Junya Watanabe is one of fashion’s foremost thinkers

In a rare interview, Junya Watanabe illuminates the ideas behind his radical clothing, writes Alexander Fury

The fashion designer Junya Watanabe uses the word monozukuri a lot when discussing his work.

“I think it’s very specific to Japanese culture,” says Watanabe’s American-born assistant and long-time interpreter, Ikuko Ichihashi. “You could translate it to craftsmanship, but it’s more than that.