Born in 1967 in Saga, Japan, Tokujin Yoshioka is a Tokyo-based designer. He graduated from Kuwasawa Design School in 1988 and spent time working underneath Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake before opening his own studio in 2000.
Yoshioka takes inspiration from traditional Japanese culture as well as from nature, and his work takes on an experimental approach. Constantly challenging perceptions of light and space, Tokujin investigates the correlation between nature, science and technology whilst pushing boundaries in the disciplines themselves. He commonly utilises reflective and transparent materials in design; specifically glass.
His dedication to design has resulted in Yoshioka becoming one of Japan’s leading contemporary artists and designers.
"There’s no rule or definite process that I have to follow. For example, when I receive a project offer and have the first meeting I sometimes come up with an idea during the meeting. Then, I think of possible ways to realise it, depending on the client and situation. My ideas come from what I am fascinated by." - Tokujin Yoshioka