Kei Ninomiya Explores The Dark Side of Fashion

Almost exclusively black garments shower the Parisian runways of Noir Kei Ninomiya’s collections. Far from simple, innovative techniques, fabrics and silhouettes encapsulate the pioneering and cult heritage of Comme des Garçons, of which the brand emanates. Ninomiya intends to evoke an emotional experience for the wearer through nuance, delicate and subtle details, and personal to only those in the garments.

A version of this exclusive interview first appeared in the pages of the 13th issue of ODDA Magazine.

Noir kei ninomiya is almost exclusively black. Does black exhaust your personal life, such as your wardrobe, home wares and art?

I believe black is strong, I like black. However it does not exhaust my personal life. It is the concept integral to the brand I’m engaged in.

Noir Kei Ninomiya’s dark

What does your relationship with Adrian Joffe and Rei Kawakubo mean to you?

I began working as a pattern maker at Comme des Garçons. I learned a lot about how to make clothes and the way I think what clothes are. Patterning is an essential part of my clothes making. A simple, easy to understand plan is necessary in order to tell the manufacturers precisely and efficiently how to make my clothes with such a complex structure. My experience from those days has been very precious and useful in my current work. To work among people with such great talents is the most valuable experience for me. I really respect them, their attitude toward all creations of Comme des Garçons as company.

Rei Kawakubo once said, “My intention is not to make clothes. My head would be too restricted if I only thought about making clothes.” Does this ring true to you and how you design within Comme des Garçons?

It is important for me to make something new. I believe you can only make something new if you take a new approach in creation. That’s why I explore the technical aspects on making things, and my clothes are the result of such exploration. The image of the clothes, such as silhouette, does not come first. Rather, it is the form born out of such technical exploration that matters. My approach here is to make clothes through connecting small pieces and parts. It’s not that I try to develop any new technique. What I do is to revise the existing, well-known production process to create new clothes. We have been taking this approach for the last several seasons, but I would like to keep looking for another different, new approach to creation.

Noir Kei Ninomiya

Why do you consider your craftsmanship separate to art?

As the definitions of the words vary depending on the person, I am not so concerned with the difference between the two. If any, I dare say that although there are some of our stuff that require the kind of manual work they use in couture, we focus more on productivity and efficiency by fixing the pattern-making and production process.

You studied French Literature before Fine Arts. What role does French Literature play in your life now?

I have never been conscious of it.

You incorporate a very avant-garde and innovative craft in your designs. Have any oriental techniques influenced your construction or aesthetics?

Nothing in particular. Although origami and macramé are often viewed as oriental or Japanese, we don’t have any special recipe for them. Our manufacturing methods are developed in a way like, the complex pattern-making techniques and sewing processes are applied to the simple production design similar to that of a jigsaw puzzle or a plastic model which is easy enough for anybody to build with the help of a manual. The current collection mainly incorporates manual work based on the flower motifs. Flowers are made with pinched tulles while a sheet of organdie is inserted in spiral into the cut motifs. They look like they have complex structures, but they are actually constructed according to a very basic, simple rules.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt from starting your own line?

To do something I had not done before at noir kei ninomiya. “noir kei ninomiya” will consistently seek out new forms of expression. The means to do this will change each season – approach, details, and techniques. About A/W 17-18 collection, it was a challenge in shapes. At the same time, I wanted to explore an expression of the black through using colours. I have been expressing colours through black until now, but this time, I tried to express the black through other colours.

What is your most memorable recollection of someone trying on one of your pieces?

Not in particular. I am very happy if people feel something about my clothes and that they wear them.

Caitlin Hicks

Caitlin is a dynamic Australian writer based in Melbourne. Whilst completing her Bachelor of Arts at Monash University, Caitlin has developed her skills in both journalism and sartorial writing. Experience at Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival and Whitehouse Institute of Design have promoted her focus on communication in arts and fashion media, and has led to published work in global magazine, ODDA.