Hiromi Kani
Executive Summary
Creative Director, Designer, Merchandising and Brand Management professional with over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry. Experienced in brand development, product development and business operations across luxury, designer and global SPA brands within bilingual English-Japanese environments.
Extensive experience in the design, merchandising and product development of womenswear, menswear, innerwear, accessories and lifestyle products. Founder and operator of an independent lifestyle brand distributed through major department stores, leading select shops and commercial retail facilities in Japan.
Career highlights include the launch of To b. by agnes b., product development as part of the UNIQLO Global Design Team, the development and management of independent fashion brands, and more recently, collaboration with global brands through projects such as the Japan market launch of Adam Lippes and digital communication initiatives with Tiffany & Co. Japan.
Managed teams of up to 20 members and directed all aspects of brand development, including strategy, product development, sourcing, production, merchandising, marketing and retail operations.
Core Competencies
1. Design & Brand Management
• Over 25 years of professional experience in creative direction, fashion design, merchandising, brand management, product planning and production management
• Brand development and business launch experience through both independent ventures and international fashion companies
• Fashion brand strategy development, including competitor research, trend analysis, market analysis, merchandising planning, retail development and campaign planning
• Product planning, design and development across womenswear, menswear, innerwear, bags, shoes, accessories and lifestyle categories
• Design and development of outerwear, jackets, shirts, blouses, cut-and-sewn items, dresses, skirts, trousers, knitwear, loungewear and innerwear
• Development of fashion accessories and lifestyle products including bags, footwear, hats and scarves
• Collection buying experience for international fashion brands across womenswear, accessories and lifestyle categories
• Merchandising, buying, budget management, distribution, inventory control and visual merchandising management within apparel retail businesses
• Counterpart management with global headquarters across merchandising, product development and brand management functions
• Production management throughout Japan and Asia, including cost control, delivery management, sourcing and factory development
• Quality control and localization of imported products for international fashion brands, including care label compliance, JIS requirements and department store/vendor standards
• Creative direction, art direction, styling and production coordination for campaign visuals, catalogs and e-commerce content
• Pattern making
• Team management (up to 20 members)
2. Digital Strategy, Global Communication & Content Direction
• End-to-end direction of digital strategy, content development, global communication and localization projects
• Digital marketing strategy and communication management for fashion, jewelry and lifestyle brands
• E-commerce launch and operations, CRM and email marketing
• Social media management and content production
• Japanese localization, copywriting, content creation and press release development for websites, e-commerce platforms and social media channels of international brands
• Communication and project management with global marketing and creative teams
• Executive-level interpretation and business coordination
• Language optimization and quality management for AI-generated content
• Post-editing and Japanese localization optimization for AI-generated translations, including natural language refinement, contextual consistency and brand tone alignment
• Subtitle production and editing (Japanese / English) and Japanese voice-over language adaptation and optimization
Professional Experience
Present
SkinAware
CEO / Creative Director / Designer
Founder, Creative Director, Designer and Representative Director of SkinAware, an organic cotton apparel and lifestyle brand. [Website]
Launched the brand in 2004 and relaunched the business in 2013 following an interval between 2009 and 2012.
Developed and managed all aspects of the business, including brand strategy, creative direction, product development, merchandising, sourcing, production, marketing, retail operations and financial management.
Distributed through leading Japanese department stores and select retailers including United Arrows, BEAMS, Barneys New York, Isetan Shinjuku, JR Nagoya Takashimaya and Hankyu Umeda.
Expanded the business into menswear and men's innerwear collections in 2016. Opened a flagship retail store at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya in 2018 (operated through 2024).
Managed a team of up to 20 staff members.
Freelance Consultant
2011 – Present
Providing consulting and project-based services for fashion, jewelry, beauty and luxury brands across brand strategy, merchandising, marketing, digital communications and business development.
Selected Clients:
Tiffany & Co. Japan, Adam Lippes Japan, Shiseido, nano universe, SHU UEMURA, Levi's, United Colors of Benetton Japan, G-Star RAW, Brahma AI
March 2009 – September 2011
agnes b. Sunrise Co., Ltd.
