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The directors are three designers who are well acquainted with the contemporary situation of design and the creative scene, Issey Miyake, Taku Satoh, and Naoto Fukasawa. They are continually reviewing program planning with the associate director, Noriko Kawakami. >>Director Talks

PHOTO : MASAYA YOSHIMURA / NACASA & PARTNERS, Inc.

• Issey Miyake
• Taku Satoh
• Naoto Fukasawa
• Noriko Kawakami

Issey Miyake

Established the Miyake Design Studio in 1970, and presented his first collection in Paris, in 1973. Since the beginning of his career, Miyake's philosophy has been to construct garments from a single piece of fabric, and to explore the relationship between a three-dimensional form, such as the body, and two-dimensional cloth. Started PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE in 1993, to make clothes for a contemporary lifestyle that combine functionality and beauty. In 1998, Miyake embarked upon a new project called A-POC (A Piece Of Cloth) with Dai Fujiwara and a team of young designers, to challenge the way in which clothing is made, using a new process to create clothing beginning with a single piece of thread. Today, Miyake continues to work with his Reality Lab to create clothing and products that address both aesthetics as well as the needs and concerns of the 21st Century. In 2004 THE MIYAKE ISSEY FOUNDATION was established. Publications include "Issey Miyake East Meets West" (Heibonsha), and "Issey Miyake Making Things" (Actsud, Scalo, Axis), etc.

Taku Satoh

Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Design, in 1979; completed graduate course at the same university in 1981. Initially joined Dentsu Inc., then established Taku Satoh Design Office in 1984.
He has dealt with package designs for "Lotte' s XYLITOL Gum," and "MEIJI' s Oishii Gyunyu"; graphic designs for "ISSEY MIYAKE PLEATS PLEASE"; symbol marks for the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and National Science Museum, Tokyo; logo, signature and furniture designs for "Musashino Art University Museum & Library". 
His works is wide ranging, such as art director of "Nihongo de Asobo (Let's Play in Japanese)" and general direction of "Design Ah" which are TV programs on NHK educational channel. Author of the "Dezain no Kaibo" series (Bijutsu Shuppansha), and "A whale was blowing water"(Transart).

Naoto Fukasawa

In 1989, Fukasawa left Japan for the United States where he worked for eight years at IDEO in San Francisco. He returned to Japan in 1997 to establish a Tokyo branch of the company. In 2003 he founded Naoto Fukasawa Design. Fukasawa's design widely ranges from portable digital assisting products such as watches and mobile phones to personal computing products, electronics, household goods, furniture and interior design. He has been collaborating with representative brands in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Asian countries for their product developments. Fukasawa's work is highly respected for the way it uses the senses to connect people and objects and enhance the pleasure of those using the product. Publications include "Dezain no Rinkaku (The contours of design)" (TOTO Shuppan), and co-author of "Dezain no Seitaigaku (The ecology of design)" (Tokyo Shoseki).

Noriko Kawakami

After working as editor of the design magazine AXIS, Kawakami began her career as a design journalist and editor in 1994. She was involved in design projects of the Domus Academy Research Center as external editorial director from 1994 to 1996. Books include "Realising Design" (TOTO Shuppan), and co-author of "le design" (Beaux Arts).