Life On Mars

Who better to reflect on the nature/nurture debate than the inquisitive "Father" of new Japanese fashion? Mikio Sakabe quite the sci-fi culture buff - speaks to Men's Folio about UFOs, raising the next generation of Japanese design and growing up.

- Vanessa Grace Ng

An important question was posed to Mikio Sakabe - the eclectic footwear label's founder - at the Grounds pop-up party in Singapore. My "Do you believe in aliens?" is met with an immediate "yes", supported by his raised eyebrows and incredulous expression as if I had asked instead if two plus two makes four. When I asked him again what forms he believed they would take on, Sakabe-san was quick with his reply, "They are probably not like us, five-dimensional, maybe?" He stresses probably again.

One could take Sakabe's word for it. Of all designers, he has the best credentials to bolster a fantastical hypothesis on physics and outer space-related things. He was enrolled in a mathematics programme at Seikei University before pursuing design studies in London, Paris and Antwerp. Fragments of his intrigue come to life in his references to science-fiction plots, recent Texas itinerary, and more. That same intrigue is revealed, too, in his works.

As "five-dimensional" as he imagines extraterrestrial life to be are his footwear creations. Each silhouette is unified in its inane soles and designed to look "as if you have stepped on something huge and gel-like", says the brand's website. "I'm designing for time travellers," he says at one point of the interview, in response to Grounds' brand philosophy that involves the terms "time" and "gravity". He stresses more than once, though, that he does not have all the answers. It is a statement that seems unbelievable since he has enjoyed success with the cult bubble sole, his sub-brand Jenny Fax (a collaborative coquette venture with his wife Shueh Jen-Fang) and his eponymously-titled ready-to-wear label.

It may seem tricky, but Mikio Sakabe schools Men's Folio about the time-space continuum, the world's cultures and growing up - bubbled in his fondness for discovery.