Designer Masato Jones

Welcome to Kira's Pink Sparkle Podcast! This podcast is hosted by Kira Lawrence. The views talked about during each episode are the views of Kira and her chat guests. They are not officially associated with any organisations she works for. Hello everyone and welcome back to Kira's Pink Sparkle Podcast! Today I'm delighted to be joined by my friend and ex-follower Masati Jones. So welcome Masati, how are you? Hello, hi, nice to be here. I'm the 98th one. That's what I've just been told. Yes, brilliant. Your guest 98. Brilliant. Thank you so much. Brilliant. Thank you. So I'm going to intro you. So Masati is a designer. So Masati, please could you tell me and all of my lovely listeners and follow us what you do as a designer? So I have my company, I have my shop based in Lee's City Centre. I make garment for men, women or any gender or any kind of sizes because I do made to major or bespoke made. Also my job was especially in London many years ago was as pattern cutter. So I make pattern or people call it pattern cutter to working for a wedding company or a kujo company for theatre, costume, film, costume or something like that. So any sort of like one of pieces which I do enjoy or I do prefer working on it rather than the sizes which it's just not really good at it. So I just follow the the side that I enjoy more or I'm a little bit better, you know, I work better with you. Fantastic. Fantastic. And my first question for you is what made you want to go into the world of design? Did you like designing when you were a kid? Did you like designing growing up? What made you want to design? I think my my it just if I could be honest I never really wanted to be designer. It's I think I'm sure some creatives are just love creating something which you know kind of the design is kind of part of it. So when I was working on some design I knew my gap year from university. I learned a lot about the making size which I got really into it rather than you know just you know go into library or any museum to do just drawings or you know designing. I think I got more into making so I do design but I think making process or the people that I met in Natalia who does amazing work, stick things or you know talking about how to how to construct this thing inside how to build it, how to finish the edge, how to make this you know beautiful garment for beautiful people which I got really really. Yeah I was really fascinated when I saw it so yeah the design yes it's part of it but yeah I just never really feel that I still wanted to I sometimes I feel a bit tickle when people call me designer because I'm not tired of sure that I'm good at designing. How cool you are maker and creator instead. Okay cool and so following on from that what's the best thing that you've made so far like is there one piece that you're really proud of that you've made that you really love? And sometimes you know it's you know meeting famous people is kind of little treat but I think when I get offer for wedding dress or you know making something for this person's special occasion which makes me feel very honored so not really what did particular one piece but sometimes you know every time someone come into me make wedding dress especially here in Lees I have a physical shop so I could do fitting so it's possible to do something that you know fits well or you know talk about design talk about these with the ladies or even sometimes gentlemen to to get something that they feel special for special occasions special day so which I feel quite happy to do it yeah fantastic that sounds really great so is there is there someone famous that you've made something for and who was it? The work wise it's it's sometimes you know it's we need to be behind behind a curtain but yeah it's I yeah I've been lucky so yeah it's it's on now okay brilliant okay thank you and so I'm Kira and I'm a person who lives with a learning disability so for me in my life things might just take longer for me to learn or I might need to find new ways of learning new things sometimes so I think to ask do you think that could be more people with a learning disability working in the design industry are there many? yeah yeah I mean it's it's not really about you know you learn fast or not it's it's more like what we are looking for if someone working for me or working for company I think they are looking for someone has passion what you do or what you want to do rather than you know do this quickly do this that because in the end of the day we like to see something amazing something beautiful which sometimes takes time so we all understand that and then you know it's yeah it's I mean we all love working with someone who has a passion do we you know talking about how you know beautiful that dress was on on the on the show you know Paris so days and that you know these things are I think sometimes more important because it's sometimes this is all teamwork so yeah I'm not I'm not really see the you know difference between us you know they just have you