A mastery of structure is evident throughout Noir Kei Ninomiya’s collections, which are produced predominantly in black—although smatterings of white and red can sometimes be found as a nod to the cherry blossom that rains down over Tokyo in March.

It wasn’t until a teenage encounter with Rei Kawakubo that Kei Ninomiya decided to embark on a career in fashion, leading him to enroll at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The designer undertook a pattern-cutting position before the launch of noir kei ninomiya under the umbrella in 2012.