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Kota Okuda’s Creations Dissect Varied Concepts About The Value of Money

Kota Okuda is one of those unique prodigies you don’t encounter too often. He possesses an artistic mind that works on a different tier than other creators in his lane. He’s a jewelry craftsman, a fashion designer, and a truly conceptual thinker. And you can add to that his impressive academic pedigree—he holds a BA Honors degree in Jewelry Design from Central Saint Martins, and a Masters in Fashion Design from Parsons in NYC. His debut fashion show last year during NYFW caused quite a stir, and led to inquiries and requests from Rihanna and Nicki Minaj’s stylists, as well as nods from respected publications like Vogue, Schon! and Office. This is one New York transplant you certainly need to know about.

Please tell us about yourself and where you were before coming to New York?
I’m a jewelry and fashion designer originally from Niigata in Japan. I lived in London before coming to New York. In London, I studied Jewelry Design at Central Saint Martins.

When you first started making jewelry, did you ever imagine you’d move on to making wearable items?
I started making jewelry in 2013, the same year I entered Central Saint Martins for my studies in Jewelry Design. I have always liked the idea of wearable art, and I am constantly intrigued about the relationship between materials and the human body.

Your work is mostly based on  money. What is it about money that fascinates you?
Literally everything in terms of money fascinates me. However, my ultimate goal is contemplating the redefinition of value, and answering my fundamental question about “what true value is.” Value is always invisible and ambiguous, but once I played around with the value of money, I found a lot of unique aspects.

Out of all the money pieces you’ve created, which was the most difficult? Why?
The ones that require polishing. It is very time-consuming and requires endless work to polish it to look like a mirror. I like the mirror finish on coins—it makes them look brand new, but it almost looks fake, and it creates a feeling of cheapness from the suspicious shinning surface.

You’ve gained recognition for your work and most recently from a feature in Office Magazine. Did you ever imagine your work would be so popular so quickly?
NOT AT ALL. I did not expect such amazing and flattering reactions and responses to my creations.

What’s been most difficult about moving from Japan to London and then New York?                                                                                                     It’s been most difficult dealing with the different tax, visa, and government systems.

What makes New York feel like home to you? And why did you come here to find success instead of staying in England or moving back to Japan?
I’ve been in New York since 2016. The first two years were quite a struggle to find my place, and I was mainly exploring what I wanted to do in this great city. New York is all about survival in the concrete jungle, but the city also inspires me with so many emotions. I’m especially inspired by Harlem and the African-American funky/jazzy vibes. I couldn’t find anywhere like this in either England or Japan.

Anything special coming up for you?
I am preparing the new collection with updated dresses for my upcoming show this September at New York Fashion Week. Plus, there might also be a special project with Miley Cyrus too.

Be sure to follow Kota on IG here.

If you liked this story, check out more from our Urban Transplants issue.


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