Feature

LC JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUE With illustrator Noritake [Part 1]

“PLAY ELEGANCE.”
LANVIN COLLECTION

LC JOURNAL

French Beauty,
Japan in the Moment

SPECIAL ISSUE

TOKYO,THURSDAY,July 16, 2026

LANVIN COLLECTION Artist collaboration

illustratorWith Noritake [Part 1]

SPECIAL DIALOGUE

MAIN PHOTO

Noritake is an illustrator who is popular both in Japan and abroad for his minimalist line drawings. The capsule collection to be released on July 17th (Friday) is a special collaboration made possible through our 10-year friendship with director Takayuki Oshima. The brand's elegance and Noritake's subtractive aesthetic. Through a conversation between the two, we will unravel the thoughts behind this collection and the behind-the-scenes stories in Part 1 and Part 2.

  • Takayuki OshimaTakayuki Oshima

    director. He has built a career at department stores, select shops, and collection brands, and has directed and worked as a VM for domestic and international fashion brands. Established Cuatro LLC. in 2024.

  • Noritake

    Illustrator active both domestically and internationally in advertising, books, fashion, product production, etc. His recent works include ``WORKS'' (Graphic Publishing) and ``Heiwa to Senso'' (written by Shuntaro Tanikawa/Bronze Shinsha). www.noritake.org

Born from resonance,new challenge

With people expressing themselves in JapanI want to workOshima

Please tell us how Noritake offered you this collaboration.

Oshima

I've known Noritake for a long time, and we just happened to meet each other. I had seen the illustrations before, but when I saw the picture book ``Heiwa to Sensou,'' I felt a strong sense of strength. Everyone uses the word "simple" to express it, but I think that through all the different things that have happened to me, I have come to terms with it, removed the corners, become rounded, and become simple. After reading this picture book, I suddenly became interested in Noritake. When the collaboration project for "LANVIN" Men's 100th Anniversary came up, I wanted to work with someone who is communicating and expressing something in Japan, so I made the offer.

Noritake

When I received the offer, I thought, ``Maybe there's an illustration for the Lanvin collection?'' It's the same no matter where I do it, but do I really need to be involved? That's what I'm thinking. So, I started listening to him with some skepticism, thinking, ``What is it that I want to do?''

Oshima

I felt that he genuinely wanted to know what he wanted to do, so I told him everything about my intentions and thoughts. There's no point in explaining it by displaying it... Did you gain understanding as the conversation progressed? That was the first meeting.

Noritake

That's right. First, I visited the store in Omotesando. After listening to the overall story and understanding the brand's situation, I decided to accept the offer because I heard that you would like to use this space to do something like that.

Thoughts cannot be shared easilyNoritake

Noritake

Collaborations with apparel companies only begin after we receive an offer, but I feel it's a great opportunity to put my illustrations to good use. I'm more interested in collaborating with clients than doing something on my own. Over the past few years, I feel like I've become an adult, and I don't really have the desire to show my work. I couldn't express myself in a refreshing way like other foreign artists. I feel like I'm thinking about it all the time and digging a hole.

Oshima

(Laughs) You mean it gets deeper, right?

Noritake

That's right. In the end, I'm thinking about how I don't care how anyone sees it. I don't want it to look like it's very well thought out, but... I'd like to store it so people can see it with peace of mind. I don't want people to think I'm thinking too deeply about it, so I don't really like talking about it like this (lol) People will see that I'm working hard (lol)

Oshima

Thank you very much. Through this project, I felt a strong desire to accurately convey information to people.

Noritake

Most of the communication between the two of us is through email.

Oshima

That's right. Above all, I felt a strong need to convey information accurately to people and avoid misunderstandings. I thought you had a lot of different experiences. Clothes can all be talked about in terms of elements, but it's interesting because there's something sensory about it that uses the right brain...

Noritake

You can't share that much.

Oshima

I can't do it. That's really...but...I also have this frustrating feeling.

Noritake

What I like about my job is to explain things that are not intuitive and clarify the framework so that we can understand each other. I feel like email is a communication tool that suits me because I can look back on it myself.

