# pillings

> pillings is a textile heritage label based in Tokyo, Japan, started in 2020. Behind the label: Ryota Murakami. Known for hand-knits made with Japanese hand-knitting artisans.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/designers/pillings
- Country guide: https://thecastindex.com/houses/japanese-designers
- Facts checked: 2026-10-22
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)

## Quick facts

- Behind the label: Ryota Murakami
- Based: Tokyo, Japan
- Since: 2020
- Focus: Textile heritage
- Makes: Womenswear built around hand-knitted pieces
- Trained: coconogacco, Tokyo
- Official site: https://pillings.jp
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pillings_/

## Who is behind pillings?

Ryota Murakami, born in 1988, started his own label after the Tokyo school coconogacco; first called RYOTAMURAKAMI, it was renamed pillings in 2020. Its collections centre on hand-knitted pieces made with Japanese hand-knitting artisans, and the label counts passing those skills on to a new generation as part of its purpose; Murakami also runs a knitting school, AMIt. The LVMH Prize traces the idea to the jumpers his mother knitted for him as a child. pillings won the Tokyo Fashion Award in 2022, was an LVMH Prize semi-finalist in 2025, and showed its SS27 collection on the runway at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo in September 2026.

## Timeline

- 2020: RYOTAMURAKAMI is renamed pillings. (source: https://rakutenfashionweektokyo.com/en/brands/detail/pillings/)
- 2022: Wins the Tokyo Fashion Award. (source: https://rakutenfashionweektokyo.com/en/brands/detail/pillings/)
- 2025: Named a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize. (source: https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/pillings)
- 2 September 2026: Shows SS27 on the runway at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo. (source: https://rakutenfashionweektokyo.com/en/brands/detail/pillings/)

## Sources

- [Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo — pillings brand page](https://rakutenfashionweektokyo.com/en/brands/detail/pillings/) — checked 2026-10-22
- [LVMH Prize — pillings, 2025 semi-finalist](https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/pillings) — checked 2026-10-22