ABOUT

Sai is a Los Angeles based clothing brand founded by Takako Saito who was born and raised in the countryside of Japan. Her grandfather was a rice farmer and became very ill when he was 60 years old. It was such a difficult experience for her family, since he could not walk or talk clearly for over 20 years. The family believed his illness was caused by prolonged exposure to pesticides while working on farms, since doctors were unable to explain the cause of his disease. This painful experience has motivated her to introduce natural products to as many people as possible, so that farmers can live happy, healthy lives.

She graduated from Bunka Fashion College in 2004 and became a pattern maker in Tokyo. While working there, she found a fair trade company, People Tree, and bought an organic cotton shirt from them. She was able to feel happy and proud by choosing this product, because she knew that she was supporting safe and eco-friendly farming practices. She kept searching for what she could do for others and the environment even after moving to Los Angeles as a pattern maker. In 2020, She decided to put her knowledge, experiences and feelings together, and launched Sai, which was named after her family name Saito. 

She carefully sources organic cotton and hand crafts made-to-order garments that are grounded and timeless. She hopes that through Sai, she will help push the industry toward using more natural fabrics and processes, while also creating fair working conditions for those who make clothing. 

 

Biography  

In 2020, Takako launched an organic cotton clothing line Sai.

In 2015, she started her own pattern making services and worked with more than 20 Los Angeles based designers, such as Brock Collection, Co Collections, Dreamers&Lovers. She has been working on a lot of evening gowns and wedding dresses since then.

From 2011 to 2014, she worked for Clover Canyon in Downtown Los Angeles as a head pattern maker, where she created patterns for all sorts of clothing and worked with a talented design team and an advanced production team.

In spring of 2004, right after she graduated from Bunka Fashion College, she started her career as a pattern maker in Tokyo. The first brand she worked for was a licensed French brand, courrèges, where she honed her skills creating structured jackets and dresses by hand and on CAD.