If you follow fashion, and you haven’t heard of Tomo Koizumi at this point, then you’re a unicorn. The Japanese designer debuted his boisterously joyous, vibrant, ruffled organza gowns on the fashion industry’s biggest faces in his first runway show that took place in the Marc Jacobs store in New York during fashion week.
The dreamy, absolutely bogusly-huge dresses were a refreshing change to the normally consumer-focused, fairly serious nature of New York Fashion Week. I was instantly taken by the sheer youth and femininity of the collection, which oozed all of the charm and fantasies of the Kawaii aesthetic of his native country. Koizumi even cites the internationally beloved anime Sailor Moon as being an inspiration for his dresses, which are supposed to act as a sort of armor, or proof of the idea that a woman can be cute AND strong. It makes me wonder why we view powerful women like men, in bland suits and plain makeup. Why can’t a powerful woman wear a rainbow-hued, ruffled dress? These are questions that are yet to be answered.
But the real topic this show truly brought to mind for me, is the pressure of the debut. While Koizumi had already found some success with his ruffled creations in the kawaii-centric Japan dressing celebrities and pop stars in his signature sugary, architectural designs, he was by no means well-known worldwide- until he caught the attention of famous stylist Katie Grand, who had all of the connections in the fashion world needed to put on such an incredible show. His first show was a tremendous success, launching him to fashion stardom instantly. This vision of the debut just strikes me as unfair, and definitely outside of reality.
I’m not trying to disparage Koizumi or his work- I think it’s all gorgeous and deserves recognition for how unique and playful it is (my favorite piece was one that resembled a ruffle-fied traditional kimono) and I’m glad he was given this stage, so that I could be inspired by his work. I just think that it more cements the idea that the debut, whether it be a fashion show, an acting role, a novel, an academic paper, or any other kind of work, has to be some kind of earth-shaking event that causes the world to see you. And if your debut isn’t like that, then maybe you’re not as good at something as you thought. The fear of the debut flop might even cause some people to not try in the first place.
To put this in a more personal light, I am someone who grew up being told they were “gifted” (ugh) all the time, so I thought that I could be naturally good at anything I set my mind to, and that just simply isn’t true. This ingrained belief causes me to give up on things immediately if I’m not automatically good at them, making it so I never really step outside of my comfort zone and try new things. To put it simply, I am limited by a fear of failure and ridicule, one that continually causes me not to put my work out there. The reality is, most people will not have a spectacular debut, because it is your debut. Firsts are never perfect, and should only serve as a jumping off point to improve your craft and keep trying. If you keep at it, someday the world will take notice. I just wish I could practice what I preach!
Check out some of my favorite looks from the show below:
Cover photo from WWD.com, all other photos from Vogue.com
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