Josie Natori - The 100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All-Time

One confusing aspect of the Josie Natori story is the conflict between her Filipino ancestry and her unusual surname. It comes from her Japanese American husband Kenneth. The House of Natori was born in 1977 when Josie Natori, who had married Ken the year before, became bored in her job as an investment banker. The energetic 92-pounder decided to start her own business, something that would tap the resources of her native Philippines. Investing her savings, and with a good deal of help from her wealthy parents, she started by selling blouses adorned with embroidery and appliques, a noted craft of the Philippines and one of its most popular exports. She switched to lingerie when a retailer suggested that she turn the blouses into a nightshirt.

The world had been treating lingerie as sleepwear for women. Natori saw it as fashion. "A woman needs alternatives," she declared and set about creating lingerie that a woman could enjoy. She took risks. Her first collection was in orange. What may have initially ignited the success was simply that Natori had no preconceived notions and operated from her own aesthetic sensibility. She describs the concept of lingerie as sophisticated, luxurious, feminine and sensual, based on the philosophy that a woman buys it as a gift to herself. According to the company's promotional literature, the concept derives from "a deserved pleasure that sets the mood for the precious moments in a woman's crowded life... that creates an oasis in a woman's world and achieves a symmetry between her public image, her private desires and her actual and fantasized view of herself."

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