know let's say we or or you know disability or or any learn in you know it's all it's all I don't really see it yeah difference at all so yeah really it's great really it's yeah I think I remember when I was at school we did like home economics so part of that you had to make something so I think I made like a cushion like we were given the material yeah we were given kind of the instruction brief yeah and then we had to go away make it so I learnt how to use a sewing machine and I made a cushion which I was very proud of um But I think for me, I wasn't a big fan because for me the sewing machine was a bit hard to use. It was a bit difficult. I kind of had to keep moving my two around and kind of doing this and that and the other. And yeah, I don't think I'm a maker. I don't think that's my forte, but I've tried. I've tried. There are many different ways to make cushions, you know, you don't need to use machines. If you're good at the hand sewing, then you could go just all by hand, you know. And then that cushion will be like a cujillo pieces, you know, all by hand. Yeah. Yeah. That's a half to be machine. Just, of course, it's quicker, but. Yeah, yeah. I have to give it another go once. I have to go and learn again and try and we'll have to make something else and show you. Yeah, yeah, please do. Brilliant. Brilliant. And so, so what's your favourite thing to make? Like, what is it a hat? Is it a garment? Like, what are the favourite things that you do like kind of working on? I like making dresses because it's slightly every dress or every outfit. They are slightly different. So I need to think about difference and how to finish, how to make it. So more to think is more fun to do. If something gets easier or I've done this before, you just sometimes get me really, really bored. So the challenge in these always fun to do. So dresses, the jacket is because I still need a lot to learn for making jacket, which I enjoy. I know every mistake gives you the new questions or new things to solve. So, yeah, I like finding problems and solving our challenges quite fun. Fantastic. Yeah. Have you made any dresses or questions? Or you could move to the skirt. You could make the skirt, might be easier than the skirt. Yeah, I could try my skirt. That would be nice. A pink sparkly one. Yes. Yes. Yeah, the dresses might be a bit, I mean, the next step, I think. But yeah, if you've finished question, then maybe you could move to a skirt. Yes. I would recommend. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, brilliant. Yeah, I will try it. That will be my next thing, my next kind of side-house and will be my king's skirt. Yeah. Brilliant. And so, is there any other career that you'd like to try? If you say one day, right, I'm done with making now, is there another career that you'd like to try or is making your love? Oh. Oh. Oh. I think I would continue making something. I'm not good at counting numbers or money is always confused me. You know, it doesn't mean a money is bad. It's good to have it, but I'm not really good at money. So these things, I leave it to someone else. So, but yeah, these say some, it's just a bit difficult to have a time to do some hobby. Do you have a hobby? I do. I like to say. Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I like to say. It's something like that. Yeah. Yeah. I like games the theatre. I like gamesy shows. Okay. But podcasting takes up a lot of my time. My podcast is my baby's moment. But that's your kind of, you know, starting career now. Then if you stop or if you have kind of start leaving this, then, you know, you could be singer, you could be. Well, like a writing for theatre play or something. So if thinking like that, then. Pottery. I like to try. Yeah. It looks quite interesting. And it seems to be a lot to learn to get a special effect on the surface or drawings or markings or. So, yeah. But I think I still like to make my hands, you know, missy, I'm creating something with my hands. Yeah. Okay. Brilliant. Sounds good. Cool. See a pottery. Yeah. I like to see. I use this in pottery. Do you watch pottery thing? I, I beat make pottery. Okay. So down the road from where I live is a place where you can go and make and paint pottery. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so also you can buy pottery pieces. So like you can also choose something or shelf and you can like decorate it and like paint it and decorate it. Oh, okay. So I like doing that. Yeah. I like art. I've always liked art. Like I like drawing. So like I like that kind of thing. But then again, my podcast takes up a lot of time and then I've got a job on top of that. So that takes a long time. So yeah, like I, if I'm not working, I'm podcasting. I mean, I'm not podcasting and working. So yeah, it's at the moment. I just don't have any other time. Like my family, my family, like, when are you going to come and see us? And I'm like, um, next week. Yeah. Oh, I could video chat. