Circle, triangle, square
Geometric patterns
Henri Matisse “The Snail”
Rock music
Modern art

Blue leaves and red berries
Frilled one-piece dress
Ribbon blouse
Circular skirt
Cotton
Organdy
Linen
Sheerness

The summer of 2025
Life that moves forward in a colourful spiral
Memories of distant days
The scent of nature
Precious memories of London
Re-examining my own starting point
Light and wind
Communicating with my past self In the summer of 2025, at my beloved contemporary art museum Tate Modern in London, my eyes happened to fall on Henri Matisse’s work "The Snail". Although this piece has long been part of the Tate’s permanent collection, for some reason it captured my heart in that moment and would not let go. The dynamic composition features colourful shapes arranged in a spiral, their complementary colours resonating with one another. When I visited London last summer for the first time in a while, I found myself unexpectedly reconnecting with feelings I had when I first moved there over 20 years ago, as well as with the familiar sights I often saw at the time. Back then, rather than feeling anxious, I was filled with an unfounded confidence, courage, and the energy to leap into a new world. Every day sparkled—fresh and full of excitement. Since then, I’ve accumulated many experiences and grown into adulthood, and I found myself pausing to reflect on those emotions that are no longer so simple to hold onto without careful consideration. It was an experience too vast, heavy, and profound to put into words. When I began studying graphic design at university in London, the very first thing I was taught was that “circles, triangles and squares” are the fundamentals of design. At the time, I was just as captivated by contemporary art and the Young British Artists as I was by UK and US rock music. Thinking back to the architecture and design of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which I had encountered in Glasgow in 1999, I devoted myself—almost to the point of absurdity—to creating works using only those three shapes throughout my university years. The "S for Shoko" 2026 Spring/Summer collection features two original textiles. A colorful "Geometric" pattern randomly combines circles, squares, and triangles, and a "Blue Leaves" pattern with light blue leaves bearing red berries. The original artwork for both fabrics were works I painted in my London flat back then. Looking at those works again years later, I realised they contained all the emotions of my younger, naive (still-ignorant/still-innocent) self: hope, elation, anxiety, and conflict.
I wanted to use this work to create a light-hearted expression of clothing that would suit adult women who never lose their girlish heart. Flared pieces that flutter in the wind, cute, uneven ruffles, and pieces that change appearance depending on how they are layered or worn simply. Dresses and pants with layered ruffles, blouses and circular skirts accented with ribbons. Focusing on natural materials like cotton and linen, the brand is also using original prints on cotton for the first time. I incorporated cooling fabrics, and multiple layering of sheer cotton, designing the collection so that fashion can be enjoyed even in the scorching heat of summer. The pieces are easy to wash and resistant to wrinkling, making them perfect for travel. The organdy dress comes as a three-piece set, allowing it to be styled freely for any occasion. This sense of freedom—unbound by rules—has always been an important theme in my clothing design, alongside the coexistence of romance and reality.
The seasons, the weather, the scent of the wind—these always soothe our hearts, offer us fresh perspectives, and gently draw out nostalgic memories. All of these thoughts have led me, as the brand marks its 10th anniversary, to revisit my own sense of “basics.” Life is colourful in many ways and continues to move in a spiral. As the years pass, we move forward in circles, confronting our past selves at certain points along the way. During this recent visit to London, I suddenly remembered the feelings I had when I first began studying design in earnest, the emotions of my youth that I had left behind, and the realizations that came with becoming an adult—sensing how everything is connected. It was also a way of communicating with my past self. Designer SHOKO