Meet Manami Moriyama

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Manami Moriyama. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Manami below.

Hi Manami, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I think my optimism comes from my life experience. I moved to NY alone from Japan when I was 18, I had a lot to figure out: I needed to learn simple house chores and budgeting, I needed to make sure I was safe, I needed to get used to US culture and language, I needed to make new friends, and I also needed to make sure I get a job to support my self. It took me some time and some mistakes to learn some life lessons, but at the end, it always worked out. I always say “it’s gonna be fine” no matter how hard it is or frustrated I am at the moment. Because it will be. Of course I have to work for it. Nothing happens if I just wait, but as long as I’m making correct effort, I’ll figure it out one way or another.
Being that said, I don’t think I could do it all by my self. Sometimes I had help from others. I’m so grateful that I have wonderful friends who are always there for me when I needed help. I never felt that I couldn’t ask for help. I wish I can be that friends to someone because I truly believe what goes around comes around.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a technical designer at a NY based fashion brand. Technical designer is a little bit different from fashion designer – I focus on the quality of garment when fashion designers focus on overall look and design details of garment. We always work together to develop and finalize design of garment. I take initial sketch and reference and make it into an actual products by reviewing the functionality and quality of the garment. The most fun part is when I spot people on the street wearing clothes that I worked on. It takes so many trials and samples before it gets produced.

I also started making fashion collage personally as my version of journal this year. I always forget to take pictures when I go out or even in general. So I try to keep reminding my self to take more pictures and make them into a collage. I’m not a big fun of writing or journaling, so the collages are my form of keeping records of my days.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think it’s very important to stay being curious and receptive. It’s best to learn from people in the industry – there is so much I didn’t learn at school but at work.
I also tried to be proactive so that I don’t miss any opportunity. When I am learning something new, the more I practice the faster I get hang of it.
As well as I tried to take every opportunity possible, I also tried to watch and learn from senior designers. It was a great opportunity to pay attention to small details when I watch people.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Whenever I wanted to try something new, they never said no. They asked me why I wanted to try and if they agreed, they encouraged me to try the best of it available. They took me to so many different activities: music concerts, theater, gallery, farms, auto race, sailing… They showed me what’s available for me and what I was attracted to.

When I decided to pursue my career in fashion, they suggested me to move to NY. I’m still grateful to this day that they suggested at the time. I always wanted to visit NY because of my friend who grew up in NY. I think it opened up my opportunity to next level.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mm__manami/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manami-moriyama/

Image Credits

Manami Moriyama