The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
Johnny Strategy of Spoon & Tamago's Japanese Design Picks
Johnny Strategy, of Spoon & Tamago, has been reporting on Japanese design and culture since 2007. Two years after the Tohoku earthquake, he sees the country taking an optimistic turn.
When we talked with him, Strategy reported that “Japan’s fashion and design industry experienced a dramatic lull following 2011. People were mourning, shunning bold colors for a more subdued palette. But now the culture is warming up to a more lustrous and bright aesthetic as a way of celebrating the beauty of a lost person’s life.”
Strategy selected some Japanese products that he believes represent the resurgence of more flamboyant design.
One of his picks is Sparkle by Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell: “This bling is not what it appears to be. Yoshioka’s series of stools and side tables look like they belong behind armored glass. But in fact, they’re made from polycarbonate.”
Another of his selections is the Canvas Chair by YOY Design Studio. “These seemingly flat canvases are made from an elastic fabric that conforms to your body as you sit, transforming from art to furniture.”
His last choice? “This ad for Nishinihon Funeral Services by Tokyo-based ad agency I&S BBDO used real pressed flowers to recreate a human skeleton.”
When we talked with him, Strategy reported that “Japan’s fashion and design industry experienced a dramatic lull following 2011. People were mourning, shunning bold colors for a more subdued palette. But now the culture is warming up to a more lustrous and bright aesthetic as a way of celebrating the beauty of a lost person’s life.”
Illustration square and rectangle by Agata Marszałek.
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