Designer Masaaki Homma’s announcement that he will close his iconic mastermind JAPAN brand in 2013 is the street-luxury aficionado’s equivalent of cuisine’s elBulli. With every fashionisto desperate to know what’s next, Homma remains tight lipped, continues to collaborate with other brands and promises au revoir rather than adieu, i.e. goodbye with a less permanent ring about it. Homma launched the cult menswear brand in 1997 - womenswear followed a decade later - and its luxurious materials took exclusivity and price point to new highs; his clothes - identifiable by their skull and crossbones motif - appear in runs of just three. Karl Lagerfeld is a client: “He invited me to his shows and Chanel head office,” says Homma. “I respect him very much.” From one mastermind to another.