Nice to meet you

Nice to meet you. I’m Asuka Ichihara, the representative of the D2C fashion brand SOÉJU. In this article, I’d like to share the goals and values that SOÉJU seeks to achieve. What We Aim to Offer When you search for something as simple as a "white long-sleeve shirt" on ZOZOTOWN, you’ll find thousands of options. Similarly, at UNIQLO, you can easily put together several days' worth of work outfits for under 10,000 yen. In a world where material convenience is abundant, the challenge is no longer about finding affordable basics.Yet, before I started SOÉJU, I would often feel a sense of frustration when opening my closet, thinking, "I have nothing to wear." The clothes I had chosen simply because they were “safe” or “fit reasonably well” often left me feeling constrained, particularly when heading to important meetings or dining out with old friends. I lacked the confidence to fully embrace these occasions.If budget were not a concern, perhaps it would be easy to instinctively reach for luxury brands without worrying about coordination. But for most of us, the goal is to maximize value within a limited budget while still finding pieces that inspire confidence.When holding those trend-driven, sale-focused garments, do you ever feel they truly live up to their price? In response to this, we launched a personal styling service in 2015, with the goal of helping people make the most of their existing wardrobe, while introducing carefully chosen additions to enhance versatility. Through this service, we realized that many people were buying low-priced basics without much thought. However, basics form the foundation of any wardrobe, and it’s essential to invest in high-quality, well-tailored pieces. By doing so, your everyday style becomes effortlessly chic, breaking free from the confines of playing it safe, and fostering a greater sense of confidence. This realization led to the creation of "SOÉJU Personal," our personalized styling service, as well as our own line of essential wardrobe pieces under the brand "SOÉJU." Our mission is not just to sell consumables, but to offer “everyday wear” that supports you through life’s various moments, allowing you to fully express who you are. Moving Beyond Coordination to Personal Styling As affordable clothing becomes more accessible, the art of “coordination” is gaining importance. In today’s world, "how to wear" is often just as crucial as "what to wear." Fashion platforms and social media offer endless coordination tips, enabling anyone to stay on-trend. At SOÉJU, while we occasionally share coordination advice through our blog, our true focus is on providing personalized styling. For us, the difference between coordination and styling lies in the ability to personalize. Coordination is about mastering the right color combinations and silhouette balance, while styling is about understanding "who you want to be" and curating a unique style that reflects that vision. Because the starting point is a personal aspiration, we believe diagnostic tools should not be a limiting factor. A skilled stylist can incorporate items or colors that might initially seem challenging, expanding the customer’s wardrobe in ways they may not have imagined. Although we offer our own brand, in our personal styling service, we frequently suggest ways to mix and match with other brands' pieces that our clients already own—and sometimes even recommend items from other brands. To fully enjoy fashion, it’s essential to blend high-quality basics with unique, cherished items. That's why we strive to offer both styling services and original brand pieces, so that more people can experience the true joy of fashion. Inspired by the Fable of the North Wind and the Sun At SOÉJU, we believe that fashion should be a source of joy. We don’t adhere to rigid ideologies or trends—we simply aim to create an atmosphere of happiness. When your wardrobe is filled with pieces that make you feel "I made the right choice," and you’re excited to wear them out, the process of choosing an outfit each day becomes a pleasure. This doesn’t require anxiously following trends or buying item after item based on stereotypes of gender or age. The ideal situation is one where you cherish clothes that enhance your beauty and continue to wear them for a long time. When you wear clothing chosen in this way, you move through your day with ease, and that sense of joy becomes evident to those around you. Rather than invoking a sense of competition or fear, this positive energy naturally radiates, uplifting everyone nearby. Within the SOÉJU community, many remarkable individuals have already broken free from stereotypes, embracing their style with ease. To those reading this, why not join them in pursuing a happy and authentic lifestyle? There are no set rules; the best scenario is one where we can mutually appreciate and celebrate each other's unique beauty. From this perspective, both trend-followers and those who seek to cultivate a personal style can find joy together. It’s perfectly fine to have style icons to look up to, but the vision we promote is not one that is unattainable. Instead, it’s about fostering a community where everyone can admire and compliment each other equally. For those who have felt bound by stereotypes until now, it’s not easy to suddenly break free. But within this egalitarian community, we hope you can slowly shed these constraints and enjoy the journey.  ─Asuka IchiharaBorn in Fukushima Prefecture in 1976. Graduated from the University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences. After working for three years as a management consultant at Accenture and four years in CRM at Louis Vuitton Japan, she took time off to care for her children while freelancing. In December 2014, she founded Moderato Inc. and launched SOÉJU. She is also a mother of two.