Eley Kishimoto

Fashion Designer

Eley Kishimoto is a British fashion and design company known for its print design, founded in 1992 by Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto.

Born in Sapporo, Japan, in 1965, Wakako Kishimoto graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1992 with a BA in fashion and print. Mark Eley was born in Bridgend, Wales in 1968, and graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1990 with a BA in fashion and weave. They founded Eley Kishimoto together in 1992, designing prints for Joe Casely-Hayford (1992-94), Hussein Chalayan (1995) and Alexander McQueen (1996-97), amongst many others. In 1995, Eley Kishimoto produced their first collection Rainwear which used printed PVC-coated fabrics for umbrellas, waterproof coats and gloves.

Since then, Eley Kishimoto has not only gained a reputation for their print commissions (including those for Jil Sander, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Clements Ribeiro), but also for their own quirky, colourful take on fashion. The duo presented their first on-schedule show during London Fashion Week in A/W 2001: a series of afternoon tea parties, rather than a traditional catwalk presentation. From 2007-2008, the pair were creative directors of Cacharel.

The label has expanded to include crockery, furniture, wallpaper, luggage, sneakers, lingerie and sunglasses. Eley Kishimoto are commissioned by international designers including Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, but despite the scale of their industry, the couple work quietly with a crew of dedicated craftspeople from a workshop in South London.

Eley Kishimoto is a British fashion and design company known for its print design, founded in 1992 by Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto.

Born in Sapporo, Japan, in 1965, Wakako Kishimoto graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1992 with a BA in fashion and print. Mark Eley was born in Bridgend, Wales in 1968, and graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1990 with a BA in fashion and weave. They founded Eley Kishimoto together in 1992, designing prints for Joe Casely-Hayford (1992-94), Hussein Chalayan (1995) and Alexander McQueen (1996-97), amongst many others. In 1995, Eley Kishimoto produced their first collection Rainwear which used printed PVC-coated fabrics for umbrellas, waterproof coats and gloves.

Since then, Eley Kishimoto has not only gained a reputation for their print commissions (including those for Jil Sander, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Clements Ribeiro), but also for their own quirky, colourful take on fashion. The duo presented their first on-schedule show during London Fashion Week in A/W 2001: a series of afternoon tea parties, rather than a traditional catwalk presentation. From 2007-2008, the pair were creative directors of Cacharel.

The label has expanded to include crockery, furniture, wallpaper, luggage, sneakers, lingerie and sunglasses. Eley Kishimoto are commissioned by international designers including Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, but despite the scale of their industry, the couple work quietly with a crew of dedicated craftspeople from a workshop in South London.

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