responsibility for promoting the Japanese textile and clothing industries in August 2012 after having spent almost 5 years in Paris where he served as Counselor in the Commercial Section at the Embassy of Japan in France. Mr. Kataoka has spent almost half of his professional career in France (around 11 years out of a professional career of 23 years, with a recent five year stay from 2007-2012). He is said to be a specialist of France within METI. By using his own network, Mr. Kataoka is working to strengthen ties between Japan and France in the field of textiles and apparel (including technical textiles). He promotes in Japan and abroad textiles and apparel goods that are ‘made in Japan’ believing that Japanese goods are underestimated, especially among Japanese consumers.

Hiroyuki Horihata and Makiko Sekiguchi enrolled in the Creative Apparel Design course at Bunka Fashion College after graduating from Doshisha University's graduate program and Kyorin University, respectively. They graduated in 1998 and then spent the next five years employed as pattern makers at different companies. In 2003 they moved to the United Kingdom, where they worked on the collection of Bora Aksu, a London-based designer. They launched "matohu" after returning to Japan in 2005, and have participated in Japan Fashion Week since 2006. They were awarded the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix New Comer's Prize and Shiseido Sponsorship Award in 2009.
The brand is called "matohu". Despite its spelling, the brand is pronounced "matou." It conveys two meanings. The first comes from the Japanese word matou (まとう), which means "to drape." It suggests an image of clothing that drapes lightly around the body. The second is derived from the word matou (待とう), which translates into English as "let's wait." It is a call to people to wait until their sense of beauty matures into something that befits them, rather than simply rushing to consume and discard.
The brand continues to give the world unique Japanese styles that embrace not only color and shape but even history and culture. The concept is the creation of new clothing that has an underlying connection with Japanese aesthetics.

Mr. Takamura is a graduate of the Faculty of Education of Tokyo Gakugei University and dress design course of Kuwasawa Design School. He is primarily active in fashion illustration, design, and research at publishing companies and apparel manufacturers. His publications include “Roots of Street Style”, “Fashion Design Techniques”, “Fashion Design Archives” (Graphic-sha), and “The Way of Your Fashion Life” (Iwanami Shoten) etc.