Where the Winds of the Future Begin

 

Miki Omori is a Paris-based fashion designer and educator with 30 years of experience.

Born and raised in Japan, she taught at a fashion school for five years before moving to France in 2000. She then worked for 15 years as a designer at the renowned Parisian luxury houses including Balenciaga, Lanvin, and Nina Ricci.

In　2015, she relocated to New York City, where she led a team as a Senior Design　Director for Coach's Women's Ready-to-Wear.

Since 2021, she has served as an Associate Director of the MFA Fashion Design & the Arts program at Parsons Paris, involved in program operations and fashion design education.

In 2024, she appeared on the runway as a model for Rick Owens’ Spring/Summer 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week.

Since 2024, she has contributed to collection development as a design consultant for Lanvin.

Photo: Harry Miller

 

IROHA: Could you tell us about your current projects and any you’ve recently completed?

MIKI: I'm currently teaching fashion design and collaborate closely in managing
 the program at Parsons Paris's graduate school. Since students come from various countries, classes are conducted in English.

The most crucial aspect of fashion design is how to translate images and inspiration into actual products, but students often overlook that process. They often assume that designers simply get inspiration and sketches. They expect a sketch instantly becomes a design, yet there’s an immense amount of refinement and editing in between.

 Teaching at Parsons Paris

 

We guide them how to ultimately transform that image into their own collection, what expressive methods to employ, and how to finally render it into a product.

Few schools address this, but since our faculty, including myself, consists of active designers and industry professionals, we can offer genuinely practice-based instruction.

Additionally, as a designer, I serve as a consultant for Lanvin. Peter Copping, who was my boss at Nina Ricci, is now Lanvin's Creative Director, and I am once again contributing to the creation of their collections.

And in 2024, walking the official runway for Rick Owens' Spring/Summer 2025 collection during Paris Fashion Week was truly a moment when my childhood dream came true.

Rick Owens SS25 Collection Runway

 

IROHA: Have you encountered the glass ceiling problem where it's difficult for Asians to reach the top?

MIKI:Of course, I've encountered unpleasant remarks reflecting Asian discrimination, but what matters most for Japanese professionals in Paris's fashion industry is developing a mindset that embraces leadership.Leading a team in a language other than your mother tongue, such as　French or English, is extremely challenging.

Japanese people don't often train their minds to take on leadership roles, so developing that mindset is essential. 

The fashion industry today places greater emphasis on diversity, making the situation vastly different from 20 years ago. For Asian and Black individuals, this can be viewed as an opportunity.

NY Fashion week COACH Runway backstage



IROHA:Please share some advice or a message for the young people following in your footsteps.

MIKI:Never give up on your dreams.

When I was job hunting, I couldn't secure a position as a designer, so I ended up teaching at a fashion school in a regional city, which became a detour. Even when applying for designer roles in Paris, I faced many rejections, but I never gave up.

Then, at Nicolas Ghesquière's Balenciaga, I seized an opportunity starting as an intern. What gave me an edge over others was my exceptional ability to transforming designs into actual garments.　

For example, when figuring out how turn Nicolas’s designs or concepts into actual garments, my ideas and methods often offered perspectives my colleagues found useful. I could do that because I had the knowledge and experience gained from teaching as my foundation.

I've loved fashion since childhood and vaguely dreamed of becoming a model back then, but it remained just a dream. Surprisingly, though, at age 53, I even walked the Paris runway. It's hard to imagine someone 150 cm tall walking the Paris runway.

During the pandemic, when Paris's fashion industry had closed its doors to employment and I was at a loss, Parsons Paris happened to be recruiting faculty, and I secured a position as Design Supervisor. In my life’s plan,

becoming an educator was something I had envisioned much further down the road, but it happened much sooner than expected.

Fortunately, Rick Owens sent a casting call for models directly to the university. It was precisely because I was teaching that I was able to grab the chance to apply.

In my twenties, I aimed to define my style by my forties. Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons had been my inspiration since I was young, but I felt wearing her clothes required presence and intellect. When you're young, you don’t know yet who you are, so I focused on building myself.

And after turning 50, I gained the confidence to wear Comme des Garçons with conviction. Once I developed that confidence, I started getting photographed more frequently during Paris Fashion Week.

My hairstyle has remained the same since I settled on this look back in 2011. Observing designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Alber Elbaz, who was my boss at Lanvin, made me realize it's better for designers to have a signature style that is easily recognizable. Interestingly, people tell me I look cooler now that my hair has started to show gray.

This demonstrates that dreams can come true at any age, and the right moment to making them happen will always arrive.

photo by Manabu Matsunaga

 

When you're young, analyze yourself thoroughly. Leverage your strengths, and even your weaknesses can serve to shape your character.

Becoming a fashion designer was my dream, but I always aspired to be someone who creates the winds of an era. More than just establishing my own brand, I wanted to create trends for the era and influence society at that moment.

In today's terms, that's what an influencer is. Looking back, I realize that this is roughly where I aim to be today.

If you're someone cannot yet find your dream, try recalling what you loved as a child. The clues are often hidden in those childhood passions.

IROHA:What are you most interested in outside of work right now?

MIKI: I've recently started kintsugi, and I also enjoy boxing workouts. Since my job is quite stressful, so I value having time to relax.

 

written by Eri Kurobe, Photography: Harry Miller (at Rick Owens) , Manabu Matsunaga (Portrait)

 

Rick Owens SS25 Collection

Miki Omori's Instagram
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