Divka

...in Japan, people told us our collection is European style, and in Europe, people told us our collection is Japanese style.

Before starting the label, Divka, designer Takayuki Tanaka was working with designers like John Galliano and Miki Fukai. Tanaka graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA Fashion with First Class honours in 2006. A year later, he was selected as a finalist for the international "ITS#5" competition. Divka aims to creating modern and beautiful garments through experimentation. “Pattern” is Divka’s Autumn/Winter12-13 collection’s theme. The word “pattern” has multiple meanings: Sewing patterns for jackets, design patterns, not to mention people’s behavioral patterns. Divka has focused on the fact that design patterns are created through accumulation of time. It is a standard which, through ever-flowing time, has been continuously improved by people after people, civilisation after civilisation. In this collection we thought outside the box and targeted to go beyond the pattern, to create something cutting-edge.

Nothing inspires me like…
Trendy things.

I hope…
Fashion has a power to influence people and world even just a tiny bit.

Cultural influences…
In Japan, people told us our collection is European style, and in Europe, people told us our collection is Japanese style. I was born in Japan, and studied fashion design in Europe. I am influenced by both cultures, but what I aim for is something that transcends this, which is my identity.

I got where I am…
I feel pleasure when I make various experiments at my atelier and when I spend time with families at home.

Fashion can sometimes…
If there is power in a fashion, it does a revitalisation of the present and thinks that it is to investigate future possibility. We create garments through various experiments in every collection. The reason is because we believe that it affect people by contact to aim at the newness.

I scream when...
I noticed that our parcel for Mango Fashion Award was stopped at Customs in Spain for 3 weeks.

Money makes...
A lots of possibilities for me to create the collection .

Faith in...
Going for creating something we’ve never seen before.

Creativity comes from...
Research and experimentation. That is our base of making things.

I have never...
I have never gave up to chasing new possibilities.

NYC/London/Paris/Milan is…
London is my other hometown, I spent 5 years there when I was young. Now it is also the place we aim to come back to show our collection.

I live East…
Asia, Tokyo, capital of Japan.

Studios make me…
Keep my motivation. A studio is my own experimental laboratory. We are always waiting to see interesting result.

There's a new...
everything, everywhere, every time if we retain and sharpen our senses

My goal…
is to continue making modes.

I like making...
of course, clothes and modes.

Divka on NJALWin a Divka dress