Finding Home Within: Sawada Altynai
on exploration and belonging

After spending months trying to organise a day to video call Sawada, an emerging Kyrgyz fashion designer, I decided to fit her into my spontaneous vacation trip to Tokyo. We met at a small café in Shinjuku. Music was blasting, people were laughing, and it was just as hard to hear our conversation as it was to finally meet her. I remembered discovering Sawada on Instagram and being in awe of her designs and story, a distinctive voice in design from an overlooked corner of Asia.

Van: How did you decide to move to Japan?
Sawada: When I was in middle school, I really liked reading books from different countries. I spent a lot of time in libraries and discovered novels by Mishima Yukio. His work was very different from what I had been reading before, and that's what sparked my interest in Japanese culture.Van: I can also see a hint of punk culture in your wor
Sawada: Yes, that's true. I don't want to rely too heavily on Kyrgyz elements in my designs, because that could make the clothes feel too ethnic. I want my work to be accessible and appealing to people from different cultures, and I don't want my brand to be viewed only as an ethnic label.

Van: Your recent graduation collection really reflects that.Sawada: Yes, and also witchcraft.
Van: I'm sorry, did you say witchcraft?
Sawada: I've always been very interested in witchcraft. It's part of my story growing up. I remember my mother telling me stories about my great-grandfather, who was believed to have extrasensory powers. They sounded more like fairy tales, but I always listened as a kid, and they drew me to dark, mysterious atmospheres. I guess those stories just make life feel a little more magical.


Read the full conversation in print. ISSUE 02