Viewpoint

From washi paper to Tagami's works. Advice from an aesthete, Satoshi Kondo

The creative director of Issey Miyake is a fan of Pina Bausch and how contemporary dance makes the body speak: this is what he also sets out to do when he designs a collection.

22 July 2025

Satoshi Kondo, design director di Issey Miyake. (ph. Chiara Bruschini)

5' min read

DISTINCTIVE SIGNS OF MY STYLE I often wear a black cap: I have many, almost all vintage, made of cotton or wool depending on the season. And then, my glasses. My favourite, with thin metal frames, are by the Japanese brand Eyevan (eyevan.com, Merced model in titanium, 416 euros, at goodseeco.com).

MY STYLE ICON I never had one, because from a young age I liked to freely decide what to wear, without being influenced by the taste of others. I think it has to do with the desire to always make individual choices.

Set di scacchi di FLAŸOU in ceramica della regione di Sejnane (250 $).

WHAT INSPIRES ME Contemporary dance. I am a fan of Pina Bausch and last September at the Tokyo International Forum I saw her The Rite of Spring with dancers from 14 African countries. What fascinates me about contemporary dance is the way in which the body becomes an instrument of expression: I too, as a designer for Issey Miyake, work with the body (Pina Bausch's show Café Müller, 10-13/7, pinabausch.org; t-i-forum.co.jp, on stage at the Tanztheater Wuppertal in Vienna).

Una mappa della zona di Tokyo in cui si trova il negozio Paper Nao che vende le carte tradizionali del Giappone, tra cui la preziosa washi.

The OBJECT FROM WHICH I WOULD NEVER SEPARATE MYSELF A decade ago, I bought a painting by Japanese artist Masakatsu Tagami, the first major work I bought in my life. I really love Tagami's primitive and abstract work. The painting still hangs in my living room, I see it every day: it is part of my life (works from 55 x 40 to 89 x 65 centimetres, from 1,120 to 3,410 euros, at singulart.com).

Occhiali Merced in titanio, EYEVAN (416 €).

LAST OBJECT I PURCHASED A car: the Berlingo Citroën suv, ideal for my family, especially when we go camping. Why a European car? Some time ago, in Mallorca, I saw a vintage Citroën, I liked it so much that I immediately tried to buy it. That model was out of the market, so I opted for a newer one (Citroën Berlingo Live M BlueHDi 100, from 23,400 euros, citroen.co.uk).

La lanterna all’ingresso del negozio vintage Tahlia Store, a Tokyo. Tofu dessert, una delle portate del shojin ryori, la cucina tradizionale dei monaci buddisti giapponesi. (ph. Shutterstock)

AN UNFORGETTABLE PLACE WHERE I TRAVELED I was in Nepal some 15 years ago. I am very attracted to indigenous cultures and I still vividly remember the bright, vibrant colours that could be seen everywhere on the streets. I didn't make it to the top of the Himalayas, but I did visit Pokhara - the access point to the Annapurna Circuit for trekkers - and the capital city Kathmandu (a stay at the Shinta Mani Mustang, the latest resort of the Mountain Lodges of Nepal, including trekking, spiritual guidance and treatments with Himalayan herbal therapies and traditional practices, €1,800 per day in a double room, minimum five nights, shintamanimustang.com).

La livingroom dello Shinta Mani Mustang, ultimo nato dei resort della Mountain Lodges of Nepal, dove si sente forte l’influenza della cultura tibetana. (ph. courtesy Shinta Mani Mustang)

The MOST RECENT GIFT I GOT A set of 100 Uni Mitsubishi coloured pencils I bought for my daughter. She loves to draw, but always complains that she doesn't get enough of the 24 classic colours, so for her eighth birthday I wanted to surprise her by giving her 100 of them (Mitsubishi Pencil Uni 100-colour coloured pencil set, 282 euros, at amazon.co.uk; uniball.com).

A PLEASURE I WILL NEVER FORGET The time I spent with Issey Miyake. He was an extremely kind man, even if he was critical at times. The memories that tie me to him are an integral part of my personal and professional life. When I encounter a difficulty at work, I think back to an episode or a conversation we had to find the right solution. And when I teach young people, I refer to what I myself learnt from him (eu.isseymiyake.com).

Il Tel Aviv Museum of Art. (ph. Amit Geron)

My favourite APP The first thing I do in the morning is check a weather forecast app, especially in the rainy season, between spring and summer. I do this because my daughter comes to me as soon as she gets up and asks me what the weather will be like: I want to be prepared. I use Weather News (weathernews.jp).

