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diversions
Manhattan-style
designer clothing comes to Long Beach
By Adrienne Figueroa
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
When 49-year-old
Eiko Wise was deciding on a name for her Fourth Street clothing
store almost a year ago, her mother had an idea. She suggested
that her daughter use the word Imonni, a Japanese term used
to describe the process of boiling a potato. Wise initially
giggled at the thought, but soon adopted the name after a
psychic advised her that a business title containing two “n”s
could be equated with good fortune.
Although the shop is not always as busy as anticipated, Wise
is not worried. The Japanese-born entrepreneur also sells
her items to buyers for other clothing stores and has confidence
that the demand for her creations will continue.
Her decades of design experience date back to her home country
overseas. As a college student, Wise spent much of her time
in sewing-related courses, learning the craft of knitting,
patchwork and pattern development.
She entertained the concept of constructing clothes for herself,
especially since she could not afford to buy them at department
store prices. Scanning the styles splashed across the pages
of sewing books and magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, Wise
developed a plethora of ideas for her fashion inventions.
“If I see [items of clothing], maybe I can make more good
with them,” she said.
When Wise finished her studies, she opened two stores in Japan
with a plan to expand. Enamored with the fashion and nightlife
scenes in New York City, she wanted an excuse to travel there
more often.
“I thought, how can I go to New York a lot?” she said she
would ask herself.
She found that the answer was to open up another store, this
time in Manhattan. Located on the corner of First Street and
Avenue A, the shop steadily gained popularity with those in
the entertainment industry. Her unique ensembles appealed
to a handful of celebrities, including Cyndi Lauper, Naomi
Cambell, Lenny Kravitz and members of the funk-pop group Deelite.
About a decade has passed since the grand opening of the New
York boutique, which closed when Wise relocated to the west
coast with her husband seven years ago. She moved to Hollywood,
where she temporarily veered from clothing and took a job
as a manicurist.
One of her clients, an employee of designer Fred Segal, noticed
Wise’s talent while glimpsing at several hats and handbags
she had brought to the salon. Soon after, the former shop
owner found herself making clothes and accessories for the
fashion company.
When time constraints affected her product output for Segal,
Wise stopped creating for the designer and began concentrating
on opening her fourth store, Imonni.
She has been settled into the small Fourth Street shop for
seven months now and spends most of her days sewing garments
using second-hand clothing purchased from thrift stores.
“I love making hats, bags and jackets,” she said with excitement.
Wise continues to seek advice from psychics, and hopes that
the double “n”s in her business title will bring her a bright
future.
“It means good luck, I trust,” she said with a smile.
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