I’ve been making figure skating costumes since 2011
Yuzuru Hanyu
Shoma Uno
Marin Honda and so on
I’ve made costumes for all of them
By far I’ve made over 100 outfits
I’m Satomi Ito
I’m a figure skating costume designer based in Japan
The first time I made an outfit for Hanyu was in around 2014
Now I’ve made 10 outfits for him in total
This set of costume was an order received in the season 2016-2017
Hanyu only gave me the music
And said “Please draw a sketch based on the style of the song”
Because he has a gender-neutral appearance
So I boldly applied a low-cut design
With the hope of highlighting his slim figure
The inspiration comes from ballet costume
And the theme is swan
I especially use feather to create a soft texture
And make the outfit look lighter and more elegant
When Hanyu wore it for the first time
He found several big crystals on the sleeves
Which might be too heavy and would affect his jumps
I heard he removed the crystals at that moment
Last January, I travelled to Rome
And found the golden decoration on the blue pillars was really beautiful
So I borrowed and used it in my design
This is the sample
Velvet is used
To offer a feeling of being deep and steady
When Elena Radionova, a Russian figure skater, competed in Japan
I showed her a sketch of mine
And unexpectedly she took a fancy to it
And asked me to make the outfit for her
I make costumes for top figure skaters with imported material as much as possible
The most expensive one is worth about 530,000 yen
A male outfit is no heavier than 850g
And a female outfit weighs within 350g
And as skaters jump a lot
I have to keep a balance between the left and right side of the outfit
During a competition, if accessories drop from the outfit, the skater would lose one point
Therefore while adding accessories to an outfit
I need to stretch it to a certain degree before pasting
Embroidery is able to offer unevenness and delicate gloss that crystals can’t create
I often use embroidery
And outfits with color gradient also look gorgeous when they’re reflected on the ice
I would use an airbrush to finish the design that a general dyeing process can’t achieve
Besides, as skaters often move with their back to the audience
I would also pay attention to the design and decoration on the back
To make them more attractive from the back
After watching competitions on site, I would find where I should use a deeper color
Or where I need to add more decorations
When a skater’s standing on the ice, the costume he or she wears is what the audience see first
And an indispensable element of his or her performance
I’m really honored to design costumes for those top figure skaters