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah. It's, it's lovely because so I started up my podcast in 2021. So I started mine in back in COVID times. And basically I felt that the voices of people with learning disabilities like me weren't heard in the COVID pandemic, like we were forgotten. And so I wanted a way of being heard. And so I decided, and then listen to some other podcasts first. I'm kind of see what they like. And then I started up mine. And so now we're in 2025. So my podcast is nearly four years old, it'll be four years old next week. And I'm nearly at episode 100, which is amazing. On vaccinations. Thank you. So I'm, I'm really proud of it. And what I, what I want to get out of my podcast is I want people to go and know about people with learning disability like me. I want them to meet people like me and talk to people like me. And so my podcast is all about educating people about what it's like to have a learning disability. So that's the aim of my podcast. Yeah. Is there any other bias for us to how, how to, you know, it's, it's sometimes to hear to, you know, learning. For us to, to us to get to know about learning disability. It's, it's because it's sometimes for us, but bit difficult because I be honest. I don't really feel anything different from chatting with you now. So, you know, it's, and of course, you know, it's sometimes we like to be careful how we react when, you know, we, we have to talk to someone. And have learning disability or, but it's sometimes. As, for me, you know, that is just you, isn't it? It's, it's not really. It's as a device as, you know, disability, sometimes just understanding this is just you talking. So, yeah, I love to kind of, you know, see all that, you know, difference in that kind of way, not, you know, all devices. But, yeah, it's just a good to know, you know, how I need to be or how I could be for them to feel comfortable. Yeah. Okay. So, I, say don't be scared, don't be afraid to say things because I always say to people if you say something to me if you offend me I will tell you like how I will say something if you do offend me but don't be afraid to put your fit in it just because you're afraid like you know I want people to talk to me I want people to meet me, I want people to get to know me as Keira and I want them to see me before my learning disability because that's only one part of me so I'd say if you meet someone like me don't be afraid to put your fit in it because I'll tell you treat them like any other person treat them with respect and kindness like anybody else yeah I'd say if you're working with someone ask these questions like repeat them, repeat information back to the person so say if I was working with you for example if you told me to do something I'd say please can you repeat that just so I know I've understood and then I can both and do whatever it is you ask me to do so it's about finding ways of communicating it's about breaking down tasks that might be a bit more difficult it might be a one to one it might be in a group setting but finding ways of talking but I always say to people just just get to know me you'll see where I find things in a really good way the more time you spend with me and get to know me the more you see kind of the difficulties I have so for example when people say horrible things to me online that for me can be very upsetting and well it's an upset or if someone says you know horrible things to me we all get upset yeah you know it doesn't it's it's a yeah it's a horrible thing that online that has or internet has it's it's yeah and so that always takes me a bit of time to go okay I just need to process that I just need to process my thoughts I need to process my response and then I'll respond and for me that takes a bit longer it kind of yeah that's harder and things like if people throw really big hard words at me that I find very difficult so then I have to say hold on a minute let's just rewind this chat let's just rewind and go back one step can you just tell me again what you told me because I haven't understood so I have to do that a lot in life and information in letters can be very difficult so if I get a letter in the post that's hard to read oh big - yeah so sometimes sometimes I'll get my husband to read it first before I read it yeah and so I've got lovely husband called Mark who I've been writing for 11 years oh wow yeah and nice so yeah that's kind of a bit about me and my podcast yeah and like obviously we've chatted on X and I saw you were a designer and so I wanted to ask you about your career and what you do and like what you design so this has been really lovely thank you oh problem thank you very much thank you um letting me part of it oh you're welcome so what I'll do is after today um I'll go away and listen to it again and I'll edit it and then I'll send it to you and then you can say yes this is good to publish if that's all right yeah yeah yeah yeah send it to me okay right thank you so much and it's been lovely to meet you bye now thanks for listening to Keras Pink Sparkle podcast join the conversation followers on X at Keras PinkPod