Saruyama Islands Armchair by Toshiyuki Kita for Moroso, 2000s

Industrial designer Toshiyuki Kita was born in Osaka, Japan in 1942. Kita studied at the Naniwa Design College in Osaka (now the the Osaka University of Arts), graduating with a degree in Industrial Design in 1964. He worked in product development for an aluminum company before deciding to establish his own design firm in 1967 to focus on his real passion—seating design. His sculptural Saruyama Chair (1967) for Moroso echoed natural forms—icebergs, canyons, and mountain—which were then manipulated to cradle the human form.

In 1969, Kita relocated to Italy, where he worked as an industrial designer for Italian brands such as Bernin, Bilumen and Cassina. In 1980, he designed the versatile and playful Wink Chair for Cassina, perhaps Kita's most well-known design. This multifunctional recliner could be adjusted into various positions, and featured a removable and replaceable cover to change with the season.

Kita’s designs focus on the dichotomies between the East and the West, and the past and the future; creating truly distinct and individual pieces. He combines technologically advanced design with traditional and sophisticated Japanese decorative arts, using natural materials such as Washi rice paper and Urushi lacquerware.  Iconic designs by Kita include the Kick table (1983) for Cassina which was intended to complement the Wink Chair; the Multilingual Chair (1991)—designed for the World Exposition in Seville, the chair was equipped with an audio system of recordings in three different languages; the reclining K10 Dodo (2000) for Cassina; the K06 Aki Biki Canta Series (2000) for Cassina; Aquos LCD TV (2000) for Sharp; and Wakamaru, the first humanoid domestic robot (2002) for Mitsubishi Electrics.

Kita’s work remains in permanent collections at several international museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg. He is also the recipient of the Japan Interior Designers Association Award in 1975, the Product Design Award in 1983, Spain’s Delta de Oro Award in 1990, and is just one of three non-Italians to have been awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro International Career Prize in 2011 from the IDA. Kita is also the author of several design books, including Exploration of Design 1969—Why I went to Italy to Design (2012) and Toshiyuki Kita: The Soul of Design (2001), among others.

A Professor at the Product Design Department of the Osaka University of Art since 2003, Kita has also curated many exhibitions in Italy and Japan. Kita currently dedicates himself to traditional crafts and developing artisan industries.

*Images courtesy of Toshiyuki Kita, except where otherwise stated

Udine, Italy-based Moroso was founded as a small-scale, artisanal upholstery company in 1952 by Agostino Moroso, who served as director until the 1990s. At that time, Agostino’s children, Roberto and Patrizia Moroso took over and began to transform the traditional, regionally-focused family business into the innovative, internationally renowned furniture manufacturer it is today. In the role of Creative Director, Patrizia Moroso in particular has not only reinvented her company’s mission but also has had a lasting influence on 21^st-century design discourse through her frequent, high profile collaborations with some of the world’s most talented designers. In 1988, while still working under her father, she invited Israeli-British designer Ron Arad to produce his now-iconic Big Easy Chair, which helped to launch his career and set Moroso on a path to become one of the biggest players in contemporary design.

Moroso defines its approach to design as a laboratory for experimentation that underscores the value of communication, differentiation, and diversity. The values embraced by the brand are visible in the daringness of their lines of sofas, chairs, tables, accessories, and more. Highlights from the Moroso collection include Australian designer Marc Newson’s Gluon series (1993), Spanish artist Javier Mariscal’s Los Muebles Amorosos series (1995), British designer Tom Dixon’s Serpentine Sofas (2003), British designer Ross Lovegrove’s Supernatural Chairs, Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka’s Bouquet Chairs (2008), Japanese studio Nendo’s Kub Tables (2009), as well more recent additions, such as Arad’s unconventional Glider Sofa (2015) and architect David Adjaye’s Art Deco-influenced Double Zero Chair (2015).  Moroso’s ongoing relationship with Spanish architect-designer Patricia Urquiola has generated a number of highly successful pieces, like the Fjord (2002), Bloomy (2004), Antibodi (2006), Tropicalia (2008), and Fishbone (2012) series. In recent years, Moroso has contributed to a global awareness of African design and craft through the M’Afrique project and collection launched in 2009 in collaboration with Urquiola, Dutch designer , and other design greats.

In addition to its domestic furniture and accessories output, over the years, the brand has expanded into the hospitality, education, healthcare, and corporate sectors. Drawing on the worlds of industrial design, contemporary art, and fashion, Moroso has also created temporary installations for Venice Biennale (2013), Art Basel Miami Beach (2010), and Palais de Tokyo (2006).