This part of Tokyo was where I held my first job. There were only a few clothing stores in the area, which was purely a business district back then. Time flowed languidly in the shop where I worked – a large shop filled with wonderful clothes from around the world, staffed with professionals who were all specialists in their fields.

I can now think back nostalgically on those days, when the gap I felt between myself and my colleagues fueled my determination to learn more about fashion. Is there an art to wearing clothes? How do I make clothes seem more stylish? And how do I convey this to other people? I asked myself these questions, day in and day out.

That autumn, a large commercial building opened next door, and everything changed. Relaxed weekends were a thing of the past, and now the days teemed with crowds of people as this business district evolved into one of Tokyo’s leading commercial areas.

In the decade or so that has passed since then, this district has been completely transformed. In our world too, new techniques have paved the way for innovative iterations of time-honored designs – a reimagining of fashion based on a new approach, and fresh interpretations.

Our cities and our clothes continue to evolve, and that is what makes them so appealing. By embracing the future – and our curiosity – we will always find new doors to open.