At KOTARO YAMADA's studio

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio

YAMADA first encountered Justin Davis when he was in middle school. He describes himself as quiet and uncertain back then, lacking self-confidence. What changed him first was music. Growing up with a father who preferred classical and jazz, YAMADA found himself drawn to punk and nu-metal. Listening obsessively to Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, he developed an intense admiration for the twins of pop-punk band Good Charlotte.

"When I was into Good Charlotte, I started copying their Converse and overall style, wearing all black like them." And then, he found that the jewelry they were wearing was Justin Davis. "I thought it must be some overseas brand — insanely cool." It happened that a friend brought along a jewelry specialty magazine, and Justin Davis was featured inside.

Surrounded by music-loving friends throughout middle school — himself a pop-punk fan, classmates devoted to UK rock, others into hip-hop and Chicano rap — they shared CDs with each other and covered almost every genre. "I was a middle schooler who barely listened to Japanese music at that time." He devoured books and interview magazines, chasing the words of people he admired. His father buying him unlimited books and CDs made a big difference. "I used to look forward to our weekend walks together where he'd buy me a few CDs."

At 16 years old, YAMADA purchased Justin Davis for the first time — a machine gun top that Good Charlotte had worn. He saved up over time, and clutching 100,000 yen in cash, he went to the store with his friend. "I was trembling when I bought it." That pendant still hangs around YAMADA's neck today.

YAMADA first encountered Justin Davis when he was in middle school. He describes himself as quiet and uncertain back then, lacking self-confidence. What changed him first was music. Growing up with a father who preferred classical and jazz, YAMADA found himself drawn to punk and nu-metal. Listening obsessively to Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, he developed an intense admiration for the twins of pop-punk band Good Charlotte.

"When I was into Good Charlotte, I started copying their Converse and overall style, wearing all black like them." And then, he found that the jewelry they were wearing was Justin Davis. "I thought it must be some overseas brand — insanely cool." It happened that a friend brought along a jewelry specialty magazine, and Justin Davis was featured inside.

Surrounded by music-loving friends throughout middle school — himself a pop-punk fan, classmates devoted to UK rock, others into hip-hop and Chicano rap — they shared CDs with each other and covered almost every genre. "I was a middle schooler who barely listened to Japanese music at that time." He devoured books and interview magazines, chasing the words of people he admired. His father buying him unlimited books and CDs made a big difference. "I used to look forward to our weekend walks together where he'd buy me a few CDs."

At 16 years old, YAMADA purchased Justin Davis for the first time — a machine gun top that Good Charlotte had worn. He saved up over time, and clutching 100,000 yen in cash, he went to the store with his friend. "I was trembling when I bought it." That pendant still hangs around YAMADA's neck today.

Good Charlotte (Guitar Breakers (2005))

Good Charlotte (Guitar Breakers (2005))

QUIET MESSAGE Pendant

QUIET MESSAGE Pendant

Wearing jewelry was, for YAMADA at the time, a kind of transformation. By taking on the style of the people he admired, he could become a slightly different version of himself. "I think that was probably a period when I was constructing myself — dressing a certain way, borrowing phrases I'd picked up in interviews."

Alongside his love of music, YAMADA had attended an arts & craft class since early childhood. "It wasn't really about drawing well — it was a place where they encouraged you to take your time making whatever you wanted. I felt very at home there." He was obsessed with three-dimensional work and made nothing but clay sculptures and figures. In high school, he set his sights on an art university. But he was terrible at freehand drawing. "I used to skip the drawing sessions to go to the arcade and only take the clay work seriously," he laughs — yet through it all, his love for music and Justin Davis never faded.

Even through his gap years, YAMADA held on to one ritual. "For a long time I had this habit of fantasizing before bed — imagining that I could become friends with musicians I admired." But it wasn't mere daydreaming. At a Good Charlotte signing event during Summer Sonic in Japan, he kept winning rounds of rock-paper-scissors until he finally got a signature — in a venue of thousands. "I had imagined it would work out, and it actually did."

If I do this, I can meet them, and we can become friends. If I visualized it step by step, maybe it would really happen. That conviction began to drive his actions.

When he finally passed the entrance exam for Musashino Art University, something inside YAMADA unlocked. "I developed this mindset of going all-in when it came to people I admired." And the moment he enrolled, the thought already forming in his mind was to reach out to Justin Davis.

Alongside his love of music, YAMADA had attended an arts & craft class since early childhood. "It wasn't really about drawing well — it was a place where they encouraged you to take your time making whatever you wanted. I felt very at home there." He was obsessed with three-dimensional work and made nothing but clay sculptures and figures. In high school, he set his sights on an art university. But he was terrible at freehand drawing. "I used to skip the drawing sessions to go to the arcade and only take the clay work seriously," he laughs — yet through it all, his love for music and Justin Davis never faded.

