Supporting the next generation of designers, rising star KANAKO SAKAI
The current state of fashion law [Part 2]

KANAKO SAKAI is one of the serious Japanese fashion brands creating the next generation. It made its debut in the Spring/Summer 2022 collection and won the JFW Next Brand Award the following year in 2023.

About 10 years ago, our firm's leading lawyer, Junya Komatsu, studied abroad at Fordham University to study fashion-specific law, which was almost unknown in the industry at the time. It was there that he met Sakai, who was a student and an aspiring designer.

As time passed, the two, who had both built careers in their own fields, officially teamed up for the first time this fall for the KANAKO SAKAI Fall/Winter 2024 campaign.

The interview will be delivered in two parts, the first and second parts. 
Click here for the first part

—Why did you want to become a fashion designer in the first place?

Sakai (hereinafter S): I majored in linguistics at university, but when I was 19, I suddenly had an idea.
I'm from Ibaraki, and both my parents were teachers, so I grew up without any cultural connections, but I've loved fashion since I was a child. I had a vague idea that I wanted to be a buyer or something to do with fashion, but at first I had no idea that I would make clothes as a designer. But one day, I thought maybe I could do it, so I started attending a fashion school at night.
From that day on, I decided to start up my own brand, and I worked backwards to figure out what I needed to do to get started.

—You made the decision at 19, went to New York, and your strength in moving forward in a straight line is admirable.

S: It's easier to make a decision in life. If your feelings waver, you'll end up wavering, and if you're wavering, you can't do anything.

—Have you encountered any difficulties along the way?

S: It's much harder once you start a company.

Komatsu (K): As promised from our time in New York, I helped with the company's establishment. We covered key points like how to register the company and what to do with the stocks.
The trademark of personal names has changed over time, but at the time of our establishment in 2021, personal names could not be registered as brand names. However, our colleagues at our firm were involved in the amendment, and as of April 2024, 4, personal names can now be registered.

S: So I applied this year. I didn't really like my name, but people overseas told me it sounded nice.
Also, once you put your name on it, you can't run away. The cycle of fashion is so fast that to be honest, there are times when I feel exhausted.

K: In the art industry, artists create works and the gallery handles all aspects of business, from financing to marketing and VIP handling, but in fashion, the designer has to do everything himself, which is difficult.

S: Even if we were to put on a show, fundraising would be a challenge.

K: In Japan, there is no system for fundraising in the fashion industry, and there are not many finance experts who are well-versed in how to run a business.
There are many interesting young designers in Japan, so if they do their best, I think they can establish a position for themselves globally.

S: Compared to places like New York, Japan has the foundation to continue a brand without incurring too much cost. The fashion market in Japan is not small, so there is a foundation for it to operate domestically, so it may be that nothing will change.

K: Currently, our firm has around 300 clients in the apparel industry, including not only fashion brands but also logistics companies and showrooms.
There are many legal issues to consider, from company establishment, trademark registration, fundraising, contracts and negotiations for overseas transactions, wholesale and shipping, and privacy policies.

S: The difficult thing about running a company is that everything has to be paid for in advance, whether it's buying fabric or asking the sewing factory to do something.
It usually takes about a year from the time you start creating a collection to the time you finally recoup your investment.
Trading companies usually don't want to deal with small brands like us, but Komatsu-san introduced us to him recently, and that made things a lot easier.

--Mr. Komatsu, do you also give advice on growing a company?

K: Issues of stocks, fund raising, compensation conditions when appointing directors, contract conditions with overseas consultants and showrooms, etc. I have already done hundreds of fashion-related transactions, so I am well aware of the points that are likely to cause trouble.
I also look at a lot of numbers, such as capital amounts and terms of transactions with overseas companies, so the scope of my work has expanded beyond legal advice to include business consulting.

—Isn't this rare in Japan?

K: There aren't many legal firms in Japan that specialize in the fashion industry. That's why I went to New York to study. There are few lawyers in Japan who specialize in the fashion industry, and there were no firms that dealt with fashion, so that's why I founded my own firm.

—What are the future prospects for KANAKO SAKAI?

K: 10 years ago I was told, "I'm going to be a great brand, so please support me!", and then I came back and launched my own brand. In the three years since then, I've won awards at JFW and WWD, so I think I'm starting to see the next step.
I would like to handle contract negotiations as the business expands and overseas transactions increase.

S: Recently, emerging Japanese brands have been receiving high praise from overseas journalists, and I feel that what is expected of Japanese brands is gradually changing.
I hope that at the right time, I will become recognized overseas as a next-generation designer.

Photograph by Mao Nakazawa