Sugino Yoshiko

Sugino Yoshiko (杉野 芳子) (née Iwasawa, March 2, 1892 – July 24, 1978) was a Japanese fashion educator and designer.

She founded the Doreme dressmaking school and the Sugino Fashion College.

She attended Chiba Prefectural Girl's High School [ja], and became the first woman to work at the Ministry of Railways.

[2] While studying abroad, she married architect Sugino Shigeichi [ja] in 1916.

At the time, all western clothing was bespoke, but using basic paper patterns she taught Japanese women how to make their own dresses.

She entered the world of haute couture, and became friends with Jacques Fath, Christian Dior, and Pierre Balmain, among others.