Even through his gap years, YAMADA held on to one ritual. "For a long time I had this habit of fantasizing before bed — imagining that I could become friends with musicians I admired." But it wasn't mere daydreaming. At a Good Charlotte signing event during Summer Sonic in Japan, he kept winning rounds of rock-paper-scissors until he finally got a signature — in a venue of thousands. "I had imagined it would work out, and it actually did."

If I do this, I can meet them, and we can become friends. If I visualized it step by step, maybe it would really happen. That conviction began to drive his actions.

When he finally passed the entrance exam for Musashino Art University, something inside YAMADA unlocked. "I developed this mindset of going all-in when it came to people I admired." And the moment he enrolled, the thought already forming in his mind was to reach out to Justin Davis.

With help from a friend studying abroad who taught him English, YAMADA wrote a direct message on Facebook to Justin. He attached a photo of his sculpture with jewelry wrapped around it, and sent it off. He remembers clearly that it was a snowy Valentine's Day, his gaze drifting as he recalls it. Some time later, his phone rang — it was Justin Davis. A childhood friend who happened to be nearby and could speak English answered, and Justin told them: "Come over to my studio."

With help from a friend studying abroad who taught him English, YAMADA wrote a direct message on Facebook to Justin. He attached a photo of his sculpture with jewelry wrapped around it, and sent it off. He remembers clearly that it was a snowy Valentine's Day, his gaze drifting as he recalls it. Some time later, his phone rang — it was Justin Davis. A childhood friend who happened to be nearby and could speak English answered, and Justin told them: "Come over to my studio."

TRUTH BREEDS HATRED (2010)

TRUTH BREEDS HATRED (2010)

Justin Davis and KOTARO YAMADA (2010)

In 2011, around May or June following the Great East Japan Earthquake, YAMADA visited Justin's home in Daikanyama, Tokyo. "Justin stepped out of a taxi carrying a hairless Chihuahua" — that was his first face-to-face encounter with the person he had admired through magazine pages since his teens.

When YAMADA handed over a skull-shaped sculpture, Justin's eyes lit up. "You're talented. Keep at it." For YAMADA, who had failed the art university entrance exam repeatedly and was rarely praised, those words cut deep. "Justin was the first person I ever gave something that truly felt like my own work — and that's where my confidence began to grow." From then on, Justin would repeatedly tell him: "Keep making art — not design, make art."

What YAMADA absorbed from the time he spent with Justin wasn't just knowledge about jewelry. Contemporary art, fashion, New York culture — the way he looked at every field, his sensitivity to information, his insistence on how to present himself. "He directed everything himself. Through being around him, I came to understand that building a brand means continuously building yourself."

Justin Davis and KOTARO YAMADA (2010)

In 2011, around May or June following the Great East Japan Earthquake, YAMADA visited Justin's home in Daikanyama, Tokyo. "Justin stepped out of a taxi carrying a hairless Chihuahua" — that was his first face-to-face encounter with the person he had admired through magazine pages since his teens.

When YAMADA handed over a skull-shaped sculpture, Justin's eyes lit up. "You're talented. Keep at it." For YAMADA, who had failed the art university entrance exam repeatedly and was rarely praised, those words cut deep. "Justin was the first person I ever gave something that truly felt like my own work — and that's where my confidence began to grow." From then on, Justin would repeatedly tell him: "Keep making art — not design, make art."

What YAMADA absorbed from the time he spent with Justin wasn't just knowledge about jewelry. Contemporary art, fashion, New York culture — the way he looked at every field, his sensitivity to information, his insistence on how to present himself. "He directed everything himself. Through being around him, I came to understand that building a brand means continuously building yourself."

At the end of his final year of university, YAMADA received news of Justin's passing. The last time he had seen him in person was when he went to borrow a suitcase before YAMADA left for a trip to Europe. They spoke a few more times by phone after he returned, but then came the news that Justin had passed.

Deeply shaken, YAMADA nonetheless approached the president of Justin Davis's company at Justin's funeral. "I didn't want the brand to change. I thought there must be something I could do, and I basically forced them to take me on as an intern." From then on, while attending graduate school, he commuted to the Justin Davis office in Tokyo three days a week.

For nearly a decade afterward, YAMADA watched from close range as the previous Creative Director devoted everything to the brand. "We had different favorite motifs, but his commitment to the brand surpassed mine. Watching how he carried himself through the hard times and the good — that's the greatest thing I gained from him."

