KISHIWADA, Osaka Pref. -- Although she is a fashion designer, people more commonly ask Ayako Koshino's advice on raising children.

The interest is not surprising, considering the fact that Koshino is the mother of three internationally known fashion designers -- Hiroko, Junko and Michiko Koshino -- but 88-year-old Koshino says she did nothing special in raising them.

"I had no intention of making them become fashion designers," Koshino said. "I let them do what they wanted. I think they chose their line of work after watching me, although they used to say that they would never take up the same job as me because I was too busy."

Koshino herself has always done what she likes to do. Born in 1913 into a family that dealt in kimono fabric, she made her first dress when she was only 11. At that time, people more frequently wore kimono, but she wanted to make Western dresses for women.

She began pursuing her dream at the age of 17, before she completed high school. Although her father first opposed her plans, he threw his support behind her after realizing that his daughter was very strong-willed.

When she was 20, her father gave her his shop, which had stopped dealing in kimono and had become a sundry goods store, and she started her own sewing business with a single sewing machine.

Marriage two years later and the birth of her three daughters never changed her busy lifestyle. Her husband, a tailor, was killed in 1945 when she was 33. Her youngest daughter, Michiko, was only 2 years old at the time.

Koshino was so busy with her work that she did not have much time to take care of her children when they were young. The three girls were often cared for by her parents and relatives. It was not that she neglected them, she says, emphasizing that she was very strict when it came to discipline.

"I told them the things that must be said (by parents), such as the need to be honest and work hard," Koshino said.

She added that she also made efforts to create an environment in which the children could do what they wanted. For instance, she and her father used to take Hiroko, the oldest, to see kabuki plays and encouraged her to draw the scenes afterward, as she enjoyed drawing.

Hiroko's use of elegant colors in her designs is probably influenced by watching kabuki, according to her mother. Michiko devoted her teenage years to playing tennis. Not surprisingly, her fashion creations target active young people.

"Letting them do what they want leads to nurturing individuality," Koshino said.

As Koshino has complete trust in her daughters, she has never said "no" to any of their decisions, she said. In return, she also expects them to take responsibility when they make mistakes or fail in an endeavor.

"They've experienced many failures, but they always learn from them," Koshino said.

Although Koshino continued to help her daughters both in terms of fashion technique and financing, at the same time she was running her own shop. She realized when she was 76 that her daughters were already independent and that she did not want to become a burden to them as she got older.

So, Koshino created her own brand, targeting older women.

Her daughters advised her not to take up another job as it would make her much busier, adding that they had just begun to consider taking care of their aging mother.

"But I insisted that I wanted to do it, thinking that I should not depend on them. I knew I'd advance in age (mentally) if I did so," Koshino said.

"I tell young people that they should not try to take care of their parents, because people age faster when they become dependent on their children. If you want your parents to remain active, you should let them do what they like to do."