Shining Through

Written in Japanese, “Hikari” or “Hoshi” means star, so it was destined that Hikari Mori should be one.

The granddaughter of legendary Japanese designer Hanae Mori, Hikari may be considered fashion royalty, but she blazes her own trail like a star. The multihyphenate Japanese-American celebrity and model has an effortless style and authentic demeanour that has made her the favourite of designers like Max Mara, Fendi, and Tory Burch, to name a few. There’s no stopping her now.

How would you describe yourself?

Well, my mom is American, she’s from California, and my dad reminds me of a samurai - very Japanese, and I’m a mixture of that. I have a very serious personality, and sometimes I think too much about what other people think about me. I have that Japanese side, and then my mom’s Italian-American blood, which makes one very excited and positive. It’s like I have two persons inside of me, and I used to get so confused because they’re so different. But now I’ve accepted it, and I want to keep both sides, because I think that’s what makes me unique.

How about your personal style, is that a combination of both?

Yes, I definitely have both sides. I don’t dress for anybody else. I like when I dress really masculine. I usually care about what other people think, but fashion-wise, I feel so free. I don’t care about what other people think, especially what boys think of my fashion. I just follow my heart. That’s why I think fashion is my favourite thing, because it frees me instead.

I’m sure you get this question a lot, but how has your grandmother influenced your style?