On April 25, 2023, the 41st “NY Entertainment Gathering” was held at RESOBOX East Village. Fashion designer Sho Konishi was invited as the guest speaker, and addressed an audience of thirty about the theme of “Fashion Design and its Impact on the World.”
The “NY Entertainment Gathering” is a social forum for Japanese individuals in the New York entertainment industry, organized by dancer Toshihiko Nakazawa, who resides in the city. Its purpose is to create new connections and provide mutual support within the local entertainment scene. RESOBOX president Takashi Ikezawa empathized with Nakazawa’s desire to support Japanese individuals living in the United States and to create a platform where industry professionals can meet, collaborate, and showcase their works. As part of this collaboration, RESOBOX provides the space and facilitates the production of this event.
Another part of RESOBOX’s mission is to create opportunities for Japanese artists to showcase their talents, and many of our events are intended to appeal to locals who are interested in Japanese culture. By holding events like this, we aim to discover hidden talents and provide a stepping stone towards their future endeavors on a larger stage.
On the Global Stage: Work for the Tokyo Paralympics, and Beyond
Fashion Designer Sho Konishi was responsible for designing the attire of musician Tomoyasu Hotei at the Tokyo Paralympics opening ceremony. Born in Kochi Prefecture in 1991, he graduated from the Advanced Specialist Course at Tokyo Mode Gakuen in 2015 and subsequently became a freelance designer, relocating to New York. After gaining experience as an assistant, Mr. Konishi graduated at the top of his class from Paris College of Art Haute Technology and Haute Couture Fashion Design in Paris in 2017. He is a promising young designer who has also been selected to design the costumes for the upcoming musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” scheduled to be staged at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre from October 2023.
During the “NY Entertainment Gathering” event, Mr. Konishi shared his career journey from childhood to the present. He gave a stark look at his evolution as a designer, not just focusing on the glamorous aspects, but noting the gritty apprenticeships, daring leaps into new challenges, and countless failures he has surmounted. One particularly memorable experience he shared was about always feeling like second best since childhood and continuously striving to break that pattern through trial and error. This story inspired and encouraged many audience members.
Sho Konishi’s interest lies in how his creations can make an impact on society. His work extends beyond fashion design, as evidenced by his ventures into writing; his published works showcase his ability to articulate thoughts and ideas. He is not just an artist, but also an educator and researcher, as was apparent with how skillfully he addressed the crowd. Despite the presentation running significantly over the scheduled time, his engaging talk held the audience captivated for a remarkable three hours.
While Mr. Konishi has spent a considerable amount of time abroad, it is worth noting that during his stay in Japan, he apprenticed in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, which has been a prominent textile production center for many years. This experience gave him a deep understanding of, and appreciation for Japanese textiles. RESOBOX is delighted to work with individuals like Mr. Konishi to promote Japan’s textile industry to the world.
We will continue to support and host the “NY Entertainment Gathering” in the future. We hope that our space can serve as a venue for diverse individuals to meet, collaborate, and showcase their new creations, and we are working to make sure RESOBOX can be a stage on which rising stars such as Sho Konishi can shine.