T Factory: is the time of Mame Kurogouchi for Tod’s

There is an element of practicality to the collection that's warm and tangible and originates from the way that Mame, as a woman, speaks to women.

Tod’s presents the third episode of its ongoing T Factory project, based on the idea of inviting new or emerging talents to offer a fresh point of view on the Tod’s DNA through in season limited editions or capsule collections. Mame Kurogouchi is the chosen designer for this third chapter: a womenswear capsule collection.
Mame – the nickname for Maiko, which means bean – is an emerging designer, selected by Tod’s for her talent and her passion for traditional Japanese craft. Mame found identical passion at Tod’s and in the Italian craftsmanship, which is the essence of the brand – a will to discover innovative ways to respect and celebrate tradition. The mutual interest in craft sparked off the collaboration, which developed into a modular offering of clothing and accessories, meant as elegant problem solving for the world of today. It’s craft around the clock, for every need, from the business meeting to the escapade in the countryside.

Mame’s approach to the collection is extremely personal: as a woman designing womenswear, she tries everything on with the aim to make daily life easier and more beautiful, for herself and for her clients. The same inclusive principles were applied to the T Factory capsule collection: a selection of dresses, outerwear, shoes and bags that ideally fit into a holdall – Mame’s take on Tod’s iconic D-Styling bag – to cover all the needs of a week’s or a day’s travel. The fluidity of the lines and the condensed choice of colors – black, navy blue and tan – augments the sense of modularity, but also the enduring quality.

Craftsmanship is where Tod’s and Mame meet and is what makes the collection unique: a painstaking way of making things that give character and reality, from the leather tape used for bonding, to the leather embroidery that echoes the traditional kogin zashi quilting, from silks to supple leathers: a perfect merging of Italian and Japanese know-how.
There is an element of practicality to the collection that’s warm and tangible and originates from the way that Mame, as a woman, speaks to women. Authenticity and craft build a bridge between East and West, past and present, in the name of timeless elegance.
Bringing craft around the world, the collection will be unveiled on March 27th, immediately available in selected Tod’s boutiques in Japan, as well as on tods.com (Europe & Japan).