Sub Leader / Chief Merchandiser and Chief Designer, To b. by agnes b. [Selected Works]
Team Size: 7–10 members
Reporting to: General Merchandising Leader
Key Responsibilities & Achievements
• Led the launch of To b. by agnes b., the signature sister brand of agnes b.
• Achieved first-year sales of JPY 400 million across approximately 13 stores (2010), growing to JPY 800 million across approximately 20 stores in the second year (2011).
• As Chief Merchandiser during the brand launch phase, developed brand strategy including competitor research, trend analysis, market analysis, merchandising planning, retail development, and marketing/campaign planning.
• Following the launch, served as Chief Designer, leading collection development while collaborating with merchandising teams on merchandise planning and product development.
• Presented brand strategy proposals to the global management team and collaborated directly with Agnès b. on design development.
• Managed production across Japan and Asia (including China and Korea), overseeing delivery schedules, cost control, sourcing development, and vendor negotiations.
• Directed styling and photo shoot coordination for campaign imagery and catalogs.
• Responsible for collection buying for the main agnes b. Femme line.
• Managed merchandising and distribution for domestic retail stores, including sales planning, inventory allocation, and product management.
May 2008 – March 2009
UNIQLO Co., Ltd.
Women's Global Design Team Leader
Led design direction and product development management for a team of 6–8 members. [Selected Works]
Key Responsibilities & Achievements
• Developed new product categories for the Women's Woven Division to support global retail expansion strategies and drive sales growth.
• Participated in seasonal product strategy meetings in Paris and Shanghai as a member of the Global Design Team, helping define seasonal product direction.
• Developed and expanded the Flannel Check collection (Fall/Winter) and Cotton Check collections including Madras and Gingham (Spring/Summer), generating approximately JPY 10 billion in incremental sales.
• Developed a new business-oriented blouse collection targeting professional women as part of the women's design enhancement strategy, generating approximately JPY 1 billion in new sales through flagship stores.
• Collaborated with designer Jil Sander on product development projects.
• Developed exclusive products for special events including Tokyo Girls Collection.
2001 – 2008
COCOON
Founder / Creative Director / Designer / President & CEO [Selected Works]
Company Size: Up to 15 employees
Brand Overview
• Founded and launched the fashion brand COCOON in 2001. Responsible for collection design, public relations, production management, sales management, and overall business operations including financial management.
• Presented two collections annually targeting women in their 20s and 30s and participated in Tokyo Fashion Week.
• Established a strong reputation for architecturally constructed and sensual occasion wear, including evening dresses and tailored suit collections, while also developing commercially successful ready-to-wear products such as knitwear, jersey items, and footwear.
• Worn by notable artists, actresses, and models including Yo Hitoto, Ayaka Hirahara, Ryoko Hirosue, Mao Daichi, Crystal Kay, and SHIHO.
• Distributed through approximately 30 retail accounts, including major department stores such as Mitsukoshi and Matsuya Ginza, as well as leading select retailers including BEAMS, ESTNATION, and nano universe.
• Featured in leading media including WWD Japan, ELLE Japon, Figaro Japon, SPUR, Harper's Bazaar, Nylon Japan, Switch, STUDIO VOICE, ELLE US, ELLE Korea, City Magazine (Hong Kong), and WeAr.
• Opened a flagship store in Daikanyama, Tokyo in 2003.
Selected Clients & Projects
Adam Lippes Japan | 2025 – Present
Consultant and project lead for the Japan market launch of New York-based designer brand Adam Lippes.
Responsible for merchandising, buying, PR and marketing initiatives, e-commerce launch, quality control localization, and market-specific brand development.
Tiffany & Co. Japan | 2013 – 2016, 2023
Digital Communication Consultant
• Developed communication plans, content creation and publishing strategies for Tiffany & Co.'s official Facebook presence in Japan.
• Managed social media operations and community engagement.
• Developed digital communication strategies and digital campaign plans.
• Provided copywriting and product description writing for e-commerce and corporate websites.
