Interview: Tadaaki Wakamatsu of Q-pot.
Wakamatsu goes incognito with a fake mustache and glasses.
No Japanese jewelry and accessories line better expresses the fun and creative spirit of Tokyo fashion than Q-pot. The brains behind all the brand's unforgettable design is Tadaaki Wakamatsu -- a 32 year-old former fashion model.
Between his recent mobile handset docomo STYLE series SH-04B × Q-pot. and his dressing the Palais de la Bourse as a cake for the Tranoï fashion trade show in Paris, Wakamatsu is becoming internationally renown as the go-to guy for turning food motifs into stylish wearable pieces.
We spoke with Wakamatsu in Tokyo about his work, his future projects and making the world smile.
CNNGo: What did you hope to achieve in Paris?
Tadaaki Wakamatsu: Paris is the core of the fashion world, particularly during fashion week in March and again in early October. So many buyers go to Paris from all over the world, and I want to make them smile with my designs. I want that happiness to then be carried back from Paris to every corner of the world. Paris is very important in my aim of spreading happiness across the planet.
CNNGo: When and why did you first create the Q-pot. brand?
Wakamatsu: I started Q-pot. in 2000 because the world was in a pretty bad situation. It was the time of Nostradamus' predictions of the end of the world. People were depressed and unhappy, and it just seemed very dark to me. I wanted to create something that was fun and made people happy. Now, we once again have serious economic problems, and I want to do the exact same thing. My designs catch people's eyes and lead to conversations and communication.
CNNGo: Do people recognize you on the street?
Wakamatsu: Yes, that happens. When someone recognizes me, I get the feeling that Q-pot. is becoming more popular in Japan, and I feel that our smiles are spreading across Japan and the whole world.
CNNGo: You famously design the entire Q-pot. range. Where do you get your inspiration?
Wakamatsu: It comes from all around me, everything that I see. I have two daughters -- aged 6 and 4 -- and when I play with them I am inspired. I try to be myself and I am able to make something that is individual and unique.
CNNGo: Your use of food -- particularly cakes - is very interesting.
Wakamatsu: So many people around the world love cakes and sweets, so when I look at them I see those sweets as edible jewelry. They're beautiful and fascinating at the same time. I believe that cakes and sweets have the power to appeal to everyone all over the world -- and not just children. I want people to wear cakes and sweets as accessories.
CNNGo: Is it difficult to think "differently" in Japan?
Wakamatsu: I create quite naturally because none of the designs are for myself, but for someone else. I want to provide entertainment through my collection. Each collection has a story, and I enjoy the creative process because I want everyone to have fun as well. I'm almost like a movie director, with each motif a member of the cast and the story evolving round them.
CNNGo: What is the next project that you are working on?
Wakamatsu: We are now collaborating with Disney to create an "Alice in Wonderland" collection. We will unveil our new spring and summer collections at the Paris show. The new lines are designed to show my inner child and bring out that same inner child in everyone who sees them. So far I have designed around 2,000 items, and we will be unveiling about 100 new designs in Paris.
CNNGo: Do you have a favorite design?
Wakamatsu: That's a very difficult question. I would have to say that I like the cheese line that we have produced. I love the concept, the form and the feel of the collection. It's perfect.
CNNGo: And where will you -- and Q-pot. -- be in ten years' time?
Wakamatsu: I hope we will have shops all over the world, and I hope that I will be inspiring the globe. But that is not the only way to contribute to the world. We support water and irrigation projects in Ethiopia, for example, so there are other ways that we can spread smiles around the world. That desire to increase the happiness of everyone around me has not changed since I started Q-pot.
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