Check everything in detailCompletedOshima

Please let us know what you think after seeing the finished product.

Noritake

I haven't looked at it properly yet.

Oshima

The sample was just delivered yesterday. I would like you to see the actual product today rather than just seeing it in photos. I want to cherish the first look.

Noritake

Is this a confirmed product? Have you verified it?

Oshima

I thought it would be wrong to show you the entire process, but I've examined it in quite a bit of detail. I changed the type of embroidery, considered various colors, and tested about 4 types of bodies. The logo rubber was a partial sample, and various amounts and thicknesses of paint were verified. I'm not trying to show off how hard I worked, but I took it very seriously.

Noritake

The bag is nice.

Oshima

It was good. Even though it is an eco bag, it uses buttons and has a bottom. The inside has a pocket sized to hold wine. I think it would be good to put a parasol in.

Noritake

It's also good for women. Does it fold?

Oshima

Save up. It is fastened with rubber. Although it's in-house, we also have female models hold it for photos.

Noritake

What happens to logo T-shirts when you wash them? Will the rubber break?

Oshima

It's almost the same. It was verified many times and was created based on past results. I decided on this because the thickness and thickness of the crimp would be fine, and it almost never comes off.

Noritake

What would it be like if you could wear it all the time?

Oshima

If it's worn for 10 years, there's a chance it might crack... The Lanvin Collection also has printed T-shirts, but I wanted them to have a three-dimensional feel, so I chose embroidery or rubber. I think I was able to express the brand-like characteristics and the illustrations I received.

First of all, don't make the other person feel bad.Noritake

The concept of the ``Lanvin Collection'' is ``PLAY ELEGANCE.'' What does elegance mean to Noritake?

Noritake

Good behavior towards family, neighbors, when walking around town, when paying at the store, etc. I mean, it's a product. Even if you let your guard down, you won't naturally make the other person feel bad. I think being beautiful comes after that. It's not like I live a very clean life, so there may be times when it's uncomfortable for someone else, but I feel like I have to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. It's about as much as I thought, so it's still a long way off. I need to try my best not to be so nervous and try not to make the people around me uncomfortable.

Oshima

Regarding the need to stay clean, I think it's also good manners to not let others think you're hot in the summer, for example. I think there are various factors such as what you wear, sweat, and beard.

From your point of view, Oshima-san, what is the elegance that you feel about Noritake?

Oshima

Broadly speaking, I believe that elegance includes intelligence, and in addition to that, humor is necessary. I have had quite a long email exchange with Noritake, and it gives me the impression of elegance.

Noritake

Is that so?

Oshima

I was talking about conveying things clearly, using words, and including the position of line breaks, but I really felt that way.

I want to resist AI a little more.Noritake

Noritake

Recently, the article ``. ” I try not to use it as much as possible. I thought it would be easier to read. It may be argued that it is not a generative AI. When it became possible to generate pictures, and the question became whether to coexist or resist, I decided to try resisting a little. My illustrations are my own, so it's a joy for them to be recognized as something that wasn't generated or something that I created. Lately, I've been conscious of locking in my feelings and humanity. It's not just about creating expressive pictures; it's about getting lost, taking detours, and doing things that are time-consuming.

Oshima

I don't like the word efficiency... I feel that improving precision and managing quantity before seeking efficiency is similar to what you just said. When we first talked about this collaboration, he said, ``I'd like to see what you're currently making,'' and I thought that he was really thinking about it. All the clothes are in the press, so I thought I would show them there, but they requested to see the store, and I understood that they wanted to see the interior and atmosphere.

Noritake

I didn't know anything about the Lanvin Collection, and I didn't know its relationship with Mr. Oshima, so I thought I'd go there and find out. It's not that heavy.

Oshima

Still, I felt grateful.

Noritake

Maybe it's because I haven't taken things lightly. I think I could have lived an easier life if I had taken it easy, but I think the reason I'm still able to continue doing this work is because I maintained this same attitude.

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