Chitose Abe’s Hybrid Designs Are the Future of Luxury Fashion
By Kelli Luu | 02 Mar, 2026

The daughter of a seamstress launched Sacai from her Tokyo home and mastered the art of “hybridization” before bringing her brand to Paris runways.

While most designers are creating clothing, Chitose Abe is engineering them through Sacai, a Tokyo based fashion house that has been perfecting a design formula that is recognizable on any runway.  

Chitose Abe was born in Gifu, Japan in 1965. Growing up, she developed an early love for fashion due to her mother’s work as a seamstress. She was known as the trendsetter amongst her friends and knew by age 11 that she wanted to pursue a career in fashion. 

Before founding Sacai in 1999, Abe worked closely with renowned avant-garde designer, Junya Watanabe at Comme des Garçons. This is where she obtained knowledge of experimental construction and learned how to manipulate silhouettes and challenge traditional styles. When she left Comme des Garçons, she launched Sacai from her Tokyo home as a creative outlet after becoming a mother.  Abe’s pieces continued to evolve and she eventually created a style she calls “hybridization”, which was the fusion of two or more garments, like a hoodie merged with a tailored suit jacket. 

Abe grew her brand for nearly a decade and in 2009 Sacai finally made it to Paris Fashion Week with its very first runway for the Autumn/Winter season. Critics were in awe of her ability to merge different aesthetics without making the piece feel overly chaotic, describing her technique as “against the grain” style.

From there Abe’s work earned industry-wide recognition, including a spot on the Business of Fashion 500 list in 2013 and multiple collaborations with fashion’s biggest names like Dior, Nike, and The North Face, helping them reimagine classic best sellers. More recently, Abe has strengthened Sacai’s presence in Paris with a new headquarters, making it known that she is serious about being a part of the fashion capital.

The industry is driven by rapid trend cycles, but Chitose Abe has been able to stick with her “hybridization” formula and build a brand that doesn’t make you choose between identities, which is exactly why Sacai is winning in contemporary luxury.