Designer Kikuko Maki founded her own brand GARDÉ COLLECTIVE in 1993. Using the material as the source of the design, her creations are characterized largely by their unique combinations of several different types of fabrics.
The main body of her work spans everything from complex, layered designs and single items that can be worn in two or three different ways for a change of appearance to t-shirts that are in contrast easy to coordinate.
Made with a desire for the wearer to enjoy their day-to-day lives, the themes of her creations appropriately have their origin in the casual everyday.
From books to movies to television to conversation with someone to things seen while commuting to work, Maki expresses what she feels or notices every day in her designs. ￤Creation that puts the people first

The most important parts of making something are the people.
“Obviously, clothes are things people wear. That’s why when designing I go for maximum functionality of material by using cloth with elasticity for certain parts to make it easy for people to move and adding in warm fabrics in winter or those that feel cool in summer. In hindsight I think that this has become what distinguishes my brand.”
It goes without saying that you can’t form a label without people, and it would be difficult to make any major progress without them.
This is the reason then that Maki believes teamwork and communication are also very important.
GARDÉ COLLECTIVE made their first overseas presentation in 2008 at a group exhibition in Paris.
Hoping to become widely known as a label that exhibits domestically and abroad without distinction, Maki’s is tireless in her devotion of strength to international growth in order to make as many people happy as possible while at the same time aiming to open an exclusive boutique.