Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2011
What brought you to Tokyo?
Well, actually, I was born in Kumamoto but I have traveled a lot and I’ve always been interested in foreign countries and foreign cultures. I married a Canadian in 2008, so I’ve spent a lot of time in Vancouver since then. When I was pregnant with our son, I decided to start an internet-based imported maternity wear shop. That was more than two years ago.
What had you been up to before then?
After graduating from high school, I went to Bunka Fukusou Gakuin, which is a fashion design school in Tokyo. I then worked at a trading company for six years and learned English business communication. At the same time, I graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University, where I took their management program. After that, I started a maternity wear business and I gave birth to my son, our first child. It was a busy, hectic time!
Where did the maternity wear idea come from?
When I was pregnant, I couldn’t find any stylish clothes in Japan. One day, when I was searching, I found the website of a fashionable maternity wear brand in the U.S.A. It inspired me to start an imported maternity wear shop. I was also looking for a job I can do at home, as I wanted to spend time with my baby.
What’s the plan from now on?
I want to grow the business, providing a wide selection of stylish maternity wear for pregnant Japanese women. I would like them to look fashionable as they go through that very special and blessed time in their lives.
