Vestal Magazine

INTERVIEW WITH SUMIE TACHIBANA

by David Gargiulo

At Vestal we are always on the lookout for original and creative talents that have the courage to step over the boundaries of canonical fashion and create something with that special edge. Recently we met with Sumie Tachibana. Sumie is a fashion designer that clearly understands where these boundaries are. She has a natural talent for building fashion that is simply stunning and fierce. Each of her piece screams fashion full lungs. We used many of her pieces for the Royal Divine story in the fashion section. When we selected the clothes and accessories for the shoot we were impressed by the precision of the construction and the variety of materials ranging from leather to cotton moleskin in a perfectly balanced high fashion fusion. We decided to sit down with her and find out more:

DG: Hi Sumie. Thank you for taking time for this interview.

ST: Don't mention it, David. Thank you for having me.

DG: To start off; please tell me a little bit about yourself.

ST: My name is Sumie Tachibana. I am a fashion designer based out of Long Island City in Queens, New York, not to be mistaken with Long Island, New York.

DG: [Laughs] I am familiar with the problem. I used to live in LIC and the misunderstanding happened all the time.

ST: [Laughs] Yes! It happens often.

DG: Sumie, your fashion is gorgeous! Your pieces are very detailed and creative. What inspires you?

ST: I have various sources of inspiration. It can be history, music, textures, fabrics, dreams, movies. Anything that has a dark and mysterious sense.

DG: Yes. I noticed that in your style. The pieces are mysterious and dark which makes them so fascinating and seductive. I guess that is the reason why you mainly use black, isn't it?

ST: Exactly! Most of what I design is in black using different materials for one piece. I really like to play with the textures, how the light acts with the fabrics, and how the fabric hangs. Using only one color such as black eliminates all the colored distractions and really focuses on those qualities, which to me is incredibly beautiful.

DG: Well put! I love the way you play with materials and meshes and your vast assortment of accessories. They add that special touch to your work. What are your favorite fabrics to work with?

ST: I love and appreciate pretty much any kind of high-end material! What I always have in my studio are lambskin, high-end raised lace, silk organzas, and fine cotton mini corduroy. And if I could always have super fine cotton moleskin, I would love that as well. I can't say there is a particular material I like to work with, but I love working with contrasting materials together in one project, such as leather with lace. I love the contrast in textures when combining fabrics.

DG: It is charming indeed. You blend together the fabrics and the textures very nicely in a dreamy antique yet avant-garde manner. The final effect is lovely. What does fashion mean to Sumie?

ST: Fashion to me is self-expression without saying how you feel or what you are about. My designs are like protection or armor. I design to make people feel powerful, confident, sexy, and independent just like a superhero.

DG: How would you define NYC fashion?

ST: I think NYC fashion is trendy, diverse, but relatively conservative.

DG: Couldn't agree more and we are thankful that there are designers like yourself that think outside the box. Tell us about your company?

ST: My company is small and relatively new. I launched my first full collection for Spring/Summer 2008. There are two main lines within my company. The first one is Sumie Tachibana Collection Line, which is very limited edition high-end clothing and accessories.

The second line is simply Sumie Tachibana which consists mostly of accessories and a few clothing that are simplified styles made from the remnant materials from the higher-end collection line.

DG: In this issue we shot your newest collection. Tell us about it.

ST: My newest collection is titled P18, inspired by pirates and 18th century France, Rococo. 18th century is my favorite era. It's so over the top with so many fine details and so much texture. For my collection I designed clothes that pay homage to the details of the historical pieces and at the same time are still in touch with the present. Moreover, I always had a fascination with the ocean and there are subtle hints of this inspiration throughout the collection from colors of the dark ocean and shells on the accessories to the double skirts and black neck chokers.

DG: Can't wait to see that coming! Where can readers find more about your work?

ST: Readers can visit my website www.sumietachibana.com. My clothes can be purchased online at www.felinus.etsy.com or any of these locations:
Sumie Tachibana Studio, Long Island City, NY
Midoma, New York, NY
Congregations of the Forgotten Saints, Los Angeles, CA
They can also contact me via email to inquire about any of the items on the website studio@sumietachibana.com

DG: That was a great interview! Thanks Sumie for your time.

ST: Sure! Thank you for the opportunity.

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