Kikka Hanazawa

Kikka Hanazawa (花沢 菊香 born October 26, 1970) is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader focused on social impact, women’s entrepreneurship, and sustainability in the fashion world. Kikka is the co-Founder and CEO of Yabbey, a digital fashion library, and co-founder of Fashion Girls for Humanity, an award-winning nonprofit organization. She also serves on the board of Mercari, a publicly listed Japanese e-commerce company. Previously, she was the CEO of VPL, a U.S.-based fashion brand and a Certified B Corporation.

Early life and education Kikka Hanazawa, born in Tokyo, is the daughter of Ikue Hanazawa, an haute couture business owner, and Kiyoshi Yokoyama, a business entrepreneur who later became a Tendai Buddhist monk. She is also the niece of Tomiyo Hanazawa, a notable fashion designer who specialized in modern kimonos and staged the first kimono fashion show in the US in 1957. Both Ikue and Tomiyo Hanazawa began their fashion careers working with Chiyo Uno, a prominent feminist author in Japan. Chiyo Uno, who founded 'Sutairu' (Style), Japan's first fashion magazine in 1936, and a boutique in Ginza, greatly influenced them. Heeding Uno's advice to be independent women, Tomiyo and Ikue remained unmarried and dedicated much of their lives to the fashion business alongside Chiyo Uno. Despite growing up surrounded by influential women in fashion, Hanazawa initially did not aspire to pursue a career in fashion.

In 2000, Hanazawa graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a B.A. in Art History & Architecture Theory. To finance her education, she worked at Itochu in New York, where she quickly rose to become one of the youngest female managers. She continued her education at Harvard Business School, earning an M.B.A. in 2002.

Career Kikka Hanazawa held the position of CEO at VPL, a prominent women's activewear brand, until 2022. She then co-founded Yabbey, a social enterprise renowned for having one of the largest digital fashion design and pattern libraries. In her previous roles, Hanazawa was instrumental in the core management team at Theory, orchestrating its initial public offering (IPO) before its acquisition by Fast Retailing. Additionally, her tenure at Cygne Designs was marked by her leadership in a management buyout of the company's international division, a successful initiative she both started and later sold.

Philanthropy Hanazawa has held positions on several prestigious boards and advisory committees. These include the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. In addition, she serves as an advisor to the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo and the Japanese Ministry of Education's Tobitate Program. Her advisory expertise also extends to numerous startups across the United States, Japan, and India, particularly in the realms of fashion, AI, and technology. In 2023, she was elected to join the board of Columbia University.

Awards 2007 Finalist, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)'s Vogue Fashion Fund 2011 Finalist, WGSN Global Fashion Award for Outstanding New Store 2012 Winner, CFDA Lexus Eco Challenge 2014 Recipient, Asia Society Game Changer Awards (2014) 2014 Forbes Asia 48 Heroes of Philanthropy (2014) 2020 Finalist, Rising Star Award by Harvard Business School Women’s Association of Greater New York 2021 Recipient, FLAIR Award from Harvard Alumni for Fashion, Luxury, and Retail 2021 Finalist, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas North America (2021) (Fashion Girls for Humanity) 2022 Finalist, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas (2022) (Yabbey)