As fashion giants pass, the new guard prepares to pick up the torch
Issey Miyake and Hanae Mori have left big shoes to fill, but it's not yet clear who might take up the mantle of the next ...
View ArticleIs the age-old tea ceremony ready for a cardboard future?
Tradition in sadō (Japanese tea ceremony) is a fluid concept, but that doesn’t necessarily mean an open-door policy for every innovation like the Chashitsu Zero.
View ArticleThe artisans of craft collective Kyoji lift each other up
A collective of craftspeople and manufacturers overcomes global marketing barriers by collaborating on lifestyle goods and sharing the costs associated with overseas promotion.
View ArticleCan industrial tourism help revitalize Japan’s manufacturing regions?
From metalworking tours to “washi” paper-making workshops, a number of prefectures are holding events to welcome visitors interested in local businesses and craftspeople.
View ArticleWhen big brands tap traditional Japanese crafts, all parties prosper
In their ever-evolving search for the latest, greatest trend, top designers seek the expertise, and stimulate the preservation, of traditional crafts.
View ArticleMending fashion’s threadbare relationship with sustainability
Another season gone and another round of promises from designers the world over to become more eco-friendly dashed.
View ArticleDesignart Tokyo 2022 envisions a more sustainable future
Through Oct. 30, Tokyo abounds with functional and fantastical designs.
View ArticleJapanese bra-makers place bigger spotlight on smaller sizes
Japanese women's breast sizes are increasing, but undergarment options for those on the smaller side remain low.
View ArticleJapan’s industrial manufacturers forge artisanal brands
Japanese heavy manufacturing has always had a reputation for precision, but this new crops of products make the case for artistic finesse as well.
View ArticleAt 2022’s close, all quiet on the crypto fashion front
Digital currencies have had a difficult end to 2022, but what does that spell for fashion brands who pushed them all year?
View ArticleDeep in Yamagata’s mountains, rural artisans pull on history’s threads
A spell of financial insecurity during the Edo Period gave rise to one of Japan's strongest textile traditions.
View ArticleSocially responsible Japanese design continued to evolve in 2022
From festivals based in rural factories to exhibitions in Milan's most elegant event halls, Japan was well represented across all areas of design this year.
View ArticleVivienne Westwood, icon of provocative fashion, dead at 81
Vivienne Westwood was synonymous with 1970s punk rock, a rebelliousness that remained the hallmark of one of British fashion's biggest names.
View ArticleArata Isozaki, prolific Japanese architect, dies at 91
In major structures in a dozen countries, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Isozaki absorbed and reinterpreted Eastern and Western traditions.
View ArticleWill Japan’s pop culture and fashion spheres ever find common ground?
Japanese fashion and pop culture and both international forces, so why can't they seem to walk in step together?
View ArticleJapanese designers begin the year with responsible and eco-friendly products
This month: a breathing pillow, a hard hat made from scallops and chairs from master architect, Kengo Kuma.
View ArticleNow in NYC, 2nd Street is banking big on old becoming new again
Another year of subdued New Year sales; another retro fashion retailer expanding overseas.
View ArticleJapan’s award-winning travel goods make any trip a breeze
Don't even think about leaving home without these mindfully produced travel essentials.
View ArticleChoosing a houseplant? Durable doesn’t have to mean boring.
Rule No. 1: “You don’t have to just have a plain-Jane green plant.” But here’s what you do have to do — to find the ...
View ArticleThings come full circle — like a bagel — for ‘Everything Everywhere’ designer...
The woman behind many of the looks that film villain Jobu Tupaki wears had to get creative with a smaller budget than her fellow Oscar ...
View ArticleMarch’s biggest fashion drops are mired in nostalgia
When fashion isn't just cyclical but unimaginative, it's a sign of a deeper issue.
View ArticleCelebrate spring with fresh furniture ideas from Japan
Recycled cabinets, artful sculptures and multipurpose workstations to spruce up your home.
View ArticleJapan springs into action for Salone del Mobile Milan 2023
The world’s largest annual furniture and design trade fair is back in full force, and Japanese designers are well represented.
View ArticleArtisans update timeless craft of intricate ‘puzzle cabinets’
Although the craft of making karakuri-dansu is slowly disappearing, a craftsman and his son are keep the tradition torch lit with story-filled pieces for collectors ...
View ArticleAI will revolutionize Japanese fashion — just not right now
ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence engines are coming for everyone and everything, but the whims of the fashion world might be an unlikely bulwark.
View ArticleIn the world of tatami, one Kyushu variety is a cut above
Shichitōi rushes can be difficult to harvest and weave, but many consider them the superior ingredient for unparalleled tatami.
View ArticleJapan’s head start on designer bicycle helmets
Despite protective headgear being compulsory for children since 2008, there are surprisingly few bicycle helmet producers in Japan.
View ArticleMarimekko designer Fujiwo Ishimoto returns to his roots in Ehime
When I arrive at the flagship store of Mustakivi in Dogo, Ehime Prefecture, I’m greeted silently by 82-year-old Ehime-born designer Fujiwo Ishimoto. He unlocks the ...
View ArticleJapan’s young creators go to the mat for the tatami industry
This month, On: Design looks at a few innovations designed to recycle tatami waste and help revitalize the waning industry.
View ArticleJapanese fashion can no longer afford to play hard to get
Is Japan’s air of aloof mystique still enough to convince foreign audiences to invest in Japanese fashion?
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