When you think of Haruna Kojima, chances are you remember her from her AKB48 days. But since graduating from the group, she’s reinvented herself as one of Japan’s most stylish and influential fashion entrepreneurs. In 2018, she launched her lifestyle brand, Her lip to, and over the past few years, it’s blossomed into a full-fledged world of elegance, femininity, and curated modern living. More than just a clothing line, Her lip to is an immersive lifestyle brand shaped by Kojima’s personal style, values, and vision of modern luxury.
Back in 2018, Kojima founded Her lip to with the idea that “her life is her art.” She wanted to create fashion and products that would help women feel a little more special in their everyday lives. The brand name reflects that philosophy—blending beauty, lifestyle, and sensuality into each carefully crafted piece.
From the very beginning, Her lip to wasn’t just about clothing. It was about creating a world. Whether it’s dreamy dresses, delicate lingerie, or skincare that feels like self-care, every item is infused with Kojima’s signature romantic aesthetic.
So what exactly is Her lip to?
Let’s start with the fashion. The brand is best known for its dresses—feminine silhouettes, luxe fabrics, and elegant details are its signature. There are also skirts, tops, accessories, and more that round out the apparel line. In 2022, Kojima expanded into lingerie with ROSIER by Her lip to, a line that celebrates confidence and softness all at once.
Her lip to BEAUTY is the brand’s beauty arm, offering skincare, body care, and fragrance. The focus is on “clean beauty” and treating self-care as an everyday luxury.
And then there’s House of Herme, the brand’s concept store that opened in Omotesando in 2022. Think boutique meets cafe meets dessert parlor. There’s even seasonal lounges and pop-up events—it’s a full sensory experience designed to make you feel like you’ve stepped into Kojima’s world.
The brand’s Brick and Mortar locations expanded even more in 2023 she opened a Her Lip To Beauty store in Osaka’s Lucua department store and in 2025 a Her Lip To apparel store opened in Nagoya’s Takashimaya Department Store.
But Her lip to isn’t just visually dreamy—it’s smart, too. The brand runs on a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model via its own Shopify-powered website, giving it complete control over branding and the customer experience. In 2024, they expanded to Japan’s popular clothing e-commerce website ZOZOTOWN with limited-edition drops and exclusive perks.
The numbers are impressive: thanks to Shopify Plus, Her lip to boosted its gross merchandise value by 120% and repeat purchases by 149%. Tools like Shop Pay and a streamlined online store keep the shopping experience smooth and accessible.
Another key to their success? Instagram Live. Every week, Kojima and her team host live broadcasts where they showcase new releases, model the items, chat with viewers and answer any questions. It’s not just a drop—it’s an event. These weekly new releases are what I call”micro drops” that keeps the brand fresh in the consumers minds and feeds anticipation
In 2024, the brand took another major step: a merger. Her lip to’s parent company, heart relation, entered into a business and capital alliance with fashion powerhouse yutori. Yutori acquired a 51% stake in heart relation, officially bringing Her lip to under its umbrella. The move provides operational support, offline retail experience, and long-term scalability—all while Kojima remains at the creative helm.
According to Kojima, she’d received many acquisition offers before but waited for the right partner—someone who understood the heart of the brand. She found that in yutori’s founder Kenta Kataishi, who, like her, started young and built a brand grounded in community and digital culture.
In 2023, Her lip to celebrated its fifth anniversary with limited-edition drops, a commemorative book, and fan-focused events that highlighted just how far the brand had come, and now just celebrated 7 years this year in 2025!
What started as a passion project post-AKB48 has become a leading example of modern branding done right. With emotional storytelling, high-touch digital engagement, and an unshakable aesthetic, Her lip to continues to grow—offering a little elegance to everyday life, one beautiful detail at a time.
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