The Black Book of Style for Japanese Racing Royalty Mai Ikuzawa

My personal style signifier it’s my haircut. Kiyoshi Inoue’s inoue brothers he is the only person in the world who cuts my signature bob cut. She gives me a good silhouette, with a marked signature. I always like the silhouette, be it in fashion or the profile of a person. I also have a personal catchphrase: “She drives Italian, wears Japanese, drinks Mexican, kisses French”.

The best book I have read in the last year. is a deep dive into our family’s racing history, Type 7 Volume 4: Team Ikuzawa Edition, published by Porsche Lifestyle Magazine and ERG. My father, Tetsu Ikuzawa, founded the private Team Ikuzawa racing team after retiring from active racing in the 1980s, and now I am reviving the brand. Nicknamed “lone wolf,” Dad became famous not because he was a Ferrari or Honda race driver, but as a private participant in the sport, beating all the “works teams” of official car manufacturers. The shipping box looks like a Tamiya model and is hand painted. It is truly a work of art.

The last thing I bought and I loved it. was a bamford London Skater Snoopy watch, wearing a custom black bracelet. I’ve been a huge Snoopy fan since he was a kid and it’s great when your friend shares a Snoopy fetish. I would love to do a Team Ikuzawa x Snoopy x Bamford product one day.

The place that means a lot to me It’s Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. My father was a bit of a womanizer, we were not a conventional Japanese family, and I have been a nomad since he was a child: I was born in Tokyo, in an English boarding school, and then in London. Even now, with two children of our own, we keep moving. But Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is brilliant for our high-energy family: my husband is a co-founder of black ravens skis, and adrenaline and nature are the best way to keep us all happy and balanced.

In my fridge you will always find nail polish and tequila

The podcast I’m listening to is The Economist either financial times in audio, which is part of my sleep ritual. I can’t sleep in silence, probably because the pit lane and engine noise were my lullabies as a baby. It’s amazing how much news content I can absorb in my sleep.

my style icon It’s Hiroshi Fujiwara, who in my opinion brought streetwear to Japan. His attention to detail is exceptional; his customizations always elevate a product. I find him to be a man of very few words, but with encyclopedic knowledge on anything from creatures of the deep sea to some random politician or movie.

In my fridge you will always find nail polish and tequila.

The last music I downloaded was wild group, a loose collective of English musicians and DJs based in Bristol. They were the beginning of trip hop and a truly rich era of creative music that you feel in your spine when you go clubbing.

I have a collection of helmets, from full-face to cycling, and of course all ski helmets. I have some historical ones from my father, which I still use. There are open face helmets from the 60’s and full face helmets from the 70’s and 80’s. I also have motorcycle racing full face helmets with dark visors, some motocross and regular street helmets, including a very nice one from a now defunct Parisian brand called Ruby . I also have a super cool helmet from eley kishimoto. I wear Kishimoto clothes all the time and my house in London is full of Kishimoto interior pieces.

The best memory I have brought home. are Team Ikuzawa die-cast toy cars. I recently found one in a small geeky model shop in Geneva. It was covered in dust amongst all the other beautiful Ferraris, Porsches and Mercedes SL Gullwings. I instantly recognized my father’s old race cars. They are beautiful: my father was also a designer like me and his attention to detail in his race car liveries is exquisite.

I have recently rediscovered a map of London AZ and the pleasure of reading maps. The whole process is so typical of its time: carrying mountains of road maps in the car, crossing borders and exchanging currencies. There’s also the interaction with a co-pilot friend who tells you where to go. Road trips were so damn magical with paper maps.

An indulgence I would never give up It is the silence of the snowy mountains, it is the definitive therapy.

The last item I added to my wardrobe it was a classic racing suit made to measure by fish, which is almost a replica of my father’s old one. Even the embroidered patches are FIA ​​approved fire retardant.

An object that I would never part with. it’s a wireframe artwork by Benedict Radcliffe, modeled after my hot pink souped-up Toyota Celica, a Fast and FuriousCustom era car that he had imported from Japan in the 2000s. Featuring Powell Peralta G-Bones skateboard wheels, the model is a one of a kind custom made piece.

The best gift I’ve ever given. were some Team Ikuzawa ashtrays and lighters that I had made. I don’t smoke, but ’80s motorsport was all about smoking. It has this nostalgic feeling. I remember when my dad was sponsored by the John Player Special our house reeked of JPS cigarettes because he kept packs at home even though neither of us smoked!

And the best gift I’ve ever received. is a couple of Emily Frances Barrett earrings that are designed around real cigarette butts preserved in resin. Emily doesn’t exactly smoke, but she smokes the butts herself so they’re realistic – they’re all individual pieces of art. I’m always drawn to things that are quite punk, anarchist or edgy. I was a bit hesitant to use them, especially since I have small children, but they are really fun and beautiful.

The only artist whose work I would collect if I could is daniel arham. I am very emotionally attached to his work, from Pokémon to cars. I connect with that cultural nostalgia. He’s always pushing the limits, transforming and challenging himself and he’s never afraid to do things like start a clothing brand or become the creative director of a basketball team.

My favorite room in my house. it’s the garage. It’s the toy room. We’re not people who sit in front of the TV: we bike, we go skiing, we take road trips to hit the slopes and remote mountains to ski touring. So this is where all the equipment is kept.

The basic beauty that I never lack is the perfume of Al Kassir water from Office Universelle Buly. i really love bullyThe range of fragrances and the packaging are fantastic. And my Asian beauty secret is to apply an anti-chafing cream, from Weleda either Bepanthen, to the face. It is the best for curing spots and blemishes.

my favorite building It is the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo. It resonates deeply with Japanese culture and our connection to tidy small spaces. This building, though now demolished, was a pioneer in Japanese design that dared to be different.

My beauty and wellness guru is sarah chapmann. She only does facials, which are very comprehensive, highly intensive, and completely personalized. I have them once a month and it was a game changing discovery.

my favorite app is Trello. I am a woman of endless to-do lists and this is a gem for categorizing tasks around work, family, and personal things. I also use Line, the WhatsApp of Japan. It’s my sanctuary, where I get to hang out with a bunch of my best friends from Japan. AND Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, a real must for parents. I quite like having this blanket power over my preteen son. “Brush your teeth or I’ll turn off your Nintendo!”

In another lifeI would have been a racing driver. I always envision another scenario: what if my grandfather wasn’t an artist, my father wasn’t a race car driver, and I didn’t spend my youth in a pit lane? Ironically, I think my father wanted to pursue the arts, but he ended up being a race car driver. I am the other way around: I ended up being a creative director, although I wanted to dedicate myself to racing.

The works of art that changed everything for me it was the whole British art movement in the 90s in London. It had a huge impact on me and made me feel like a great time to be in London as an art student at Central Saint Martins. It was an exciting time to be running my own design agency.

The best advice I’ve ever received was “Living well is the best revenge.”