In 1986, Utsugi entered the Joshiba Junior College of Art and Design, majoring in fashion, and after graduation she went to Paris to further her studies at the Studio Bercot. 'My teacher suggested Paris instead of London.,' she says. 'At that time, we thought Paris would be the best place to study fashion.'

While studying in Paris, her ideas about beauty changed and she began to look back to Asia for inspiration. She finished her course after a year, but passed up the chance to take an internship in Paris, having promised her mother she would return home.

Back in Tokyo, Utsugi became an assistant at Zucca, a new Japanese brand at that time. She stayed for 21/2 years, before joining a small business inside the skyscraper 109 in Shibuya, making clothes for devotees of '109 fashion' - blonde wigs with dark skin, and miniskirts and deep-V neck tops.

In 1997, she joined designer Tsumori Chisato. This gave her the chance to oversee an entire collection rather than focusing on details as she did at Zucca.

In 2001, Utsugi launched her own brand, Frapbois, which took Tokyo by storm, challenging the boundaries of downbeat Tokyo style with shows featuring models with speech bubbles painted on their faces and wearing her signature loose and grungy layers, including baggy bomber jackets, slouchy hooded tops and tapered pants.

Last year, Utsugi left Frapbois without any explanation. This year, she launched mercibeaucoup, her second brand, which had its debut at Japan Fashion Week autumn/winter 2006, showing menswear and womenswear. Backing her new venture is A-Net, a company founded by Issey Miyake, which operates several successful Japanese brands, including Zucca, Tsumori Chisato, Final Home and Sunao Kuwahara. As an extension of her philosophy at Frapbois, she says the new line addresses the inner desires of people and injects a sense of humour into life.

Within two months, six shops have opened in Japan. Already the brand has been touted as the next big name to emerge from Asia and compared to Undercover and Number Nine.

The look:

Utsugi says she was inspired by the tension in the political and social environment in Japan. For her autumn/winter collection, which addresses 'darkness' in society, with the theme of survival, models in wigs shaped like mouse or cat's heads swept the catwalk with brooms, symbolising a cleansing of the heart. Utsugi's clothes showed a contrast of muted tones, with pink, blue and orange. There were suits embroidered with fish shapes on pockets and animal paws on skirts, and one-piece silk dresses printed with cartoonish tiger patterns.

In the spring/summer 2007 collection Utsugi presented last month, she expressed the human 'fighting spirit'. Models jumped around the stage like children, wearing playful fruit-themed prints, dresses with ruffles and subtle knife pleats, summery vests and leggings. There were cutesy striped polos, mini bubble skirts and sexy black bikini tops. For men, there were polka-dot trousers with horror print hoods and fun clown trousers.

What can I buy?

Accessories for this season include a chunky velvet belt and suede shoes, both with big elephant heads.

Where?

Mercibeaucoup is available at I.T, Sino Plaza, Causeway Bay, tel: 2843 4393.