Where do you look for new ideas or voices in fashion?
Through in-person encounters at Paris Fashion Week. (Seriously!) I go to as many showrooms and gatherings as I can.
Who or what is generating the greatest influence in fashion today?
Social media – because of its structure, not the content itself.
There seems to be more overlap between fashion and beauty with entertainment/sports than ever. Thoughts?
While fashion and beauty have always overlapped with entertainment and sports, brand obsession is more significant now because the major fashion brands act more as affluent overarching entities than craft-oriented operations.
AI will continue to disrupt and impact how we live and work. What excites you and what concerns you?
I think it will lead to new ways of understanding what makes us human and the act of creation, which is exciting. However, I'm concerned that it will exacerbate the economic gap between the rich and the poor because the wealthy control the infrastructure.
How do you think fashion can spark and sustain desire with so much else going on in the world?
There's always something going on in the world. Still, fashion is a primal aspect of civilization: it is one of our main ways of interacting with the world and expressing our humanity. It's just clothes, but what's important is the interconnected web of people who have interacted and who will interact through them. As such, I think that fashion sparks desire for new ways of living.
Do trends still matter?
Yes! Trends show people's real-time awareness of what's happening in the world and within subcultures. Participating in trends or not holds meaning.
Who are your fashion heroes?
No surprise here, but... Yohji Yamamoto, and everyone who has worked with him over the years. It's not only about the work of one person!
What are you most curious to know about how designers work, how a collection comes together?
I'm most curious about the chain of command: how different personalities clash and how these dynamics lead to a team's synergy.
What is one reason to be optimistic about the state of fashion going forward?
I meet so many people who are building remarkably upon the foundations laid before them with such passion and curiosity. But one reason I'm optimistic is that I heard the fashion industry is experiencing a slowdown, hopefully deterring opportunists and leaving only the most passionate ones.
Tell us something surprising about how you got to where you are today?
People are surprised when I tell them that my background is in physics. I started collecting clothes while finishing my master's degree, applying the same rigour to researching both high-temperature superconductors and Japanese fashion designers.
What has been a highlight of your career so far?
It's cliché, but I'm simply happy to have met such incredible people from all around the world. And I'm happy to know I've inspired many to have higher standards. The highlight is to see the positive impact I've had on people's lives.
When was the last time you marvelled over something in fashion?
I find something fascinating every week. Recently, I was translating a few interviews from the 1990s. I got emotional reading about Nobuyoshi Araki discussing photography and his wife who passed away.
What is a positive objective or goal that you would like to see the industry work towards?
Less waste and a better documentation of the past to help build a better future.
If you could make any fashion wish come true, what would it be?
For social media algorithms to encourage thoughtful, well-researched content instead of clickbait posts.
This interview has been lightly edited.