The LAST MEAL THAT IMPRESSED ME A series of courses of Japanese vegetarian shōjin ryōri cuisine, based on vegetables, beans and mushrooms, which I sampled at a restaurant in Tokyo's Azabu district, which unfortunately has now closed. However, I can suggest another place not to be missed, specialising in grilled eel (unagi), a favourite in my country: Yatsumeya Nishimura, in the Meguro district. It is near the Ryusenji temple, known as Meguro Fudo, the local temple where I go to pray: it is less known to tourists than the Meiji-jingu shrine in the Harajuku district (unagi.me; megurofudo.jp).

Foto di Kitagawa Sohta che ritrae la maschera Noh di Elvis Presley per la pièce “Blue Moon Over Memphis”, esposta al Kyotographie 2025. (ph. Kitagawa Sohta)

A RECENT DISCOVERY I recently discovered that traditional Japanese washi paper (which by the way is one of the central themes of the S/S 25 Issey Miyake collection) was originally made from hemp fibre, thus different from what we know today, made from kōzo, or mulberry fibre. For those who want to buy a nice traditional paper in Tokyo, I recommend the Paper Nao shop, which offers a wide selection from all over the country (papernao.com).

My favourite room in my house The bathroom. I love the Japanese habit of taking a hot bath before going to sleep. It is a time I dedicate totally to myself, without a mobile phone, to think things over calmly.

Il lago Phewa a Pokhara, in Nepal.

The BEST SOUVENIR I HAVE TAKEN HOME FROM A TRIP I have the habit of buying ceramic plates in every place I visit, to take as gifts to my parents. In Tunisia, however, I fell in love with some Sejnane ceramic sculpture-objects. Since Tunisia is a country that is culturally very different from Japan, I was happy to give my friends something that I could never find here (160 euro Sejnane ceramic bowls, on etsy.com).

The LAST PIECE I ADDED TO THE GUARDAROBA A knitted jumper, Italian, from the 1960s, bought in a vintage shop in the Shibuya district, where our company is located.

If I HAD TO LIMIT SHOPPING TO A DISTRICT If we are talking about fashion, I would choose Setagaya City, in Tokyo. I love vintage and there are many independent shops here where I like to browse (much more than buying online!). One of my favourites is Tahlia Store. But on the Setagaya Line you can find many others, alternating with second-hand bookshops and small cafes (@tahlia_store).

“Piano sonata 01” (2025), di Nerhol. Tavolino “Holebid” (1984), di Ettore Sottsass (6.250 €, sushop.memphis.it). (ph. Courtesy Nerhol, Yutaka Kikutake Gallery; COURTESY MEMPHIS MILANO)

THE ARTIST I WOULD COLLECT IF I COULD Surely Nerhol, an up-and-coming Japanese art duo formed by Yoshihisa Tanaka and Ryuta Iida. Tanaka also works as a graphic designer for Issey Miyake, but the truth is that I was following his artistic production from before. Nerhol's work is conceptual and often inspiring, especially his paper sculptures. And then the Italian designer Ettore Sottsass: in 2011, in Tokyo, the 21_21 Design Sight design museum (founded by, among others, Issey Miyake himself and designed by the architect Tadao Andō, ndr) dedicated a large exhibition to his work and that of the Japanese designer Shirō Kuramata. Also on display were some glass objects - a material I particularly love - and one day I would like to buy one (@ner_hol; 2121designsight.jp).

MUSEUM OR GALLERY THAT I CONSIDER INTERESTING I would like to visit in the coming months the Dia:Beacon of the Dia Art Foundation in New York, on the banks of the Hudson River: it has an important collection of artists including Joseph Beuys, Cy Twombly and On Kawara. Another is the Tel Aviv Museum of Art with contemporary art, Israeli and otherwise (diaart.org; tamuseum.org).

my favourite green space in the city The Komazawa Olympic Park, built in the Setagaya district for the 1964 Olympic Games. It is ideal for outdoor sports: I go there to run, walk or just relax in the greenery (1-1 Komazawakoen, Setagaya City, gotokyo.org).

AN IMPERDIBLE ARTISTIC PROJECT Undoubtedly Kyotographie, an international photography festival held in Kyoto in spring (kyotographie.jp).

If I DIDN'T LIVE IN TOKYO I would go to live in the mountains, to go hiking and snowboarding.

If I DID NOT DO WHAT I DO I would be a photographer.