To all the clients who visited LOWONIDA in 2025,
thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.
For me, 2025 was truly a year of upheaval.
My life and circumstances changed dramatically.
At the end of 2024, I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident.
I was taken to hospital unconscious and remained there for some time.
As 2025 began, I was living my daily life on crutches.
While I was still in hospital, the salon where I had been kindly renting a chair since returning from London sadly closed down.
However, I was fortunate that some clients were willing to wait for my recovery.
Thanks to that, I was able to return to work by renting a chair at a share salon.
Because I was still walking with crutches, I limited my services to styles that could be done while seated in the cutting chair.
Although my leg was seriously injured in the accident, my hands were thankfully unharmed, which allowed me to return to work earlier than expected.
I am deeply grateful to the share salon that welcomed me during this time.
That said, I never intended to stay there permanently.
Day after day, I struggled between my desire to move forward and the reality of a body that would not yet cooperate.
Then, in May and June, once I was able to walk without crutches, I travelled to London.
Even now, I continue to receive many work requests there, and I was able to spend fulfilling time with former clients and colleagues from my London days.
London is a very special place to me.
It is the city where I lived from the age of 20, and where I grew not only as a hairdresser, but also as a person.
During my early years, I spent every day scouting for models and taking technical tests.
For photo shoots, I would approach stylish people on the streets and at universities to ask if they would model for me.
To avoid affecting my work as a hairdresser, I worked late-night shifts at bars,
lived in a six-person shared house where my only personal space was my bed,
and even after I began receiving work for shoots and shows, I often had no money and travelled overnight by bus from London to Paris and other distant cities.
Looking back, I truly was living with relentless determination.
Remembering those days made me realise:
“Just because my leg isn’t fully functioning yet doesn’t mean I should stop.
I should challenge myself to do something exciting.”
After returning to Japan, I immediately began searching for a property.
The very first place I viewed became the current LOWONIDA location.
I felt instinctively, “This is it,” and made the decision on the spot.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly concerned about the location.
Whether it was moving to London, starting salon work in Berlin while based there, or returning to Japan,
I had always achieved results in completely new places.
I believed I could simply start again from zero.
With that mindset, I began building the salon at a rapid pace.
By November, the space was ready enough to begin providing services.
After completing a photoshoot, I started operating on a limited basis for acquaintances and referrals, while continuing the remaining construction.
Then, on 12 December, LOWONIDA officially opened its doors.
At first glance, 2025 may seem like a year filled with misfortune.
But because of those experiences, I now feel that I am finally standing where I truly want to be.
I will continue to devote myself to my craft every day,
so that the time you spend at LOWONIDA feels as comfortable and meaningful as possible.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to welcoming you in the future.
