Designer Profile
DESIGNER PROFILE
Kotaro Taniyama
Born in Kyushu, Japan, Kotaro Taniyama is currently based in Tokyo.
After completing the Graduate School of Economics at Waseda University, he founded a marketing consulting firm.
While studying at Vantan Design Institute X-SEED, he launched his womenswear brand, KOTARO TANIYAMA, with the 2025 AW season.
Following his graduation from Design School “me,” he began expanding the brand in earnest, with South Korea as a key base from the 2026 AW collection.
He studied the philosophy of garment making under designers and patternmakers active in Paris and Tokyo, and has received recognition through various awards and presentations.
CAREER
| 2025 AW | Launched the womenswear brand KOTARO TANIYAMA |
| 2025.03 | Graduated from Vantan Design Institute X-SEED |
| 2026.03 | Graduated from Design School “me” |
| 2026.04 | Held the HOLYNUMBER7 × KOTARO TANIYAMA pop-up at W Mission, Seongsu, Seoul (April 24–26) |
| 2026.06 | Featured in the June issue of VOGUE KOREA |
| 2026 AW | Began full-scale brand expansion with South Korea as a key base |
| 2026.09 | Exhibited at TRANOÏ TOKYO (Yoyogi National Stadium, 1st Gymnasium) |
| 2026.10 | Show at Busan Fashion Week 2026 (BEXCO) — upcoming |
BRAND CONCEPT
The Boundary Between You and Me
Body-conscious silhouettes are central to the world of KOTARO TANIYAMA.
Growing up in a family home that served as a foster environment for children carrying emotional or physical wounds, the designer was exposed from an early age to lives shaped by invisible pain and resilience.
As an adult, he continued to encounter women who carried their own “reasons” within them. Through clothing, he seeks to express the essential beauty of their inner spirit.
The body-conscious nature of his designs emerges from this perspective — a way of exploring the delicate distance between the body, the mind, and the self.