From Japan, with love: Collaborations across the sea!
Some of you may be aware that whilst the team at YSD London are predominantly based in, you guessed it, London, our roots are firmly within Japan, too! Our focus will be on three collaborations of very different kinds- one with the lovely team over at WALPA Japan, another with our close friends over at SWEENEY Tokyo, and topping it off in style with the fine folks at SETOUCHI DENIM!
WORK IN PROGRESS: The WALPA story
WALPA Japan specialises in wall coverings gathered from designers and creators all over the world. Our story began with them in 2011, where they took over distribution of our wallpaper nationwide in Japan. Since then we have remained close with them, collaborating on projects like a paint collection, a series of bespoke wallpaper as well as reusable wall stickers and, more recently, a hybrid wall covering that combines paper and fabric.
In 2017, with the launch of our studio wallpaper Country Mile, WALPA hosted a wonderful talk event afternoon at their Wallpaper museum HQ, where interested individuals came to hear about Yukari’s design process- something we’ve written about before- with an in depth look at how wallpaper design can be used beyond the wall, too.
Topics like inspiration, music, style, storytelling and more were the theme for this workshop and talk event. Our wallpaper designs were displayed around their beautiful building, where attendees could talk with Yukari and a Q&A panel allowed curious questions to be asked and answered.
A makers workshop was also held, where under the expert guide of WALPA’s talented staff, attendees were able to make a series of objet for the home using Yukari’s wallcoverings, stickers and paints.
We are very proud of our work with WALPA, and our latest collection with them, in their ‘Hattan!’ range, was really very fun to work on. As we begin to revisit our roots in textile and surface design, we really got to get ‘stuck in’ when it came to the Hattan collection.
HATTAN is a new concept from WALPA. These 45cm squares of wallpaper can be easily adhered to your wall with the use of water alone, and can be removed and reused up to 5 times! The concept is like a stamp- simply wet and stick onto the wall. Each square has been handily pre pasted, and the non-abrasive glue activates when it's soaked in water. Simple and smart, especially if you're renting a house, apartment or room that does not allow for extensive redecorating!
When designing for the Hattan range, we were able to utilise not only our extensive knowledge for designing for walls, but also the experience we have with printed textiles as well as incorporating more physical work, like our lino prints and cardboard artwork. The most interesting part of this collaboration in particular was that we were able to introduce completely new designs as well as reworking some of our archival designs, like Tulip Tulip, for a more modern outlook.
Having such a degree of freedom when it came to designing this range was a really inspiring push that enforced our relationship and trust with long time collaborators WALPA. We love that they allowed us to have creative control over this work, and supported us fully when it came to expressing our design principles.
Alongside other British designers, we were featured in their seasonal magazine WALLPAPER WORLD where we went into depth about our connection with Britain as Japanese designers. It was great fun to reminisce over past projects as well as divulge in the new ones we had upcoming!
We are always so glad to have the support of WALPA over the years. As we grow and progress as a design studio, we hope to remain with them for many more years to come!
To find out more about our ranges with WALPA, or just to browse the range for inspiration, visit these links:
British Vintage: Paint collection
Hatte-me!: Reusable wall covering
Hattan: Reusable wall fabric
ULTIMATE HIPSTER’S PARADISE: The Sweeney Tokyo story
Next, we have a very different kind of collaboration- one founded from a mutual love of British heritage and fashion! The lovely folks over at SWEENEY Tokyo, a hair salon in (you guessed it) Tokyo, first worked with us by using several of our designs like Wish You Were Here in London and London Paris New York. We also designed the salon’s logo! Along with selected home accessories, like our tea towels, cushions and lampshades, a feeling of British nostalgia was able to be brought to the salon to suit its owner, Kei Kamogawa, very well.
You may be wondering, what’s a salon called ‘Sweeney’ doing in Tokyo? Well, we have known Kei for a very long time as he worked at our family salon, SWEENEY HAIRDRESSING, in London for a number of years, and remains a great friend even to this day. Kei developed a great affinity for London and brought that with him when he moved back to Japan at the end of his residency. His talents for hair styling extended to a knack for the English language too, and he now offers appointments in English as well as Japanese!
Kei also shares Yukari’s love of fashion and design, with his favourite British designers being Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood. This fun, punk sensibility paired with his attention to detail led to him also working on projects with us here at YSD London! Not only did his skills on the sewing machine help us, but his practical can-do attitude also was a huge boon to us during our times as an emerging design studio showing at design fairs all across the UK.
His eye for design now lends itself not just to hairdressing but to hat making, too. His milliner work often incorporates our fabric and print work, and we always love seeing what kind of work he’s been toiling away on!
When his hard work came to fruition in the opportunity to expand his salon franchise, we were so pleased to have been the first ones he called upon. This time, he asked us to design it from the ground up! The concept was an intimate one chair barber salon in the bustling Nihonbashi district of Tokyo, that would only be open in the evenings in order to cater for clientele that were not able to get appointments during normal salon hours and wanted to spend a little time relaxing during their barbering appointment, instead of rushing in and out. Inspiration behind the salon’s design stemmed from many places- Saville Row, antique shops, traditional British barbers and art galleries- with an emphasis on his love of fashion and travel.
Yukari, Kei and myself spent weeks poring over inspiration and trawling vintage markets and antique shops in both England and Japan to find the perfect accompaniments to this warm and inviting space. Kei’s diligent stamp collecting came in handy as he began to tie together the concept, and he even created one-off artworks made out of them, which can be seen carefully framed and placed around the shop itself.
Dark wood was utilised throughout to give a feel of heritage found in many of the traditional barber shops in London, and open lighting brightened the space to create a cooler industrial style, balance out the heaviness of the traditional elements. The clever use of partitioning and steps with a fresh white trim added a sense of openness to the one-room style of the barber shop.
