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Journey
East-meets-West
A Tokyo native, Emiko Nakamura knew from young that she would travel. Her first love was a language and her pursuit for English took her to England to study the language.
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These years in England early in her life have had a strong impact on her views and aesthetics. Arts were her second interest and her encounter with British culture and art scenes really influenced her aesthetics. Most importantly, Emiko was able to see the East from the West. Her exposure to the West resulted in her rediscovering her identity.
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So this set off her lifetime fascination for East-meets-West, and thus shaped her style. She saw and loved how the East was represented in the West, and that is very much her base for her creations.
Fashion Days
Her language skills and love for style landed her career in fashion. She worked in marketing in the fashion industry, followed by a merchandising job. She worked for a textile brand earlier in her career, which cultivated her eye and passion for textiles. Emiko also learnt the importance of branding.
Singapore
Her husband’s job transfer brought Emiko to Singapore. Following a brief stint in the fashion industry, Emiko started pondering on her own venture. By then, textiles had become her full-blown passion and through her travels in Southeast Asia, she started to vaguely map out her resources and her plans into her textile venture.
Two Tales on the Mekong
Emiko spent an extensive time travelling in Southeast Asia, looking for her resources. Out of all the countries she visited, two countries stuck in her mind – Laos & Cambodia. First of all, Emiko fell in love with Indochina for its culture and beauty. Their histories were fascinating and French-inspired legacy was very vividly present.
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The two countries on the Mekong actually turned out to be quite different. Emiko loves both countries for that and she has developed different production bases in each country.
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To read more about ‘Two Tales on the Mekong’, please read on my Woven Story...