Ryota Iwai

Ryota Iwai is the designer at Auralee. He is notable for pioneering a textile-driven slow-fashion ethos that forgoes discounting in favour of producing made-to-order collections rooted in artisanal collaboration and rigorous fabric development.

Born in Kobe, Japan and educated at Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, Iwai cut his teeth as a pattern cutter and designer for labels including the knitwear atelier Norikoike, where he honed a deep understanding of yarn and stitch construction. In 2015, he launched Auralee as an independent label defined by its “start-from-scratch” approach: every season begins with original fabric research — from Peruvian alpaca and Mongolian cashmere to GOATS-certified organic cotton — often developed on-site with weavers in Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Australia. By shunning fast-fashion cycles or sales markdowns, Auralee has cultivated a devoted following among purists seeking timeless, tactile garments.

Iwai’s work has earned a Fashion Prize of Tokyo award in 2018, including support for Paris Fashion Week presentations. In January 2024, Auralee debuted on the Paris Fashion Week menswear schedule with a sculptural, minimalist show at Atelier Brâncuși, Centre Pompidou. The Autumn 2025 collection generated 35 new retail offers, expanding global distribution to roughly 200 stockists — including Mr Porter and Mytheresa — and drove annual revenues to ¥3.6 billion (≈$24 million), a 20 percent year-on-year increase supplemented by collaborations with New Balance and Tekla.

For Iwai, fashion is less about fleeting statements and more about mood and texture — garments that feel personal, unanchored to seasonal trends and imbued with the quiet luxury of craftsmanship.