Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his Milan studio, two days out from his first-ever fashion show, Setchu founder Satoshi Kuwata is soaking it all in.
The Japanese designer holds a small piece of paper up to the screen (we’re on Zoom) and folds it in half, then in half again, showing the way the light hits the various folds and how it can be observed from different angles. “It started with this concept, but the whole idea of what we have in this collection is really to show appreciation for this moment,” he says. “We tend to forget to appreciate. I want to be humble.”
Kuwata launched Setchu in 2020, having cut his teeth at Givenchy and on Savile Row. He’s known for his minimal, buildable tailoring, separates and outerwear, crafted from fine ‘Made in Italy’ fabrics like cashmere, leather or silk.
He has presented on-schedule in Milan, where he lives, since 2021. Tonight’s runway debut, as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo, comes around 18 months since he won the 2023 LVMH Prize (and its accompanying €400,000 prize money). At the time, he was praised by Marc Jacobs and Patou’s Sophie Brocart for his East-meets-West, precise, origami-inspired tailoring — of which the folded paper he shows me is a neat reminder.
Unlike other LVMH Prize alumni, Kuwata didn’t jump at the chance to stage a big runway show with his winnings. In fact, he wasn’t planning on showing at all, but when Pitti approached him last year, he felt the timing was right. “I want to show people how much we have progressed,” he says. “When I applied for the LVMH Prize, it was only me. Now, I have two assistants and a team of interns. The vibe is really good. There’s no ego.”
Pitti is a way to boost awareness following the prize win. “When I won the LVMH Prize, [Setchu] only had 7,000 followers. Now, we have 35,000,” he tells me. “Pitti is the biggest men’s fashion event in the world. It’s a great opportunity for us to show people what we do.”
Kuwata himself has remained quiet so far, allowing Setchu to speak for itself. But now, as designers from Simon Porte Jacquemus to Jonathan Anderson enter the limelight, and customers increasingly want to know the person behind the clothes, he’s reconsidering. “My advisor Fabrice Paineau [from the LVMH Prize] told me Setchu is too mysterious, and that consumers need to know me. So I am adding this element of who I am a little bit to this collection. I love fishing, right? So that’s incorporated into the collection [with outerwear and outdoorsy materials].”
The show will take place in Florence’s National Library, and is divided into three parts: morning, evening and night (evident through the colour palettes and silhouettes). There will be a presentation element afterwards so that attendees can stay a while, talk to Kuwata and get up close to the clothes. “I don’t want to do a fashion show that you can see in Paris, London or Milan,” he says. “What’s the point? Pitti is a place where people can take their time because you don’t have to run to the next show.”
Protecting margins and responsible growth
Setchu’s price point is high, ranging from €250 for a T-shirt to €3,500 for a suede coat. Kuwata prefers to limit distribution slightly and sell fewer, high-ticket items. But as material costs rise, he’s struggling to keep his prices where they are. “The price of cashmere yarn increases every two months at the moment. I’ve been doing design for 20 years and I’ve never seen it like this,” he says. “Some buyers complain, saying, ‘Satoshi, we’re not going to buy because it’s too expensive.’ And I have to say, ‘Yes, I understand if you can’t buy it, I’m not going to force you because I cannot reduce the price.’”
The brand doesn’t create lots of newness each season. Instead, Kuwata releases core products like tailored coats and separates in different patterns or colours, so the customer can build a wardrobe. He uses the same factories as ultra-high-end luxury labels. “We’re trying not to do mass production here. We try to make as much as possible by hand,” he says. “Hermès doesn’t have to sell millions of Birkin bags. They have big enough margins. They have enough money to educate the new sewers to make it by hand. I see my construction of the collection to be like that.”
The LVMH Prize has helped Kuwata to scale Setchu — it has doubled in size over the past two years, he says, and is currently profitable (he declines to share figures). He used a portion of the money to develop leather goods, launching for Autumn/Winter 2025. For now, the focus is on scaling wholesale; but in the future, Kuwata is keen to open a couple of stores to create a permanent space where he can present his vision.
The brand now has 45 stockists, and is hoping to add some accounts after this Pitti debut. “From now on, as we grow, we will remain profitable. I don’t need to worry about cash flow anymore,” Kuwata says. He is also careful when securing partners, moving away from those who don’t pay on time. And growth will be measured. “I don’t want to grow 30 per cent every season, that’s too fast for us,” he says. “I remember when I worked in a commercial company, when I joined it was making €30 million, and when I left it was €200 million. I don’t want to grow like that. I want to enjoy every step of the way.”
If it goes well this evening, would he consider future shows? “I mean, I’m shitting myself every day at the moment!” he laughs. “It’s a lot of pressure. For everyone in my team, I want this show to boost their reputation — not the opposite.”
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