We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Saori Mitome . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Saori below.
Saori , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I first learned to sew in elementary school, making rags to clean the school buildings and classrooms. I simply folded the cloth and sewed it by hand to finish the dusters. In high school, I was interested in and influenced by the clothes and styles of musicians I admired, and I thought it might be cool to pursue clothing design, make one-of-a-kind garments, and learn a craft. That is why I went to fashion school after graduating high school to learn basic skills in fashion.
In 2009, I entered the Fashion Design Program at Los Angeles Trade Technical College and studied fashion design in order to pursue a career in costume design in the United States.
During my studies, I interned with a designer who made costumes worn by musicians, among others, and experienced many things that I could not have learned in school, such as resizing for actual models, observing designs being made, and seeing materials I had never seen before.
Fashion design and costume production covers a wide range of different industries. One-of-a-kind apparel design, mass-produced apparel companies, costume design, film costume design, etc. Each of these fields has a different role to play and a different end use for the products.
It is essential to know which field you would like to gain more experience in. This is why I hope that you will participate in many internship opportunities while you are still in school so that you can understand the differences between these fields through hands-on experience and utilize them to help you decide on your future career path!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I primarily work in two areas. The first is costume production for Hollywood movies. Since April 2022, I have been a member of
IATSE Local 705: Motion Picture Costumer, (Seamstress/Draper) Women Custom-Made Costumer. It is an incredible honor to be involved in the costume department of internationally recognized Hollywood films!
My second career is as an Independent Fashion/Costume Designer in which I have participated in Fashion showcases, including a fashion design competition in Los Angeles. As well as I work collaborative projects, such as motion pictures and theatrical productions. (This is a separate activity from the Hollywood film industry.)
It’s great news for me to announce my up-coming costuming project! It’d be my very first time working on an Opera show as a Costume Designer. I’m very pleased to board this great opportunity. The premiere in April 2024! I can’t wait to see what the whole Opera show looks like as well as the costume designs!! The show will be a mixture of Western meets Eastern literature themes with extravagant costumes. I’m very excited to be working on the show!
I am about starting an apparel design and production company called “meet-met-mitome” using UpCycle and vintage clothing materials! It features unique designs, incorporating styles that influenced me, such as 90’s Tokyo Fashion, 70’s British Punk Fashion, Retro Futuristic, American Vintage, and other fun styles. I aim at creating clothes that are durable and easy to wear and hopefully reflect a Japanese character.
In addition to the apparel line, I will continue to present intricate clothing designs and production through design competitions and fashion show presentations. I will also hold fashion workshops for those who want to learn the sewing techniques involved, as well as a little bit more about clothing design and production. I would like to create a space where fashion enthusiasts can gather! As soon as further information is available, I will post it on Instagram and other social media, so please stay tuned!
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
There were many things I wish I had known before I started living and designing clothes in a foreign country, but I tried to “act as soon as I made up my mind” to avoid being too concerned about these things and not taking any action. So, I started my life overseas with a lot of unknowns. I was new to everything from clothing design and production to how to participate in a fashion show. However, my intense curiosity overcame these obstacles, all while experiencing a different culture and society. In Japan, it is a cultural custom for everyone to have the same mindset and to work together to create something. Therefore, opinions and actions that are different from others are not accepted. In my case, I wanted to do something different and challenge myself from a young age.
Somehow, I became interested in going to the U.S., which has a social system that is the complete opposite of Japan’s. My curiosity to experience another culture, to live, work, and make clothes and costumes within the cultural diversity environment was a major push for me to go to the United States. Before making clothes, I had to experience the difficulties of living in a foreign country, but it taught me a lot. There are still many things I don’t know about my identity and culture in terms of making clothes, and that is why I want to continue to challenge myself in the future.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Since coming to the U.S., I have been able to concentrate working on costume productions and costume designs.
I think it would be wonderful if I could continue to make people happy by presenting my creations at fashion shows and through “clothes and self-confidence” and connect with the world on a personal level, regardless of age, gender, or nationality. Hopefully, people will get to know more about Japan through the clothes I make.
I have many more things I would like to do in the future, such as offering classes in sewing and fashion design as well as theatrical costume designs at my own fashion workshops, and I am very excited about the future!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/saori.mitome/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saori.mitome
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saori-mitome
Image Credits
The Society Fashion Week @thebureaufashionweek Union Station Los Angeles on March 25th 2023 Event Organized and Produced by Krissy King @krissykingthelabel Brady King @thebradyking Models Are: Madelynn Joy Stuenkel @madelynnjoy Alina Murphy @leen_agram Kayla Pasko @kaylapasko Moana Tuliaupupu @moanalalokea Aleksandra Siepielska @olasiepielska Nikkiahna @nikkiahna Cheyenne Byrd @ch3yzz Hair and Makeup Artists Are Cesia Martines @gutterglitt3r Gage Fury @styledbygage McCy @mccymakeup Denekia Carmel @denekiacarmelartistry Special Thanks for Fabric Donation by Roboro @roboro_official Fashion Photography by Weston Mosburg @Weston.mosburg Back Stage/Footage photos by Omer Shaikh @omershaikh Wardrobe professionals are Nasira Elias @eliasdesigns Maria Briones Virginia Dan @virginiadan Eco-Couture Design Challenge on June 24th 2023 at Ovation Square in Long Beach, CA Event Organized and Produced by Goodwill Southern California @goodwillsocal Models are: Sydney Zheng @_sydneyzheng Solenne Jines @_solenne Hair and Makeup Artists by Jeanette Virgen @stylesbyjean Metropolitan Fashion Week ’23 Los Angeles At The Original Farmers Market Los Angeles, CA on Oct 5th 2023 Event organized and produced by Eduardo Khawam @eduardokhawam @metropolitanfashionweek Event Producer Jesus Luviano @jluvi Hair and Makeup Artists are Emely Baez @emelymua Cindy Guzman Andrea Gonzales Kathy Enriquez @cosmok4t Moshe Turjeman @moshiko_torgeman Jenn Braggs @baiaesthetics Models are: Alicia Spree Sky Saxour @imnotsky Arena Zeynali @arenarna Ella Louise Steel @ellalouisesteel Malkia Hampton @eyekeya Morgan Rae Furno @morganraefurno Stacy De Pannetti @stacy.pannetti Photographed by Alana Zlobova @lassstday