“Do not be afraid of change, take chances and rely on your intuition.”,  Kazumi Lomri

Noblivity Spotlights Emerging Designer Kazumi Lomri

Company/Designer Name:  Chako | Kazumi Lomri

Designer Background Summary:

Chako was launched in 2003 by my mother and I.  Neither one of us has a formal fashion background, but we leveraged my mother’s creative talents, my business development background and our passion to breathe new life into the beautiful traditional Japanese obi and kimono.

We have jointly lived in 8 different countries*, which gives us the ability to understand and adapt to new environments and cultures well.  This allows us to uniquely position and refine the brand to appeal to women around the world.

* I have lived in Japan, Philippines, Mexico, USA, Spain, Hong Kong, UK and France. My mother has lived in Japan, Philippines and Mexico

How did you get started?

Our collaboration began one summer in 2001, when I asked my crafty mother for a small favor – to make a handbag out of a silk obi that I found in an antique market in Tokyo. After moving to Hong Kong in 2002, I was inspired to pursue the venture seriously with the encouragement of my friends, whom were already putting in their orders!

What inspires your designs?

The primary inspiration is the vintage obi and kimono fabrics we use. A lot of man-hours goes into creating these garments, many are hand-embroidered or hand-painted, however, most of them sit in people’s armoires for years without seeing daylight. We wanted to revive these fabrics and give them the spotlight they deserve.  As there are so many choices of fabric, colours and patterns, we get excited that we create a clutch that can suit varying fashion styles from around the world.

We also continue to draw inspiration from our customers, nature and through our travels.

How would you describe your design style?  Modern, yet timeless & versatile

What designers inspire you?  Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Lauren, Antoni Gaudi (architect)

What obstacles did you have to overcome?  The initial fear of believing that our product is unique.  Lack of experience in the fashion industry requires us to do a lot more research and work even harder to build up our customer relationships and contacts. However, we are really enjoying the learning process!  Dealing with the physical distance between my mother and myself (She is in Tokyo and I am in Paris & Hong Kong). It naturally creates a lot of challenges to operating the business, but does ensure we are efficient!

How did you overcome them?  Listening to the customers, seizing every opportunity given and keeping a positive but realistic outlook.

What has been your greatest moment on your journey so far?  I feel that we are just starting this journey so I am hoping our greatest moment is yet to come. However, when we were featured in Financial Times Style section, it really hit home that we created a great product!

Where are you headed personally and professionally?  Personally, I am building my life in Paris with my husband and hope to grow our family.  Professionally, I juggle a full-time job alongside building the Chako brand until recently, so now I am dedicating 100% of my time to growing the business and marketing my mother’s amazing talent around the world.  I would like to continue to make Chako a better-known brand in several key markets and increase our point of sales.

If money were no object what would you do right now?  Invest more in our business.

What are the best and worst things about being a designer?  I have the continuous joy of honing our creative skills and further building a brand which I believe in.  On the flip side, you must understand not everyone is going to love each design we launch and we have to remind ourselves that the criticism will keep us on our toes and make us stronger.

Describe your typical day?  Since we are a very small team, we have to wear many hats. A typical day consists of sourcing the materials, checking emails and orders from customers, and then work on business development opportunities. My mother’s day consists of production and designing a new collection.

What’s your philosophy of life?  I live by two:  Do not be afraid of change, take chances and rely on your intuition.  Live with no regrets, enjoy every part of the journey.

What’s your favorite meal time setting?  Dinner with family and friends with lots of wine and good food. We love cooking and eating!

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I happily answer nothing.  Some people ask why we did not concentrate solely on Chako once the brand was established, instead of balancing two jobs for 6 years.  However, I am glad we started at a slower pace and the wealth of experience I gained from working for 10 years in the corporate world, has greatly helped us build a stronger foundation for Chako.  

When will you know you have made it?

In some ways we have already made it.  One huge benefit of Chako is it keeps me and my mother connected.  We both LOVE being creative and we LOVE working together, and it has been a great partnership! It makes me happy and proud to see both my mother and I having this second chapter to our professional lives.

I hope we will always keep challenging ourselves to grow.