Japanese label Tsumori Chisato discontinues ready-to-wear line

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Apr 4, 2019

“The activity for the Tsumori Chisato label managed by A-net is terminating with the Spring/Summer 2019 season in Japan, and the Fall/Winter 2019-20 season internationally.” With a laconic press release, the Japanese fashion group, which used to run the talented designer’s ready-to-wear line, has announced the end of their partnership. Tsumori Chisato stores will close down by July, and the label’s e-store by August.
 

A-net is part of the Issey Miyake group, and has several fashion labels in its portfolio, among them Zucca, Né-net and Plantation. The group’s European subsidiary talked about a “contract interruption,” without providing further details. The label’s ready-to-wear business was entirely managed by A-net, and it will now cease to operate until Tsumori Chisato is able to find a new partner.

She is however expected to continue her design activity, via her T.C. Agency, while the label’s other lines (accessories, leather goods, lingerie, etc.), which are produced and distributed under licence with other partners, are expected to continue to operate.

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Nevertheless, the separation is a watershed moment for the Japanese designer, who began her career at Issey Miyake in 1977, after graduating from the Bunka fashion school in Tokyo. Issey Miyake initially put Chisato in charge of the Issey Sports line, which in 1984 evolved into a fully fledged brand called I.S. Chisato Tsumori Design, for which she was the creative director.
 
In 1990, encouraged by Issey Miyake, Chisato left I.S. and launched her solo career, founding her own label and showing in Tokyo, to quick success. The label’s colourful style, both cheerful and poetic, won over an increasingly numerous clientèle. Handmade prints are Chisato’s hallmark, and so are the rare details - embroidery, sequins and jewellery - accenting her looks, and the visually striking graphics, always infused with a playful, childlike touch.
 
In 1995, Tsumori Chisato opened a first store in Tokyo, followed four years later by one in Paris’s Marais district, which was later closed. Since 2003, the label showed in Paris. Tsumori Chisato currently operates 23 stores in Japan, three in Hong Kong, one in Moscow and one in Taiwan. It is also present in Paris with a concession at the Le Bon Marché department store. In 2015, the designer celebrated the label's 25th anniversary by publishing a book.