Christian Dada’s designer Masanori Morikawa on never being good enough

SINGAPORE — In the six years since it was established, Christian Dada — founded by designer Masanori Morikawa — has achieved a level of success most labels would kill to have. The brand has become one of the most recognisable Japanese exports, with its showy, loud pieces that often sport an anarchist, rebellious streak. Christian Dada has also scored coveted show spots at Paris Fashion Week and gained a celebrity following that includes Lady Gaga.

Masanori Morikawa has gone from the small Kagawa prefecture in Japan to the world’s largest fashion stage. And as Christian Dada officially opened its first global flagship store right here in Singapore at Orchard Road last month, the designer spoke passionately about his 1,700 square foot retail space — his first flagship store outside Tokyo. “Singapore is very cosmopolitan and everyone is so well-travelled, so we feel it’s an ideal place for us to open a flagship store,” he explained. “Also, given that our parent company D’League is based in Singapore, it was the natural choice too in terms of business opportunities.”

He revealed that he aims to exceed the expectations of customers with “new and never-seen-before spaces that will provide customers with an interesting experience”. Shoppers are encouraged to explore the boutique designed by +ft+/ Fumiko Takahama Architects as it is broken up into “differentiated spaces” — from a sound core room to enjoy dramatic audiovisual experience to the fitting rooms with walls fully outfitted with mirrors to provide a 360-degree view of your outfit.

He is also thinking about creating outfits for his Singapore-based customers, noting that the climate here is very different from Japan. “I am planning to have some more lightweight pieces like shirts to match the needs here while retaining my core collection concept each season,” he added.

Morikawa’s signature touch would be the embroidery in his pieces. He attributes doing something different to gain the attention and following of customers as the key to Christian Dada’s success. It helps, too, that he is more than 100 per cent devoted to his label, having been inspired by his industrious grandfather. “I still remember him saying, ‘You should always stay hungry’, even when he was working late hours,” he shared. “He also gave me the best advice ever, telling me, to always remember that my work and myself are ‘never good enough’.

But he plays down having specific goals for his label, concentrating on one thing at a time as Christian Dada is just launching in Paris. “The fashion industry changes so rapidly. You need to be very attentive and yet unaffected at the same time.” Gwendolyn Lee

This story first appeared on www.ELLE.sg