Masaru Suzuki has a wide range of activities, including his own brand OTTAIPNU, textile designs for domestic and international brands such as Marimekko and Uniqlo, as well as designs for fashion items, products, furniture, and spatial installations. Behind his current success lies his hesitation and conflict over his own unique design. This book describes the tremors of Masaru Suzuki's mind and the existence of Fujio Ishimoto before his design was born.

Written by Masaru Suzuki

I first encountered Ishimoto's textiles 30 years ago. When I was 19 years old, I applied to an art university with the intention of becoming a graphic designer, but I failed all of the graphic departments I wanted to enter and enrolled in the only dyeing and weaving department that I was accepted into. However, the department was more focused on crafts than design, so I had a hard time getting used to it, and I spent my days mindlessly completing assignments with low motivation.

One day, when I went to the university library to look for materials for my assignment, my eyes were glued to a black and white photo that had appeared in an old foreign interior design magazine. It was a photo of a piece of fabric with a huge graphic pattern printed on it, hanging up like laundry and waving in the wind. As I researched it, I found out that it was made from a Scandinavian brand called Marimekko, but although I searched a lot, I was unable to find any other information at that time as the internet did not yet exist. was.

Six months later, I heard that an exhibition of Japanese designers working at Marimekko was being held in Ginza, so I went to see it on the first day. That was Fujio Ishimoto's exhibition. Unfortunately, Mr. Ishimoto was not in Japan, but the many Marimekko fabrics on display at the venue had an atmosphere that I had never seen before, and I was simply overwhelmed.

The fabrics were different from the graphic ones I saw at the library, and used a suminagashi-like expression, giving a somewhat Japanese worldview. Even though I call it Japanese, it is completely different from the classic ``Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon'' that I studied at university, and I can still see it shining brightly, surrounded by an atmosphere that reflects the times. But I remember it clearly. The first real Marimekko I ever saw was designed by Fujio Ishimoto. This was my first contact with printed textiles, which I would later become obsessed with, and I was only 20 years old.

Ishimoto doesn't say much, but
be encouraged by its presence

Many years have passed since then when I actually met Mr. Ishimoto, when I went to Helsinki and attended a dinner party at Mr. Ishimoto's house through an introduction from an acquaintance.

At that time, I was working as a textile designer, and I was mainly creating simple, best-selling products in plain colors dyed in beige and brown colors. However, I originally started this work because I was fascinated by the colorful printed fabrics of Scandinavia. I decided that I couldn't continue like this, so I started making my own original fabrics outside of work.

I was so nervous in front of the person I admired that I couldn't speak very well, but in the end I took the plunge and asked him to take a look at the original fabric I had brought with him. As I got to know him later on, I learned that Mr. Ishimoto doesn't really look at his work even when people ask him to see it. At that time, she seemed confused for a moment, thinking, "Yeah," but I remember that she was half forced to look at it.

When Mr. Ishimoto saw the fabric I designed, he simply said, ``It looks Japanese.'' I feel like the nuances aren't very good. Personally, I created the fabric with all my heart, thinking, ``It's something that resembles Scandinavian printed textiles!'' It was quite a shock. And this is also clear from our relationship after that, but Mr. Ishimoto clearly says what he thinks. It's a straight shot without flattery or favoritism. Therefore, I want to know the meaning of what Mr. Ishimoto said, and every time I go to Helsinki, I visit Mr. Ishimoto.

On a different note, I love Scandinavian vintage fabrics, and every time I go to Scandinavia, I go to shops and markets to buy them. As I was doing this, I realized that there were so many fabrics designed by Mr. Ishimoto on the vintage market. I am deeply moved by the fact that Mr. Ishimoto has designed so many fabrics that he has been loved by the people of Finland.

There are designs that can change your life.
There are some designs that are deeply engraved in your heart.

Mr. Ishimoto goes beyond the traditional Marimekko-like style to create a worldview reminiscent of the Rinpa school, a composition and touch that makes you feel as if you are looking at a natural landscape, and something that gives you a sense of ``Japanese'', yet creates a new and unique style. He expanded his style with Marimekko and ushered in a new era. The suminagashi design I saw when I was 20 years old had exactly that kind of appearance. ``As Japanese people, we are naturally born with Japanese sensibilities, and Japanese landscapes and sensibilities naturally emerge in the things we create as original experiences and original landscapes.''

I vaguely remember, but Mr. Ishimoto said something like that in an interview. When you think about it, the meaning of what Mr. Ishimoto said to me is that rather than forcing yourself to be conscious of a Scandinavian style, it is better to value your own sensibilities more and do things freely. That may have been the point. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Only once, really only once, did Mr. Ishimoto compliment me. During my exhibition, I suddenly received a call on my cell phone, and I thought, ``Huh? From Helsinki?'' When I answered the phone, she answered, ``Ah, this is Ishimoto. I'm currently at your exhibition venue.'' ``This is great!'' I suddenly said. Well, I guess I've become a little more like myself. He's a person without flattery or favoritism, so I was honestly happy.

When we were having dinner together in Helsinki the other day, we started talking about how we first met, and I said, ``That's what you said when we first met, right?'' with a hint of resentment, and Mr. Ishimoto replied, ``What? ? Did you say that? I don't remember it at all." Well, that one word made me worry a lot, but I thought that was also typical of Mr. Ishimoto.

Whether in Helsinki or Japan, people always gather around Mr. Ishimoto. The person in question is, if anything, a rather curt person. I think it comes down to personality. Whenever I release a design, I feel a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, wondering, ``What will Mr. Ishimoto think?'' Even now, and probably always.

→Next time is Kyo Kobayashi (architect).
(Titles omitted)

"The Forest, the Lake, and the Umbrella"
``Japan's Largest Umbrella Sky Design Project'' designed by Masaru Suzuki will be held at Metsa Village. ``Umbrella Sky'', which began in 2012 as part of an art festival in the small town of Agueda, Portugal, allows visitors to enjoy a fantastical world where a 1000m long road changes like a rainbow in conjunction with the colors of approximately 100 umbrellas.

Period: June 2019, 15 (Sat) - July XNUMX, XNUMX (Mon)
Time: POPUP SHOP 10:00-19:00
Workshop: 10:00-17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Venue: Metsä Village, 327-6 Miyazawa, Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture
Admission: Free
https://metsa-hanno.com/event/2330/