At the end of his final year of university, YAMADA received news of Justin's passing. The last time he had seen him in person was when he went to borrow a suitcase before YAMADA left for a trip to Europe. They spoke a few more times by phone after he returned, but then came the news that Justin had passed.

Deeply shaken, YAMADA nonetheless approached the president of Justin Davis's company at Justin's funeral. "I didn't want the brand to change. I thought there must be something I could do, and I basically forced them to take me on as an intern." From then on, while attending graduate school, he commuted to the Justin Davis office in Tokyo three days a week.

For nearly a decade afterward, YAMADA watched from close range as the previous Creative Director devoted everything to the brand. "We had different favorite motifs, but his commitment to the brand surpassed mine. Watching how he carried himself through the hard times and the good — that's the greatest thing I gained from him."

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio

Eventually, a word of encouragement from a trusted partner gave him the final push, and YAMADA accepted the offer to become Creative Director. "She told me I absolutely had to do it." Art would always be something he continued. But this role had the right age and the right moment. "Looking back later, I felt certain that what I could absorb in these five years would be invaluable."

Eventually, a word of encouragement from a trusted partner gave him the final push, and YAMADA accepted the offer to become Creative Director. "She told me I absolutely had to do it." Art would always be something he continued. But this role had the right age and the right moment. "Looking back later, I felt certain that what I could absorb in these five years would be invaluable."

When he first took on the creative director position, YAMADA admits he underestimated what it would involve. "I thought I could keep my work as an artist as the main thing and also manage the Justin Davis work on the side." Reality quickly overturned that assumption. Meetings multiplied, time for creating things shrank, and frustration and confusion accumulated.

For a while, YAMADA tried to treat his identity as an artist and his identity as a Creative Director as two separate beings. But there was an underlying strain in that approach. "The more I tried to switch modes, the more it felt like it wasn't working."

When he first took on the creative director position, YAMADA admits he underestimated what it would involve. "I thought I could keep my work as an artist as the main thing and also manage the Justin Davis work on the side." Reality quickly overturned that assumption. Meetings multiplied, time for creating things shrank, and frustration and confusion accumulated.

For a while, YAMADA tried to treat his identity as an artist and his identity as a Creative Director as two separate beings. But there was an underlying strain in that approach. "The more I tried to switch modes, the more it felt like it wasn't working."

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio
24FW COLLECTION "Kids were alright" EXHIBITION

The turning point came when he brought his first collection to life. An installation with mini four-wheel-drive cars carrying jewelry as they raced. "When I worked with my hands to create this, I felt like this could go out into the world as a work of art. My artist friends told me this work really feels like me — and that gave me confidence." It was the moment of art and jewelry direction as Justin Davis finally connected inside him.

At the same time, he acknowledges that in the beginning he was strongly pulled into Justin's shadow. "I was always asking myself what Justin would do, and nearly all my references were coming from Justin. I was limiting my own freedom without realizing it." Over time, he came to understand the difference between creating as the brand's biggest fan and creating as its creative director. "I no longer needed to become Justin. That wouldn't give any meaning — and honestly, I think that's probably what Justin would say too, though I can't know for sure."

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio
24FW COLLECTION "Kids were alright" EXHIBITION

The turning point came when he brought his first collection to life. An installation with mini four-wheel-drive cars carrying jewelry as they raced. "When I worked with my hands to create this, I felt like this could go out into the world as a work of art. My artist friends told me this work really feels like me — and that gave me confidence." It was the moment art and jewelry direction as Justin Davis finally connected inside him.

At the same time, he acknowledges that in the beginning he was strongly pulled into Justin's shadow. "I was always asking myself what Justin would do, and nearly all my references were coming from Justin. I was limiting my own freedom without realizing it." Over time, he came to understand the difference between creating as the brand's biggest fan and creating as its creative director. "I no longer needed to become Justin. That wouldn't give any meaning — and honestly, I think that's probably what Justin would say too, though I can't know for sure."

The shift in perspective came from an unexpected place. During a period when he was caught between his identities as artist and creative director, YAMADA started going out to his studio's garden, cutting flowers and placing them in vases. "I don't know why, but it calmed me down." Walking through the garden, looking at small flowers and trees, the feeling quietly came back.

He wanted to translate that experience into jewelry. This gave birth to the LIVE FOREVER Series. "Rather than simply making rose jewelry, we talked as a team about what plants mean for Justin Davis and built it from the concept up."

A pendant case for holding acorns given by his daughter. Motifs evoking flower seeds from the garden. Silver jewelry that, while being something to wear, seems to hold small everyday discoveries within it. He asked his partner to photograph the collection, enlisted artist friends to collaborate, and built the entire worldview as an exhibition.

