Since founding sacai in 1999, Chitose Abe has redefined what contemporary fashion can be—intellectual yet wearable, and experimental yet grounded in everyday life. Renowned for garments that embody hybridization, Abe built sacai on the tension between opposites: tailoring spliced with knitwear, utilitarian garments softened by pleats and lace, and familiar silhouettes destabilized through unexpected construction. Early collections that fused MA-1 bombers with dresses or reworked classic knits into architectural forms quickly distinguished the label. At the same time, collaborations and partnerships with Nike, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander Girard, Sou Fujimoto, and artist Hank Willis Thomas further expanded sacai’s language beyond the runway. Each partnership retained Abe’s unmistakable hand—structural, not decorative—cementing her reputation as a designer who treats collaboration as dialogue rather than branding.
Based in Tokyo and deeply attuned to the rhythms of daily life in the city, Abe’s work reflects Japan’s cultural sensibility for a global audience. Her design philosophy—what she calls a balance between “stability and betrayal”—is rooted in precision, restraint, and emotional intelligence, values often associated with Japanese craft. Consistently, though, sacai pushes against convention. Recent collections—such as the brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 presentation shown at sacai’s new Parisian home on Rue Cassette—articulate this ethos: oversized, deconstructed silhouettes that feel playful and deliberate, expressing what Abe describes as something “undeniably sacai.”
Abe shared with Whitewall her thoughts on growth, rule-breaking, collaboration, and the quiet confidence she hopes sacai’s clothes impart.
Building sacai Through Connection and Community
sacai Spring/Summer 2026 collaboration with Carthartt, courtesy of sacai.
sacai Spring/Summer 2026 collaboration with Carthartt, courtesy of sacai.
WHITEWALL: You developed sacai in the late ‘90s. How has the label grown and evolved with its customers over the years, and around the world?
CHITOSE ABE: We believe that our business exists because of the customers who resonate with sacai. Of course, it is not only our customers, but also our talented staff who enable us to create strong work, and the support of the people we call our “family” that has allowed us to build connections beyond fashion and across many different fields. Every encounter with those involved in sacai has helped push our growth forward.
WW: You recently opened a space for sacai on Rue Cassette in Paris. Why was this space important for you to occupy? What kind of energy does it bring?
CA: We did not have a long-held ambition to establish an office in that location, but through a combination of timing and circumstance—and considering the current state of the business, as well as the possibility of hosting shows at the office—we decided to make it our base. Presenting the collection there for the Spring/Summer 2026 season allowed us to communicate more clearly “what sacai truly is.” Simply having a sacai home in Paris has become a source of energy for us.
“Undeniably and irrefutably sacai,”
-Chitose Abe.
WW: The Spring/Summer 2026 show was presented here in an intimate setting, and its oversized, deconstructed, and playful silhouettes grazed the audience. What did you want the collection to say?
CA: The intention was to express something that only we can do—something that unmistakably says, “This is sacai.” We expressed this not only through new silhouettes in our clothing but also through establishing an office in Paris and presenting the collection in that space we now call our home. All of this reflects the season’s theme: Undeniably and irrefutably sacai.
Chitose Abe on Designing with Intention
Courtesy of sacai.
Courtesy of sacai.
WW: Across seasons, your silhouette and approach have evolved, but opposites remain—structure and softness, restraint and expansion. What details do you like to play with to hold those tensions? How do you know when you’ve achieved an appropriate balance?
CA: Although we set a different theme each season, this balance in creating clothing never changes. Even as we explore different approaches, every creative decision—such as where to place a frill or a zipper—carries meaning. It is this intentionality that allows us to maintain a certain tension in our work. We share this sensibility with our production team and move forward through constant dialogue. The moment when everyone feels, collectively, “This is what we want to wear. This is the best,” is the sign that the right balance has been achieved.
“Every creative decision…carries meaning,”
-Chitose Abe.
WW: You’ve spoken about rule-breaking as a creative engine. When did that become central to your work?
CA: We value what we describe as the “balance between stability and betrayal.” It was around our third season that a distinct sense of what felt truly sacai became clear. By combining familiar items with unexpected elements, we introduce a slight sense of betrayal—a subtle breaking of rules—within a feeling of stability. This is not something tied to timing; it is something that has always existed at the core of our approach.
WW: Does your daily life—in Tokyo specifically, or in acts of the everyday—inspire you?
CA: We place great importance on what we call “design built upon the foundation of everyday life”—design that allows each person who wears sacai to feel confident throughout their day. That is why we are always drawn to what sparks our curiosity, and why we want to learn about and truly sense things we do not yet know. I still have much to learn myself, but I believe that our ability to continue growing comes from what we absorb and feel through our daily lives.
Curiosity and Growth
sacai Fall/Winter 2026 collection, courtesy of sacai.
sacai Fall/Winter 2026 collection, courtesy of sacai.
WW: You’ve collaborated and worked with an array of other brands, artists, architects, and designers, including Nike, Alexander Girard, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sou Fujimoto, Free Arts NYC, and Hank Willis Thomas. What collaborations excite you?
CA: Our collaborations sometimes stem from relationships with people we consider part of our family, and other times they come to life through opportunities with which we are fortunate enough to be approached. What they all share in common, however, is that we would never pursue a collaboration unless it is something we genuinely find interesting and truly want to create. Moving forward, if there is something that inspires me in that way, I will continue to take on new challenges.
“We aim to create items that no one has ever seen before,”
-Chitose Abe.
WW: How does sacai return to its iconic designs as a base to create new items each season?
CA: Iconic sacai pieces such as the MA-1 jackets, knits, and denim are items everyone has seen before and feels familiar with. These pieces are always present in our minds. However, using them as a foundation, we aim to create items that no one has ever seen before. That is why we want to challenge ourselves with whatever ideas come to mind each time—and it is precisely through these challenges that we can create different concepts and silhouettes every season.
WW: What do you hope sacai is known for?
CA: Even if our work is not embraced by the majority, there are still people who resonate with it, and I believe that is enough. That said, if that sense of empathy can continue to grow in the future, it would, of course, make me very happy.
