TSUMORI Chisato ranks among Japan's fashion designer greats - an exclusive group that includes the likes of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo - but she didn't get there by going down the intellectual, avant-garde route that most of the others did.

In fact, as the spunky designer acknowledges, her inspirations are often more cartoon than cerebral.

'When I was a little girl, I watched a lot of Disney shows, and those memories have since formed the basis of my creations,' says Chisato, who was in town recently. 'The shows brought joy to my life and I want to share that joy with everybody, which perhaps explains why my work is different from that of the other Japanese designers. It is definitely more feminine and whimsical. I don't feel the need to follow anyone; I'm happy designing the way I like to design.'

Indeed, in the 20 years since she started her own eponymous label, the Saitama native - who spent 13 years as head designer for Issey Miyake's Issey Sport line but left in 1990 to strike it out on her own at the encouragement of Mr Miyake himself - has carved out a path to success via a style that is distinctly unique. Her pieces, which are embellished with beading, embroidery, appliques and prints of her own design, freely combine fabrics and colours and have a feminine yet fun feel to them, so that every garment is instantly identifiable.

Says Chisato: 'I design things that I enjoy and that I personally like to wear. Pink and gold are my favourite colours because they suit my skin colour. As a designer, I think that it is important to design clothes that we would wear ourselves; otherwise, how can we expect others to wear them?'

Ever the lover of fairytales, the designer tries to tell a different story with each of her collections and prints. Her signature cat motif, for example, was inspired by her love for cats. 'I've been keeping cats since I was very young and I've had many, many cats over the years. I like dogs too, but for some reason, I can't draw dogs well and that's why I didn't come up with a dog motif,' she says.

For Chisato, inspiration comes in many forms. Her 2009 Fall-Winter collection, for instance, was inspired by the view from her Tokyo home. 'The base story is the night view of the Tokyo skyline that I can see from the window of my house. Then I just applied my sense of imagination to finish the collection,' she explains.

More recently, a trip to Istanbul was the inspiration behind this year's Fall-Winter collection. 'I was impressed by the place,' shares the designer. 'The ropes, the clothes, the skies and the tents - they've all found their way into this collection. The blue that I've used in the collection is a Turkish blue and you can see the tents in my prints.'

At present, Chisato's label is stocked at Club21's Blackjack but the local fashion retailer has announced plans to open a Tsumori Chisato standalone boutique by the end of this year. 'It will be a store that is a lot of fun with a lot of sparkle and shiny elements added to it,' reveals Chisato with glee. 'I want to expand my brand into as many countries and to share it with as many people as possible. I want people to join the Tsumori Chisato circle and enjoy my creativity. I want to be a creator of fun.'