For the past 12 years, Ryuhei Oomaru has been molding American brands—quite literally. A patternmaker by trade, the Bunka college graduate relocated to New York City from Tokyo in 2007 after working at Comme des Garçons for several years. When Oomaru’s stint at Phi (the womenswear label launched by Susan Dell, the wife of tech mogul Michael Dell) was cut short by the brand’s shuttering, he joined Donna Karan as head tailor. In 2008, Oomaru struck out on his own with Oomaru Seisakusho 2,  a product development studio with a meticulous staff that’s since become a go-to for over 15 New York-based luxury labels. The Chinatown atelier is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

To coincide with that milestone, Oomaru held the first-ever presentation of Overcoat—a collection of conceptual outerwear he unveiled in 2015—in his Canal Street workshop last week. “I’ve been making clothes since I was 16 years old,” he said, slightly in awe of his 25 years in the business. “I like interesting shapes, but I’m thinking more about how clothes sit on the body. I’m trying to give ready-to-wear the feeling of comfortable, custom-made clothes.”

Strategically-placed gussets and pleats transform classic silhouettes including the dolman, raglan, and set-in sleeves into accommodating shapes that adapt to different shoulder widths. The garments—cut from coffee, purple, and navy Japanese wools used for military and school uniforms in Oomaru’s home country—are as flattering on petite shoulders as they are on a broad frame. This season, Oomaru introduced a new silhouette: the cape shoulder, a single, triangular panel that contours around the body without restricting it. Soft, lime green, white, and blue shirting, and trousers with their seams rearranged for optimal comfort and an elegant drape are new additions to the unisex collection.

With construction so complex, one might consider Oomaru’s process rigid. A billiards table-sized chest (designed by British art director Peter Miles) in the showroom at Oomaru Seisakusho 2 begs to differ. Inside the glass case, deconstructed everyday items from footballs and stuffed animals to lime peels, beer cans, and gloves lay entirely flat for research. Oomaru takes this notion of re-contextualizing and appreciating mundane objects a step further in a series of coats made with canvas and vinyl awnings. Inspired by the storefront canopies he passes on long walks through Manhattan, Oomaru stumbled upon the idea of physically wearing New York.

Part of this conceptual rigor stems from his training at Comme des Garçons—a decidedly distinct experience as it’s the only label where patternmakers develop shapes, work with materials, and even sew. “You really learn how to freestyle pattern making,” he said. “They have a very unique way [of working].” That free-spirited approach also lends itself to original artwork that allows Oomaru to experience materials in a different context.

Two, 3D tapestries of the Statue of Liberty’s head jut out of the white-washed brick walls of his studio. While both were made at the same time, using the same flat pattern, the use of cotton shirting fabric makes one stand firm and multi-color PVC causes the other to slouch like a deflated balloon. “I feel that my background allows me to design anything three-dimensional,” Oomaru said. “Both of these sculptures were made around the same time I started Overcoat.”

Just like his art and Overcoat feel one and the same, Oomaru hopes his clients experience a sense of unity with his assiduously made clothes. “I want the wearer to feel one with the fabric,” he said. “I want them to feel like what they’re wearing was made just for them.”