An Interview with Misa Harada, Designer of "misaharada"

A Happy, Hopeful & Dreamful Collection
An Interview with Misahara: Designer Misa Harada

The hats created by Misa Harada exude a strong sense of European and British culture.
Both the women's "misaharada" and men's "him│misaharada" lines possess an air of handmade haute couture.
We spoke with Misa, who is energetically creating in London, about the characteristics of this season's collection.

Photo by Jamandfix

This Season's Theme Begins with a Love Story

Could you tell us about the concept for this season's "misaharada" and "him│misaharada"?

The overall image theme for the Spring/Summer 2009 collection begins with a love story: a London boy falls in love with a girl from Ipanema who comes from a tropical land.

The women's theme, "a girl from Ipanema," is a humorous and tropical collection, featuring a charming adventurer from the tropics who brings passion and vitality to the city.

The men's collection, "Rip tide," themed around the boy who falls in love with her, is a happy, hopeful, and dreamful collection about him, weary of the city, returning to the tropics with renewed dreams.

You've added new items to the web shopping rumors; are there any particular recommendations?

In terms of materials, please pay attention to natural materials like raffia (a natural material processed from plant leaves) woven into paper, and vibrant printed fabrics, perfect for summer.

In terms of design, the feather details have been arranged in primitive/tribal and decorative/glamorous styles, resulting in a very meticulously finished product.

My recommendation is "LYLE." Please take a look.

What do you value most when you are designing?

I hope you understand that my designs are built on a foundation of haute couture, from which various hats are born.

Could you share some tips on how to incorporate hats into an outfit and enjoy wearing them?

Hmm, let me see. Rather than rigidly fitting a hat into your outfit for the day, I think a slightly offbeat, almost accidental element – like, 'Oh, I just happened to put this hat on!' – is most essential for current styling. I believe 'winning by wearing it' is the way to go.

Finally, do you have a message for your fans?

I would be delighted if you could wear a few of my hats and appreciate the differences in their shapes and designs.

It would be the greatest reward for me as a designer if you thought, 'This is a bit unusual! How interesting!'

It feels like my mission (?) is to have people wear and enjoy hats.