Japanese designer sets the record straight on his Double Standard line and blogging

As his family ran a fashion boutique in Iwate prefecture, Japan, designer Takino Masahisa grew up surrounded by clothes and fabrics.

'I guess that's how I got interested in arts and fashion,' said Masahisa, the mastermind behind Japanese fashion brand Double Standard Clothing.

The chief executive and creative director was in town last week to promote his first standalone boutique in Hong Kong that is due to open in August in Causeway Bay.

Established in 1999, Masahisa's brand has more than 40 shops in Japan and overseas.

He talked enthusiastically about the new boutique in Hong Kong and upcoming autumn-winter collection with local press at his suite in the Four Seasons hotel on Wednesday. It seemed he was not too keen, however, on the booming trend in fashion bloggers.

'I have a blog but I don't promote my clothes through it,' he said. 'I think these days customers are bombarded with information. It's an important marketing tool, but I think the designs should be the core of your brand.'

For young designers, the fashion veteran said leadership was the key to success.

'To put up a collection requires a lot of people working together. It's mostly team work rather than a one-man-show,' he said. 'It's important to nurture the relationship with your colleagues in order to achieve your common goal.'