Purple Magazine
— Purple #43 S/S 2025
The Tokyo Diary Issue
kei ninomiya
NOIR
interview
by OLIVIER ZAHM
photography
by CHIKASHI SUZUKI
Kazumi Asamura Hayashi, style
Lu Hongfei, model
Sota Nagashima, production assistant
In the new wave of Japanese fashion, Noir and its designer are a sensation. Pushing the boundaries of visibility, his collections are shown in total darkness, incorporating lights into the garments with multiple references to cyberpunk and science fiction.
OLIVIER ZAHM — So, when did you start designing your collection under your own name?
KEI NINOMIYA — I don’t remember the exact timing, but I think it was around 2012.
OLIVIER ZAHM — What do you think about Tokyo as a place for young designers?
KEI NINOMIYA — Tokyo has so many designers — almost too many. [Laughs] That’s why I can’t think of a correct answer for you. There are many opportunities to make your own brand here. It’s easy to start as a designer, although it’s difficult to become a decent brand.
OLIVIER ZAHM — A bit like London, maybe? In London, there are a lot of young designers, but very few are able to create successful brands in this difficult market. So, were you lucky to have been accepted by the Comme des Garçons family?
KEI NINOMIYA — I’m lucky to have become part of a family with Rei Kawakubo and other designers. With their collections, I can see my work from a third-person point of view.
OLIVIER ZAHM — There’s a long history between Comme des Garçons and Paris, and Japan and France in fashion more generally. Are you inspired by French designers?
KEI NINOMIYA — Well, I started studying fashion in Antwerp, and my education was based on European and Asian fashion history. Now that I am designing, I don’t think about focusing on European or Japanese fashion. It’s a free process that’s more open to inspiration.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Why did you choose the color black — Noir — as a symbol for your brand?
KEI NINOMIYA — My favorite color is black. So, that’s classic.
OLIVIER ZAHM — It’s your favorite color, and you also always wear black.
KEI NINOMIYA — Yes, black is radical. Also, black holds very deep meaning — several meanings, actually, both as a word and as a color. There are so many different shades and variations of black. It’s an interesting topic that connects to my designs.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Japanese people love black, right?
KEI NINOMIYA — I think so, yes. It looks proper and sharp.
OLIVIER ZAHM — It also evokes the black hair and eyes of Japanese people. Do you know the writer Jun’ichiro¯ Tanizaki? He wrote a book called In Praise of Shadows, where he talks about the cultural power of shadows — like in Japanese architecture where the light is filtered with paper so the house becomes darker and darker. But you chose the French word Noir, and not the English word, for your brand.
KEI NINOMIYA — It sounded nicer in French — more poetic. But I also love the color red.
OLIVIER ZAHM — When you use roses in dresses, do they refer to love or death?
KEI NINOMIYA — They contain both meanings. But I prefer to be positive, so I’ll say they refer to love.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Do you consider yourself a designer or an artist? Put another way, do you think fashion can be a form of art?
KEI NINOMIYA — I don’t categorize myself as an artist or a fashion designer. Whoever looks at my work can choose the word or
category.
OLIVIER ZAHM — So, no category. But do you see yourself as an anarchist? Do you still connect with the punk subculture?
KEI NINOMIYA — I don’t really think about anti-anything. But when I make something new, it hits a wall of things that already exist. That’s probably the attitude I have.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Yes. Because fashion copies a lot. You’re looking for something new, which is a beautiful and rare ambition. To create something new, you need to break with the old. And it’s very difficult today to do something new, right? There are too many copies. A lot of young designers or brands just copy, with little variation. They’re not really looking for anything new.
KEI NINOMIYA — I agree. It’s boring. Nothing really changes.
OLIVIER ZAHM — And you develop new shapes, like those of an exoskeleton, an external armor, like crabs. The dress is an external protection.
KEI NINOMIYA — Yes, exactly. That’s an interesting idea. I personally focus on the stuff that grows from inside a person and becomes a shape.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Are fashion shows very important to you?
KEI NINOMIYA — I think it’s very important to show your work to an audience, so they can feel something themselves.
END
ALL LOOKS, INCLUDING SHOES, FROM THE NOIR KEI NINOMIYA SPRING/SUMMER 2025 RUNWAY COLLECTION
