GLOBAL YOUNG TALENT 2021: L'ANIT | BRINGING HAPPINESS THROUGH FUNKY KNITS

Ayami, the Creative Art Director of label L’ANIT, bringing happiness through fancy and funky knit. L’ANIT creates customizable unisex knits by hand and machine with original yarns on the theory fashion can creating the new value by combination something. As recently featured in the April issue of Harper’s Bazaar we had a chance to talk to the person behind brand’s success.

Would you mind telling us about the main vision you would like to share throughout your designs?

L’ANIT slogan is ‘bringing happiness through fancy and funky knit products and fashion projects’. The design has a colour and image that will remind you of retro and nostalgic memory I have been attracted since I was a child.

Would you mind sharing with us your professional background a little bit? ?

I worked at two apparel makers and a knitting factory, and I was in charge of creating fancy yarn. After that, I studied under Yoshikazu Yamagata and Mikio Sakabe at ESMOD JAPAN Tokyo. And I established the unisex knitting brand ‘L’ANIT' leveraging the difference between hand-knitting and machine knitting.

“ I worked at two apparel makers and a knitting factory, and I was in charge of creating fancy yarn. After that, I studied under Yoshikazu Yamagata and Mikio Sakabe at ESMOD JAPAN Tokyo. And I established the unisex knitting brand ‘L’ANIT' leveraging the difference between hand-knitting and machine knitting.”.”

What made you decided to become a fashion designer?

I think ‘fashion’ also can create a new unprecedented value and a point of view by combination of unexampled items and projects. I’m based on countryside in Japan where you can find many ‘retro items’, and go back and forth between countryside and urban cities. The countryside, where many wonderful things lie, is losing its vitality due to the declining birthrate and aging population. I believe that there are many numbers of possibilities through collaboration with the outside world. Therefore, I decided to create a place (like a hub) that is open to the outside world, where people of all values and personalities can come and go through fashion, and launched my brand.

“I think ‘fashion’ also can create a new unprecedented value and a point of view by combination of unexampled items and projects.”

Creating this magnificent fashionable hub, What is your role as a fashion designer?

To talk with comrades of various personalities that I met through the hub, and to keep sending out messages while being aware of what the middle ground between urban and rural areas are, so as not to lose the places where we can challenge ourselves.

As you have very strong brand message, How would you desire for your label to be seen by the audience?

People tend to judge things only by their likes and dislikes. I believe it is very important to ‘really know the person’ by asking questions and imagining ‘what kind of thinking and background led to this form’ rather than rejecting the objects if you feel ‘uncomfortable’. I believe that interacting with people from all perspectives will broaden your experience and possibilities.

“People tend to judge things only by their likes and dislikes. I believe it is very important to ‘really know the person’ by asking questions and imagining ‘what kind of thinking and background led to this form’ rather than rejecting the objects if you feel ‘uncomfortable’.”

Discover L'ANIT's full collection

Words by Katarzyna Korcz