Naoto Fukasawa
Naoto Fukasawa is a product designer, born in 1956, whose design experience spans a wide range of fields, from compact information devices such as wristwatches and mobile phones, to computers, peripherals, home appliances, household goods, furniture, and interior design. He has designed products for a number of well-known brands in Asia and various European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. A recipient of numerous awards and honors, Fukasawa was bestowed the title of Royal Designer for Industry (by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in 2007. From 2010 to 2014, he served as chairman of the Good Design Award judging committee.
Yugo Nakamura
Yugo Nakamura is a web designer, interface designer, and video director, born in Nara prefecture in 1970. He graduated from the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, and is currently a professor at Tama Art University. Nakamura has been involved in the field of web design and interface design since 1998. In 2004, he established the tha ltd. design studio. Since then, Nakamura has been involved in all aspects of art direction, design, and programming for numerous websites and videos. His main activities include web direction for a series of UNIQULO websites, UI design for the INFOBAR smartphone by KDDI, and direction for the "Design Ah" educational program on NHK. His notable awards include the Cannes International Advertising Festival Grand Prix, Tokyo Interactive Ad Awards Grand Prix, TDC Award Grand Prix, Mainichi Design Award, and New Artist Prize of Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts.
Cornelius
Cornelius, born Keigo Oyamada, is a sound designer who made his musical debut in 1989 as a member of the band Flipper's Guitar. After the band broke up in 1993, he began his solo career as Cornelius, and has gone on to release five original albums. In addition to solo projects, Cornelius is actively engaged in a wide range of creative endeavors with artists in Japan and abroad, including collaborations, remixes, and production activities.
This special package includes the INFOBAR A03 along with a walnut wood stand created for Isetan by Maruni Wood Industry Inc. (Hiroshima), and a book-type case featuring an exclusive textile created by fashion brand minä perhonen. The device also comes pre-installed with an analog clock and four original wallpaper designs created by minä perhonen. A total of 100 sets are available for all four colors, and they can be purchased at au SHINJUKU or the au Online Shop.
Maruni Wood Industry Inc., based in Hiroshima prefecture, was established in 1928. With a long-standing aspiration to use the industrial application of craft skills in wood furniture production, the company has become Japan’s most celebrated manufacturer of classic furniture. From 2005 to 2008, the company implemented the nextmaruni project, which involved the collaboration of notable designers from other countries and communicated the aesthetics of Japanese furniture around the world. In 2008, Maruni began collaborating with Naoto Fukasawa in an effort to utilize their characteristic manufacturing technology to create furniture that is regarded as an international standard, and the company released the Hiroshima series, which was the first series in the Maruni Collection. In 2011, Maruni began working with designer Jasper Morrison in an effort to further elevate the recognition of the Maruni Collection around the world. With designs created through intense collaboration between designers and engineers working to showcase the allure of wood, along with sophisticated artisanal craftsmanship, Maruni aims to continue producing furniture that will remain fresh and vital to daily life in a hundred years' time.
minä perhonen creates fabrics with original designs for use in clothing production. The company also promotes collaboration between textile manufacturing sites in Japan and abroad, in a dynamic effort to further the development of materials and technology. In the Finnish language, "minä" means "I" and "perhonen" means "butterfly". The name is intended to evoke a light and airy sense of design, like the beautiful wings of a butterfly.
photograph: L.A. TOMARI
minä perhonen
Akira Minagawa
Akira Minagawa is a designer who established minä in 1995 (which became "minä perhonen" in 2003). Minagawa develops textiles from sketches and designs with a unique sense of story, using various technologies such as weaving, embroidery, and printing. minä perhonen provides designs to a variety of manufacturers, including kvadrat in Demark, and LIBERTY in the UK. In recent years, the company has expanded beyond the field of fashion to unveil product designs for interior products such as furniture and tableware, as well as stationery.
Organized by au and the Isetan store in Shinjuku, DIGITAL LIFESTYLE 2015 TOKYO is a limited-run event offering a hands-on experience of various cutting-edge items from the worlds of digital technology and fashion. The event will be held on three floors in the Isetan store in Shinjuku. A "walk rally" campaign will also be held during the event period, offering visitors a chance to win special prizes by touching an NFC card to INFOBAR smartphones on display at all the walk rally points at au SHINJUKU and on three floors of the Isetan store in Shinjuku, and by answering a questionnaire.
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