• Coordinated communication and approval processes between Tiffany & Co. Japan and the Global Creative and Marketing teams at Tiffany & Co. New York.
G-Star RAW | 2012 – 2014
Merchandising Consultant
• Developed merchandising plans to strengthen the women's business in the Japanese market.
• Created collection themes, seasonal storytelling and styling proposals to enhance product presentation and commercial performance.
Shiseido | 2009, 2011 – 2012, 2016
Design & Production Consultant [Selected Works]
• Designed and developed staff uniforms for the second anniversary of Shiseido's skincare line Ultimune, worn at Shiseido counters throughout Japan.
• Provided design and production consulting for attendant uniforms for Shiseido's cosmetics brand Za, distributed across multiple Asian markets including Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
United Colors of Benetton Japan | 2012 – 2013
Brand Manager, New Business Division / Women's Merchandising Manager
Reporting to the CEO and General Merchandising Manager.
• Led strategic planning and project management for BENETTON. CUBE, Benetton's new retail concept format. Opened the first store in Shibuya in October 2012.
• Managed merchandising, buying, budget planning, store profiling, allocation strategy and inventory control.
• Developed branding strategies, marketing plans, Japan-exclusive product development, production management and e-commerce launch initiatives.
Brahma AI | 2026
AI Content Localization Consultant
Provided Japanese localization and language optimization for AI-generated content distributed in the Japanese market.
Responsible for translation refinement, language quality management and adaptation of brand tone and messaging.
Brands for Friends | 2013
Branding Consultant
Provided branding consulting for the membership-based flash-sale e-commerce platform Brands for Friends.
Developed brand strategy, e-commerce site renewal plans and digital campaign initiatives based on market research and competitor analysis.
nano universe | 2006 – 2007
Designer, Collaborative Collection "C for N" [Selected Works]
Developed the collaborative collection "C for N" in partnership with nano universe.
Created a three-season capsule collection that combined COCOON's design aesthetic with nano universe's customer profile, covering Spring/Summer 2006, Fall/Winter 2006 and Spring/Summer 2007.
Levi Strauss Japan K.K. | 2005
Art Director [Selected Works]
Provided visual art direction for the campaign website launch of Rikki Korff for Levi's, a premium collection developed by Levi's Japan.
Responsible for art direction, styling and photo shoot coordination.
World Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan | 2005
Uniform Designer [Selected Works]
Designed attendant uniforms for the Global House Pavilion, the main pavilion of Expo 2005 Aichi.
Developed jackets, blousons, skirts, cut-and-sewn tops and hats for pavilion staff.
NO KIMONO Exhibition, Toronto | 2004
Featured Designer [Portfolio]
Exhibited COCOON collections in "NO KIMONO," a design exhibition at a museum in Toronto, Canada showcasing emerging Japanese fashion designers.
Also participated in the exhibition's opening fashion show.
SHU UEMURA | 2002
Costume Designer
Provided 10 looks from the COCOON collection for the SHU UEMURA Fall/Winter 2002 Collection Presentation in Hong Kong.
RIJ (Refugee International Japan) Charity Event | 2006
Provided an organic cotton evening dress in support of a charity event organized by RIJ and held at the British Embassy in Tokyo. [Portfolio]
1998 – 2001
Nova Oshima Co., Ltd.
Interior Consultant
• Provided interior design and space planning proposals for showrooms, retail stores and residential projects through an importer and distributor of furniture and home accessories from Italy and the United Kingdom.
• Managed communication and business correspondence with furniture and interior manufacturers in Italy and the United Kingdom.
• Responsible for product ordering, import operations and customs clearance procedures for furniture and interior accessories.
Education
Sophia University
B.A. in History, Faculty of Humanities
Tokyo, Japan | 1998
Tokorozawa High School
Saitama, Japan | 1993
Languages
Japanese: Native
English: Fluent (Business Proficiency)
Extensive experience conducting business negotiations, merchandising discussions, product development, sourcing, production management and technical communication within the global fashion industry.
Software Skills
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
