I glean from outside sources: Watanabe was born in Fukushima in 1961, he is divorced, he studied at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo before joining Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons in 1984 as a pattern cutter. His own line was formed in 1992 under the umbrella of Comme des Garçons. His debut show was held at the concourse of Tokyo’s Ryogoku Station the same year, and in 1993 he presented his first women’s wear show in Paris. When asked about what influenced him to become a designer, Watanabe says, “There’s nothing in particular that made me want to start fashion and create clothes. But if I were to mention something, it would be the fact that my mother used to have a little made-to-order shop. That may have been an influence.” A question about Watanabe’s father is politely rebuffed.