Junko Shimada (Japanese: 島田順子, born in 1941) is a Japanese fashion designer who created her own clothing brand.[1][2] She designs clothes for Lady Gaga.[3] Shimada also designed the Japanese team's outfits for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.[3][4] Shimada's brand is called "Junko Shimada."[1]
Shimada was born in Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1941.[1][5] She liked painting.[5] Her mother told her to learn a skill that would let her earn money.[5] Growing up, she also dreamed of working for Levi’s, an American clothing company known for their denim clothing.[2] So she studied at Sugino Gakuen Dressmaker Jogakuin, a fashion designing/dressmaker school.[1][3]
In school, she started watching French movies.[5] Shimada moved to Paris in 1966.[2][5]
After moving to Paris, Shimada worked as a stylist and with famous fashion companies.[2] She worked for Mafia Design Studio.[6][5] She then moved to Cacharel.[5][6] She first designed children's clothes, then men's clothes.[6]
In 1981 she started the "Junko Shimada Design Studio."[5][6] [1] She has many shops in France.[3] She also makes luggage, eyeglasses, kimonos, and other items.[3]
Shimada combined French history and Japanese culture in her work.[2] Ever since she started her brand, Shimada has been featured in the Paris Fashion Week.[1] In 2012, Shimada was awarded with the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for her outstanding work in the fashion industry.[1] She is a member of the "Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode."[7][6]
Shimada received the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.[1]