NEWSLETTER

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY TOMOKAZU KOSUGA, TRANSLATED BY LENA OISHI


Prin is the white Scottish Fold who models some of the costumes, right?

Yes. Back then I wanted to own a completely white Scottish Fold, which was pretty rare at the time. Then one day I was flipping through a magazine and I saw the words “White angels are born.” Before I knew it, I was calling them up, and I went to the breeder’s house to see the kittens. Health-wise I was in a terrible state and I can’t believe I actually went, but I did and found out that there were seven kittens altogether. They were all tangled up and playing with each other. I stared at them for about two hours but I still couldn’t see any of their faces properly, plus I was sick, and I didn’t know what to do. But at the very end, this one kitten with a bright red nose came up to me, so I decided to get that one and eventually named her Prin. Looking back, I think that she actually chose me, like we were meant to be. She turns nine in March. She’s a very strange cat. When I was sick, she never woke me up to ask for breakfast, and when I did wake up, I would find a toy mouse next to my pillow. She showed a lot of concern for me and would only play in my eyesight when I was lying in bed. Even now, she never wakes me, no matter how hungry she is.


She’s so cute and seems so mellow. My cat would never let me put all those hats and cloaks on her.

Yes, I only recommend my designs for cats who are OK with wearing collars at the very least. If they can’t even wear those, then there’s no way they can wear my clothes. Same with slightly untamed cats. When you see Prin wearing them you think, “Oh, maybe my cat can wear these too,” but actually it’s not that simple. For example, if it’s a helmet-shaped headpiece, most cats don’t like their ears folded over. That’s why I separate my products into three types: advanced level, mid-level, and beginners. The beginner products are mostly items that you place around the neck. I use Velcro for most of the clothes so that they’re easy to fasten. I recommend these for cats who can wear collars. Mid-level products are clothes that have long bits hanging from the neck. Cats seem to really hate this. A lot of cats can’t wear the sailor-style school uniform because of the hanging gold bit in the front. Hats and capes are the advanced products. We also have a “natural” level for cats who can’t wear anything, which basically means, “You don’t have to wear anything, just browse through the site and enjoy the photos!”

Funny. Who are your customers?

A lot of them are regulars. There are a few very passionate customers who always buy my new costumes. I have about 1,500 customers right now.

Have you had any strange requests?

Yes, mostly from men. Usually it’s something like, “I want to dress my cat up as a bunny rabbit, and I also want rabbit ears myself. Can you make matching ones for us?” to which I say, “Sorry, I don’t make human costumes.” Numerous men have asked me to make matching costumes with their cats, but no women yet. It’s very interesting.


Do you have any pointers on how to convince a cat to wear clothes?

Always think about the cat’s personality beforehand, and don’t force the costumes upon them. Try to do it when they’re in a good mood, and say encouraging words to them. Cats love to be complimented. You can’t be half-assed about it either. You’ve got to be like, “OH MY GOD, you are so CUTE, you’re the best cat EVER!!” and they will actually feel it and feel better about wearing the clothes. Compliment your cat, and they will definitely get better at wearing clothes.

Which is your favorite cat outfit?

I love them all. They’re like my children. But I guess I especially find the Versailles series interesting. I was awestruck when I found the material for the blond wig used in that series. I went to buy a tiara at a wholesaler that had a huge selection of pins and other things to put in your hair, and that’s when I found these wigs. The hats look so much better with the hair! Prin looks fantastic with blond hair, by the way. I’m surprised how far I’ve come with the intricacy of the costumes myself.

You’ve even made an official Hello Kitty costume for cats.

Yes, the first Hello Kitty headpiece ever. My costumes are usually only two-sided but this one is fully three-dimensional. It was interesting to see how you can three-dimensionalize flat objects, and it was around this time that I came to love the whole craftwork thing. It took six months and 22 prototypes until we got it right. I was near tears. Sanrio had to check every single nametag and they would pick out the ones that weren’t good enough. The embroidered Hello Kitty mark also had to be checked one by one, and they’d say, “The nose isn’t right, the eyes aren’t right,” and so on. There were so many problems I was about to give up! But the Hello Kitty symbol embroidered on this costume is wearing a blouse, and this is a Cat Prin and Sanrio original mark that can’t be found anywhere else, so it’s quite valuable. In terms of the shape, it was really difficult trying to express the roundness of Hello Kitty on a cat’s head, which is actually oval shaped.



What’s your ultimate dream outfit?

I’m interested in old England at the moment, like the clothes that the British ladies and gentlemen wore 200 or 300 years ago. Vests, ties, and hats like what Peter Rabbit wears, long flowing skirts, that kind of thing. I’ve made about 150 costumes so far. I always thought that one day I wouldn’t be able to design any new costumes anymore because I’m not really a designer type, but the inspiration just keeps coming. There’s never a time when I don’t have a new costume idea in my head. I think that the more I make them, the more inspiration will keep flowing. That, and encountering new material.

Tell us about your plans for the future.

To tell you the truth, I don’t believe that I was born just for Cat Prin. I think that I am still in the process of reaching my true destiny. My ultimate dream is actually to become a fantasy writer. I’m a terrible writer, but I feel like I can write about things that are out of this world. It’s a long time ago now, but about two years ago a title for a book popped into my head: Christina’s Children. It’s a three-part series, and I already have a pretty good idea of the whole story. It seems like I won’t be working on it for another year or two, though, since I’m so busy with other things. But it will be interesting if I can make this happen, and maybe even have a Hollywood movie based on it. But if it doesn’t happen, that’s OK too. More realistically, it would be nice to have a Japanese TV series based on this book. I often talk with my friends about which actors I want playing which characters. I think that’s when I feel happiest.


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