This What’s New column is usually written by the designer of Sarawear, but for the final What’s New of the end of 2025, the baton returns to the film column writer, Bird no Koe, who is picking up the pen again after quite some time.

There are many things I could write about, but this time I’d like to talk about New York.

In Europe, Sarawear has been gradually gaining recognition, and it’s not uncommon for customers who discovered the brand through our retail partners to cross the ocean and visit our shop in Jiyugaoka.

With the hope of expanding those kinds of connections to the United States, we made our move into New York in the fall of 2023.

We didn’t enter the U.S. with a thorough market study. Instead, I arrived in Manhattan full of optimism, carrying an image of New York shaped by endlessly listening to Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and memories of the fresh, vibrant city from about twenty years ago.

But the air had changed.

It was around the time when President Biden’s age was becoming a frequent topic of discussion and rumors were circulating about former President Trump possibly running again. Income inequality was widening, public safety had noticeably deteriorated, and there was a sense of economic slowdown driven by uncertainty about the future. I clearly remember feeling that America was standing at a major turning point.

Two years later, Trump has indeed returned to the presidency. While this brings a sense of unease about doing business in the U.S. going forward, it also reminds me once again just how vast and immense America truly is.

I only really know New York and Hawaii, yet our number of stockists in California continues to grow. Each time we establish a new partnership in places like Texas, Nashville, Minnesota, and beyond, I look them up on Google Maps and am always amazed by the sheer distance.

At our last New York show, buyers came not only from New York but also from places I’ve long admired, such as Santa Fe in New Mexico and San Francisco, making the event especially lively.

Some buyers perfectly matched the image of friendly, outgoing Americans, while others were conservative and impeccably polite. There is so much diversity—of race, climate, lifestyle—that fashion sensibilities naturally vary as well. Once again, I was reminded of how enormous this country is.

In a place like this, seeing people such as Shohei Ohtani and Hiroyuki Sanada thrive on a global stage is nothing short of astonishing.

We now have a growing number of clients who continue to place orders with us, including shops that have supported us from the very beginning. When things settle down a bit more, I’d love to travel by bus and visit regional American cities one by one.

During our last trip to New York, I was asked a question for the first time:

“What kind of feelings and philosophy do you put into making your clothes?”

I froze.

Nine years ago, when we first participated in overseas trade shows, I had prepared myself—partly as English practice—but no one ever asked questions like that. The questions were always about shipping costs, taxes, and prices. I had assumed that our intentions were already conveyed through the garments themselves, and that those who understood, understood.

So I panicked.

I fumbled through an answer about being inspired by European and American fashion from the ’60s and ’70s, but I couldn’t explain our seasonal theme at all. I left feeling mortified.

Even so, the everyday clothing we have been creating—clothes inspired by the heroines of European Nouvelle Vague films and American New Cinema—has slowly begun to find its way across the ocean and take its first steps in Europe and the U.S.

Supporting our journey in America are two young Japanese women pursuing their dreams in New York.

One is M, a ballet dancer, fashion model, and aspiring actress.

The other is H, who aims to become a fashion content creator while supporting various brands.

They work in different fields, but both are striving day by day toward their dreams in New York, one of the world’s great cities. It’s a place that can feel harsh to outsiders, yet their passion to achieve their dreams outweighs everything else.

I sometimes envy their youth, but more than that, I sincerely wish for their success. And every time I leave New York and land back at Haneda Airport, I feel as though my own heart has grown twenty years younger.

Like these two powerful women, Sarawear will continue to face forward—taking steady steps, fearless, enjoying the journey, and moving toward our dreams.

Thank you very much for visiting our website this year.

We look forward to your continued support in the coming year.