Some of you may be wondering why we opted for wallpaper that wasn’t ours- you’d expect that from a design studio that creates wallcoverings, after all! Well, we chose the Morris ‘Strawberry Thief’ wallpaper to emphasise the traditional British design element of the shop, to create a sense of balance to the dark wood, and to allow the framed artwork and curiosities space to breathe. It also allowed Kei to choose a companion design, in the form of our hypnotic Country Mile, to be used in the bathroom withot clashing too much with what was already on display in the main space!
The darker, more masculine elements also gave space to play with delicate features like bell jars, flowers and Kei’s hat displays.
Alongside the framed curiosities and maps sit one-off pieces like handmade cardboard frames created by Yukari to add a sense of humour to the idea of staunch British colonial maximalism. After all, life is too short to be serious all the time- and that’s certainly the case when you notice the shop mascot, Kyle the pheasant, greeting you as you arrive for your appointment!
The humorous quote from British author Oscar Wilde was hand stencilled by Kei from a template made by us in our studio- the tiny detail of the stencilled font from the commissioned logo tied itself in to the design elements throughout the space. Waiting clients can enjoy a relaxing drink whilst people watching, Hipster’s Paradise style, through the large window framing the bustling streets of Nihonbashi, lit by the romantic evening glow of the streetlights outside. Other incorporated stencils included a back-to-front quote that was cleverly placed behind the cutting mirror, something that is only revealed when sat in the chair itself!
This project was a real labour of love from both parties, and we can’t wait to see what the SWEENEY TOKYO franchise cooks up next- we hope we’ll be involved, too!
To find out more information, or to book yourself an appointment with the lovely Kei if you are in Japan, you can access sweeney.tokyo for a full price list, locations and opening times- be sure to say hello from us, too!
SMOOTH SAILING: The SETOUCHI DENIM story
Setouchi Denim is certainly a company after our own heart- a family run design company based in the sparkling seaside Setouchi region of Japan- and our work with them on various ranges of curtains certainly reflects that. An interesting element of their design process is using heritage Japanese denim in order to create not only attractive but practical and durable curtains and drapes for the discerning and design-led home.
Using craft woven denim alongside innovative printing techniques, our collaboration has found us again utilising our textile design experience on a material that is most well known for fashion! Yes, when you think denim, you usually imagine clothing- but its elegant draping properties and masculine feel also lends itself to home decor, too.
Our mainline design, ‘Setouchi 1-3-4‘, is a love letter to the island of Setoda itself. We have always been fascinated with travel and what reaches us at the destination, and in this particular design we highlighted that with a full set of (accuracy advisable) instructions on how to reach Setouchi island, all the way from Greenwich!
The design element in this curtains is a cool marine border theme, that from a distance seems like a simple printed set of stripes, but up close reveals itself as a storybook rendition of a journey from A to Z!
We fell in love when we saw the industrial, almost rustic, feel of these curtains, and we love the details like the stitching and the textured screen print. And what’s in a name? Well, the 1-3-4 is the post code for their headquarters in Japan!
Alongside this one-off design, we also worked with Setouchi Denim to create a range of ‘lace’ curtains that serve as a breezier, lighter companion to the boyish feel of Setouchi 1-3-4. Our most well established designs Landscape and Swimming in the Sea were shoo ins for the transition from wallpaper to fabric- from land to sea, the designs transition beautifully whilst also retaining a sense of playfulness and light at their prinicples.
Available in several colourways, each with a muted palette that brings calm to the surroundings and allows for natural light to shine through, the lace curtains are a perfect accompaniment piece to their extensive range of denim curtains, as well as a standalone feature on your favourite window.
It’s always an interesting task, when collaborating, to create a product that not only satisfies the client and their target audience, but also stays in the realm of your own design principals and style. When given the opportunity to make a new design to be sold alongside two of our existing designs, we thought immediately of the beauty in Setouchi’s natural greenery, including the myriad citrus trees that line the mountains and verges of the abundant islands.
One of our fondest memories during our time in Onomichi and the surrounding Setoda regions is cycling through the islands, and we would always spot lemon trees fluttering and swaying in the breeze as we sped past.
The Setouchi islands are very well known for their lemon groves and farming, and what better way to celebrate the most delicious citrus fruit in the region than a design dedicated to them? We loved the idea of trying to replicate the feeling of lying under a lemon tree, the breeze swaying the branches and the gentle scent of fruit filling the air as you took a little afternoon nap- the shade casting branches across your face as you enjoyed some much needed time off.
This beautiful client photo depicts that feeling very accurately, doesn’t it? We love the pairing of burnished wood and sunlight spilling in through the curtains past the mountainside, you can almost smell the citrus! It’s always so satisfying when we see clients using the collaboration products so carefully and artfully.
Our latest work with Setouchi Denim includes a new set of lace curtains featuring our Safety in Numbers design, with a special little nod to the company- a bespoke rendition of our design being created to become just a little bit more special. We added a few exclusive hidden references to Setouchi Denim's numbers- namely '73', which, when sounded out in Japanese, are a colloquialism of 'na-mi'- the Japanese word for 'wave'! How clever is that?
Working with Setouchi Denim has been such an insightful and special project, and we hope to continue working with them on new products in the future!
For a full look at the range, click through below:
Denim curtains: Setouchi 1-3-4
Lace curtains: Swimming in the Sea, Landscape, Setouchi Lemon Island
Lace curtains: Safety in Numbers
We hope you enjoyed this little dive into some of our Japanese collaborations. To look at all of our past work, you can take a look at our Collaborations gallery- and of course, if you are interested in collaborating with us on an upcoming project, you can get in touch with us directly, too!