There are some brands you understand the moment you see them. Not because of the logo, not because of the clothes, but because of the feeling behind them. When I visited PILLINGS, that feeling was everywhere. The studio was quiet. A few sweaters hung on the wall. You could almost feel the hands that made them.
That’s when I realized something important: this brand wasn’t built from trend or strategy — it was built from someone’s life, someone’s memories, someone’s inner reasons.
And that’s why I wanted to talk to Ryota Murakami. My hope is that this interview helps you think about your own “why,” your own reason to keep creating and building.
This is our conversation.
How PILLINGS Started
Esteban: For people who don’t know PILLINGS yet, how would you describe the brand and how it began?
Ryota:PILLINGS has been going for about five years. Before that, I had a brand under my own name for another five years, so I’ve been designing for almost ten years now. The change to PILLINGS happened when I started working closely with a team of hand-knitters. I realized the brand wasn’t just my personal expression anymore. It was something we were making together, so I changed the name to reflect that.
Becoming a Team Instead of One Person
Esteban:So the brand became more like a team project?
Ryota:Yes. Fashion is always teamwork, but once hand-knitting became our core, I wanted people to see the makers. We showed them in videos, lookbooks, and shared their process. I wanted people to know who was actually making the clothes. That made us feel closer.
Why Knitwear?
Esteban: Why knitwear? What made you choose this material as the center of your work?
Ryota: It comes from my childhood. My mother loved knitting. She made sweaters for me, and I wore them to school. Sometimes other kids made fun of me for them. Later, when I started designing, I wondered if I could take something handmade — something very personal — and turn it into real fashion. So knitwear became emotional for me. It wasn’t a business decision. It came from my own story.
Working Directly With the Makers
Esteban: What changed when you started working directly with the knitters?
Ryota: The brand became more human. The distance between designer and maker became small. We talked more, learned more, and created better. I started to feel more like a director — someone who guides the team and the craft — not just a solo designer.
The Big Vision
Esteban:What do you want PILLINGS to become in the long run?
Ryota: I want to raise the value of hand-knitting.I want it to be seen as a real job — something people can live from.Many people who work with their hands don’t get paid enough. I want to change that. My dream is for PILLINGS to become a small maison, where knitters are part of the team permanently, not just outsourcing.
Protecting Japanese Craft
Esteban: Do you also feel like you’re trying to protect something bigger, like Japanese craft?
Ryota: Yes. Recently, yarn factories have closed. Sewing factories too.This is happening a lot in Japan.I don’t insist on everything being made in Japan, but I want to make things close enough that I can talk to the makers and understand what they need.If I can’t see them, I feel disconnected from the work.
Hard Seasons and Deep Growth
Esteban:What has been the hardest part of building the brand?
Ryota: Designing is always hard. But some seasons were very difficult.There was one season where we had no example to follow. No clear “correct answer.”We were building everything from zero.But I think we make better work when we’re struggling.Easy seasons don’t push us. Hard seasons make us think deeper.
Esteban: What advice would you give to young designers or small brand owners?
Ryota: Keep going. That’s the most important thing.And you have to be a little stupid. If you’re too smart, you quit early. Luck is important, but you only meet luck if you stay long enough.Many people quit right before something good happens.
Esteban:So the key is simply not to quit.
Ryota:Yes. Stay long enough. Something will change.
The Future of PILLINGS
Esteban:What do you see in the future for PILLINGS?
Ryota:I want to raise the value of hand-knitting. I want it to be seen as a cool and respected craft.
Through fashion, I hope to transform the typical “homey” image of hand-knitting into something more refined and contemporary.
My dream is for PILLINGS to become a small maison, where knitters are part of the team permanently, not just outsourcing.
Ending Comment
Interviewing Ryota reminded me of something simple but powerful:A strong brand doesn’t start with a trend or a strategy. It starts with a reason.
His reason came from childhood.From family.From wanting to honor the people who make the product. And that’s what every brand owner should think about:What is the reason behind your work?What do you care about enough to build around it? What makes your brand worth continuing when things get hard?
Because when your reason is real, your work becomes real too.And like Ryota said, most people don’t fail,they quit too soon. Stay long enough for something good to happen.
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