"That collection was the first time I felt I had truly put something out as myself. It was the moment I thought: if I keep doing it steadily, I can't go wrong." The vague sense of pressure gradually began to lift.

The shift in perspective came from an unexpected place. During a period when he was caught between his identities as artist and creative director, YAMADA started going out to his studio's garden, cutting flowers and placing them in vases. "I don't know why, but it calmed me down." Walking through the garden, looking at small flowers and trees, the feeling quietly came back.

He wanted to translate that experience into jewelry. This gave birth to the LIVE FOREVER Series. "Rather than simply making rose jewelry, we talked as a team about what plants mean for Justin Davis and built it from the concept up."

A pendant case for holding acorns given by his daughter. Motifs evoking flower seeds from the garden. Silver jewelry that, while being something to wear, seems to hold small everyday discoveries within it. He asked his partner to photograph the collection, enlisted artist friends to collaborate, and built the entire worldview as an exhibition.

"That collection was the first time I felt I had truly put something out as myself. It was the moment I thought: if I keep doing it steadily, I can't go wrong." The vague sense of pressure gradually began to lift.

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio

At KOTARO YAMADA's studio

25FW COLLECTION「LIVE FOREVER」LITTLE THINGS Pendant

25FW COLLECTION「LIVE FOREVER」LITTLE THINGS Pendant

He showed us the next collection. He plans to unveil a star-themed collection,inspired by a night sky he gazed up at during a family trip to Hakone, Kanagawa. Rather than simply lining up five-pointed stars, it's an attempt to question the very essence of what a star — and light — actually is. Re-reading The Little Prince, thinking about what light means, he is layering design upon design.

"After meeting Justin, I came to feel that if you take action, you can actually become friends with people you admire, or get them to see your work. If you visualize it step by step and then move, it turns out to be surprisingly possible. That became my confidence."

YAMADA showed us the next collection draft sketches. He plans to unveil a star-themed series called "ONE MORE LIGHT," inspired by a night sky he gazed up at during a family trip to Hakone, Kanagawa. Rather than simply lining up five-pointed stars, it's an attempt to question the very essence of what a star — and light — actually is. Re-reading The Little Prince, thinking about what light means, he is layering design upon design.

"After meeting Justin, I came to feel that if you take action, you can actually become friends with people you admire, or get them to see your work. If you visualize it step by step and then move, it turns out to be surprisingly possible. That became my confidence."

Justin Davis 2026 Collection draft sketch

On the studio shelves sits Justin Davis jewelry collected over the years. Apparently a large jewelry box gifted by his partner at their wedding also exists — presented with the message to fill it up over a lifetime, it was full within three years.

How he decides what to wear each day hasn't changed since he was 17 years old. No logic. Just: this one. Even now as Creative Director, that much stays the same. The only difference is that pieces he designed himself have joined the mix — alongside the previous collections he still wears as a longtime Justin Davis fan.

A ring he bought the day he heard the news of Justin's passing. A ring with a botanical motif on his little finger. A bracelet whose dark mother-of-pearl shimmers subtly from green to pink depending on the angle — he chose the material inspired by the work of the artist Wolfgang Tillmans.

CHANGES Bracelet

When the interviewer remarked that the shifting color looked like a stalactite cave, YAMADA touched the bracelet and responded, "Yeah, I like that slightly soft, ever-changing quality."

By the studio entrance, the work he first showed Justin during his university days is installed — the work that would later become the beginning of their deep connection — alongside sculptures he inherited after Justin's passing. "When I happen to glance at those works, I remember those thrilling days as vividly as if they were yesterday."

For YAMADA, Justin Davis jewelry is more than an accessory. It is memory, the trace of a wish, and the continuation of a conversation with one person.

At this milestone of 25 years, YAMADA is quietly weaving together the memory of Justin and his own expression. That dialogue has not ended with the brand turning 25 — it continues to evolve, moving steadily toward new ground.

CHANGES Bracelet

When the interviewer remarked that the shifting color looked like a stalactite cave, YAMADA touched the bracelet and responded, "Yeah, I like that slightly soft, ever-changing quality."

By the studio entrance, the work he first showed Justin during his university days is installed — the work that would later become the beginning of their deep connection — alongside sculptures he inherited after Justin's passing. "When I happen to glance at those works, I remember those thrilling days as vividly as if they were yesterday."

For YAMADA, Justin Davis jewelry is more than an accessory. It is memory, the trace of a wish, and the continuation of a conversation with one person.

At this milestone of 25 years, YAMADA is quietly weaving together the memory of Justin and his own expression. That dialogue has not ended with the brand turning 25 — it continues to evolve, moving steadily toward new ground.