Mint Space creates individually measured, hand-sewn sculpting bodysuits and waist shapers in Ashikaga, Tochigi. Every piece begins with your measurements and ends with a fit that no off-the-shelf garment can replicate.
How the studio works
Mint Space is a small made-to-order studio in Ashikaga, Tochigi. It exists because ready-to-wear shapewear is cut for a statistical average, and few people match that average at the rib, the waist and the hip all at once. The problem, as the studio sees it, is almost never the dress. It is the foundation underneath. So every piece here starts from a body rather than a size chart: a fitting, a set of measurements, and a pattern drawn for one person.
Work happens in stages. A first fitting records between 18 and 22 measurements along with notes on posture and how you plan to wear the garment. For bridal and other complex pieces a toile, a trial version in plain cotton-spandex, is fitted before the final fabric is cut. Fabrics come from a small stock of base materials, among them power-mesh, double-layered compression jersey and a Japanese-woven microfibre, each chosen for a particular mix of compression weight, breathability and surface finish. Ashikaga and neighbouring Kiryu have long worked with textiles, which is part of why the studio sits where it does.
Commissions
Every piece at Mint Space is made to order from your individual measurements. The commissions below represent the core of what the studio makes. If you have something specific in mind that is not listed here, please get in touch and we will let you know whether it falls within the studio's scope.
Our approach
The problem was almost never the dress. It was the foundation underneath.
Our approach
Bespoke shapewear, shaped around you
Ready to be measured properly?
Request a Fitting→Most shapewear is designed for a statistical average. The size chart assumes a particular ratio between waist and hip, a standard torso length, and a rib cage that sits at a predictable height. For some bodies, that works well enough. For many, it does not. And the result is a garment that rolls at the waist, digs at the rib, or provides compression in the wrong place entirely.
Read more →Compression fabric is not simply tight fabric. The way it works is more specific than that, and understanding the mechanics helps explain why fabric choice is one of the first conversations at a fitting appointment rather than an afterthought.
Read more →A waist shaper commissioned for a formal event and one commissioned for daily wear are, in practice, two different garments. The compression level, the boning choice, and the fabric all shift depending on how long the piece will be worn and what the wearer will be doing in it. Getting this right at the commission stage saves a great deal of discomfort later.
Read more →Our approach
Answer three questions and we will point you toward the piece that is most likely to suit your situation.
Every commission at Mint Space is followed through in one place, from the first fitting to the final handover, so the person who takes your measurements also sees the garment through the sewing room. Appointments are taken in the order requests arrive, which keeps the studio calendar honest about what can be made and when.
For most pieces, the process takes four to six weeks from the first fitting appointment. Bridal commissions, which involve three appointments and a toile, typically run six to eight weeks. If you have a specific event date, please mention it when you first get in touch so we can confirm whether the timeline is workable.
An in-person fitting is required for all commissions. The studio is at Mizuhonocho in Ashikaga, Tochigi. We take between 18 and 22 measurements at the first appointment, including posture and rib cage depth, which cannot be captured accurately by a self-measurement guide. Clients who travel from outside Ashikaga often arrange two appointments on consecutive days to keep travel manageable.
Get in touch
Every message is read in the studio. We reply by email to discuss your commission and suggest a fitting time that works for you.
