Waste Less. Wear Better. | Nana Yamasaki 山崎ナナ
Revolutionary Vision for Sustainable Fashion
Born in Kumamoto, Nana Yamasaki is based in New York and Tokyo. She runs her own apparel brands and serves as CEO of Harappa Co., Ltd., an Aizu cotton textile company in Fukushima.
While studying in the graduate program at the Tokyo University of the Arts, she discovered the joy of creating clothing through designing costumes for performers. Questioning the apparel industry’s system of mass production and mass disposal, she developed an approach centered on made-to-order production with no inventory, waste-reducing design, and fair wages for both producers and seamstresses. In 2008, she launched her women’s apparel brand “YAMMA”. In the beginning, she hired senior sewers living in the neighborhood, thereby creating employment opportunities for older adults.
In 2015, she took over an Aizu cotton factory with 120 years of history in Fukushima and became CEO of “Harappa” and relocating to New York that same year. In 2022, she launched “YAMMAMAN”, a unisex brand designed with U.S. sizing.
In March 2025, she opened “SANNGA”, a shop that carries all her brands—YAMMA, YAMMAMAN, and Harappa—located inside the “Blue in Green Soho”, shop, located in Soho, NYC.
YAMMAMAN
IROHA: Could you tell us about the projects you’re currently working on?
NANA: In March 2025, I opened a permanent shop in the U.S., and I’ve been spending a lot of time on the sales floor.
The shop is located inside “Blue in Green”, a store in Soho that mainly carries Japanese denim. For the past three years, I’ve been running pop-ups there for “YAMMAMAN”, the brand I launched in the U.S., and was eventually able to rent part of the store. We now have a full selection of our own items—unisex, women’s wear, and accessories.
Our customers range from young people to seniors, and many of them immediately say they love the feel of our fabrics the moment they touch them.
When I explain that Aizu cotton, which feels rough at first, becomes softer and fluffier with every wash, people get intrigued, try on the pieces, and often fall in love with them.
Aizu cotton is made in a factory with 120 years of history. We dye the yarn in-house and weave with vintage shuttle looms that produce a narrow 38-centimeter-wide fabric. When I share that story, customers become even more intrigued.
Harappa, Aizu cotton factory in Fukushima
American customers don’t buy based on brand names, they buy based on what they like, and their decisions are very quick!
Even without major publicity, actress Katie Holmes once dropped by the store by chance, bought a pair of YAMMAMAN pants, and wore them. NBA player LeBron James has worn one of our Aizu cotton shirts. Moments like these make me genuinely happy.
IROHA: Have you ever felt that you’ve encountered a “glass ceiling,” especially being an Asian woman?
NANA: I believe that if you have your own individuality, something that goes beyond nationality, it really doesn’t matter.
I’m sure there are some people with biases against Asians. For example, there was an mature woman who wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. But she told me her son had recommended our products, and she still chose to buy something. It made me happy to see that the quality of our products speak for itself, and that younger generations are spreading these new values.
Nana at her own store inside of Blue Green Soho
IROHA: Based on your own career, what advice would you give to younger people following in your path?
NANA: I want them to see things with their own eyes, and if possible, to go abroad.
One of the reasons I expanded to the U.S. was because, I wanted to explore the potential of Aizu cotton here.
Traditional crafts and heritage textiles are declining in Japan. Some textile manufactures even say they don’t want to keep making them because the more they produce, the more money they lose. I thought that if these textiles gained recognition abroad, it might also raise their value and awareness back in Japan as well.
Also, before coming to the U.S., people would tell me that the rough texture of Aizu cotton would never sell here however, after the pandemic, American consumers have become more interested in understanding the background of the products they buy, and I’ve felt this market shift.
IROHA: What are your future ambitions?
NANA: When I started my business, I created a slogan: “What you, I, and that person can do together.” I want designer, consumer, and manufacturer to work together to change society’s perceptions.
The fashion industry has long relied on cheap labor, mass production, and mass disposal. That’s why I chose made-to-order production with no inventory and designs that minimize fabric waste.
In Japan, Omi merchants from the Edo period used the slogan “Good for the seller, good for the buyer, good for society.”
Now, I’ve added one more: “Good for the maker,” expanding it into a “four-way satisfaction” philosophy.
Harappa, Aizu-cotton factory in Fukushima
I don’t plan to pursue large-scale production. My goal is to maintain our current scale. For small-sized businesses like ours, staying at this scale requires constant challenge—so I intend to keep challenging myself.
IROHA: Outside of work, what are you most interested in right now?
NANA: I love K-POP, and I’m currently a fan of a group called ATEEZ. When you go to a concert in the U.S., you would see incredible diversity, and it reminds me of the power of art.
written by Eri Kurobe, Photography: Courtesy to YAMMA