Yoshiyuki Morii
25 March 2009
Introduction
An interview with personal stylist Yoshiyuki Morii
Keywords:
Men's, magazines, casual, Men's Non-no, select shops, Harajuku, Uniqlo, suits, Ships, Baycrews
Yoshiyuki Morii is steadily making a name for himself as Japan's top "personal stylist." A young pioneer in the field, he works closely with clients of all ages and all types to improve their style, and hopefully, bolster their self-confidence as well. Recently, Morii has published a book Fasshon no Sukiru: Otona no 'Kyouyou' (our translation, "Fashion Skills: What Adults Must Know") to spread contemporary fashion gospel to a business audience who may not think they need to worry so much about the fit of their suit.
We sat down with Mr. Morii in our offices.
When did you first become interested in fashion?
When I was in high-school. I went to an all boys' school, and I liked to go on group dates with girls from the sister school. But I was really bad at talking to girls, maybe because I was going through an awkward teenage phase. So I ended up thinking about my clothes as a way to allow me to be more appealing to women. I would have used my kind of personal stylist service at the time had it existed. I thought at the time, I will try to improve my fashion sense, and when I grow up, I will become a "personal stylist."
Did you study fashion in college?
I was in the Law Department, but fashion was a big part of my life. I kind of forgot how much I liked fashion though, and after graduation, I found a job as a manager at the English language school Nova. I liked English, but I decided I liked fashion more around 2004, and so I started my own home page and started to find customers as a personal stylist.
You never thought about working at an apparel company?
More than just liking clothing, I liked selecting certain items out of a lot of choices. I want to find things that customers are looking for. When you work in a store, you have to select pieces that fit the customer, while also thinking about the company's earnings. So even if you knew that there was an even better jacket at a different store, you couldn't tell the customer. I wanted to create a neutral standpoint from which I could advise customers.
Were there no personal stylists in Japan before you started?
When I started my business in 2004, I didn't think anyone else was doing it. But I can't say I was the pioneer of the field, because six months after I started, I discovered that there was already another website called Fashion Rescue doing the same thing. So there were some people who were doing it before me.
We sat down with Mr. Morii in our offices.
When did you first become interested in fashion?
When I was in high-school. I went to an all boys' school, and I liked to go on group dates with girls from the sister school. But I was really bad at talking to girls, maybe because I was going through an awkward teenage phase. So I ended up thinking about my clothes as a way to allow me to be more appealing to women. I would have used my kind of personal stylist service at the time had it existed. I thought at the time, I will try to improve my fashion sense, and when I grow up, I will become a "personal stylist."
Did you study fashion in college?
I was in the Law Department, but fashion was a big part of my life. I kind of forgot how much I liked fashion though, and after graduation, I found a job as a manager at the English language school Nova. I liked English, but I decided I liked fashion more around 2004, and so I started my own home page and started to find customers as a personal stylist.
You never thought about working at an apparel company?
More than just liking clothing, I liked selecting certain items out of a lot of choices. I want to find things that customers are looking for. When you work in a store, you have to select pieces that fit the customer, while also thinking about the company's earnings. So even if you knew that there was an even better jacket at a different store, you couldn't tell the customer. I wanted to create a neutral standpoint from which I could advise customers.
Were there no personal stylists in Japan before you started?
When I started my business in 2004, I didn't think anyone else was doing it. But I can't say I was the pioneer of the field, because six months after I started, I discovered that there was already another website called Fashion Rescue doing the same thing. So there were some people who were doing it before me.