Sooper Design proudly showcases some of Australia's most innovative and creative designers
Fukutoshi Ueno
Toshi answers my call as he’s running for a bus somewhere near his home in Brisbane and he ‘can’t talk right now’ partly because he’s running late and partly because he is totally out of breath, but from the few words we exchange I can tell that he is an incredibly upbeat character who’s not afraid to get excited.
When we finally get a moment to chat he exudes an incredible and almost animated enthusiasm for life and for his wonderful range of 3D fashion pieces that have been inspired by patterns used in clothing and Japanese literature.
His resume is a ‘wow’ list of awards and accolades, exhibitions and commissions. In 2011, his dress code collection became one of the permanent collections at the National Gallery of Australia.
Toshi’s guiding principle is to bring elements of the traditional culture of his birth country Japan into the culture and lifestyle of his adopted country Australia.
As a designer and creator of beautiful objects, he loves to bring elements together in a way that will tease, delight and surprise the viewer.
Toshi's latest designs could be described as collaborative functional art pieces.
His current collaborations include the celebrated Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa and renowned crafters of furniture Blok in Brisbane, and he promises more exciting partnerships in the near future…