Natori is like life itself, not neatly divided up into this or that. Instead, it is a total vision of living that draws on countless influences, answers myriad needs and fulfills many desires. If there is an art in that, it is as much like music as painting. I’ve been performing classical music since I was a child and I have learned that every performance is unique, existing in its own space and time. Here, for a moment, gone forever, except in memory. Women’s lives are like that. What I have tried to do is listen closely to the music of women as I can. I respond to it by instinct. I play by ear. I see by feeling. I feel by seeing. Both the strength and the vulnerability of Natori draws on the source of my upbringing. East meets west. Vital women build lives for themselves. Power and beauty reside in the dragon. Art and reverence are at the center of everything.
This journey I am on with Natori begins anew each morning, whether I find myself in a new place or among familiar loves. There are no commodities in this world. An aesthetic, more of a thread, runs through the work. It consists of all the things I’m drawn to. A feeling of happiness, wholeness and freedom...this is what I want to feel for myself and achieve in Natori. It’s not all that serious, really.
I believe in glamour and luxury as the great rewards in life. They’re embodied in exquisite clothing and personal apparel. They’re present in every element of the home, whether it is a precious possession a thousand years old, or a new fascination fresh out of the box. The eye is always delighted. Color flushes and wanes. Embroideries scatter across the surface. Lace touches skin. Cushions hold the body gently. Fragrance and light flood the room, then slip away as night dawns. In all this, indulgence is a necessity. Mystery is the one sure thing about every woman. And that is the art of Natori, to create a complete dream in which a woman is most alive, and her secrets belong to her alone.
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