KOYORI is a brand created for forming an alliance with several leading Japanese furniture manufacturers. We knew that companies that KOYORI would be collaborating with would be traditional Japanese companies with a very long history. That is why we wanted to appoint designers who would be good at creating new things. When we looked around in the design industry for designers who were always trying to incorporate something novel into their designs, such as new designing ideas, new materials, new techniques, new structures, and new ways of thinking, there was only one candidate we could think of - Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
KOYORI ANECDOTES
RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC
Our collaboration started in a very passionate and intelligent way.
“It was a pleasure experience to see the passion evolving around the project with a very high level of collective intelligence. We had a clarity about what we wanted to do, and we integrated good ideas from the manufacturers.”
“KOYORI is a new brand, but it is based on an interesting combination of historical craft and industry. I felt very honored to be invited to participate and to be a part of the pioneering team. I hope this relation with KOYORI will be a long-term relationship. It has started in a very passionate way, and I hope it will be a long love affair”, says Ronan Bouroullec.
(From the KOYORI official interview movie.)
GAMFRATESI
After inviting Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, we started searching for one more designing partner who understood traditional techniques, design structures and approaches, and who was also skilled in transforming them to create new values and designs. The obvious choice was GamFratesi. They have great woodworking skills, thorough knowledge of old materials and techniques, and understand the value of redesigning and can apply that understanding in their own designs.
For GamFratesi, collaborating with KOYORI was an opportunity to interpret the wood in its various forms in a broad and honest way. Both creations are beautiful objects that can be considered reinterpretations of Danish traditions and design. The mutual understanding and respect to culture and craftsmanship, the experience and passion allowed the development process with two manufacturers very smoothly.
“The mastery of the craftsmen and the advanced production techniques have allowed the models to be made with precision, overcoming the technical challenges but keeping the concept at the center of the project,” says GamFratesi.
“When you bring home a KOYORI product, I think you bring a piece of time which a person has spent to make it, with attention, with respect, with an eye for detail. I think there are the principles that make a product and also a company like KOYORI which we love!” says Enrico Fratesi.
(More on the KOYORI official interview movie.)
KOYORI AND WOOD
No material is closer to the heart of the people of Japan than wood, and no material is more important to us. Roughly 70% of Japan is covered in forests. These trees--blessed with four distinct seasons--benefit from abundant rain, heavy snow, and sunlight shining down on the mountains and valleys of our land.
Wood has been a pillar of our lives since long ago. We used wood to build our homes, to carry our loads, and to make our tableware. It has always been at the center of our architecture and crafting culture. This is why the oldest wooden structures in the world stand in Japan.
Another part of our culture centered on this reverence toward trees can be found in the Yorishiro. In ancient times, when animism was practiced in Japan, sacred trees were used to welcome a myriad of deities that would visit the land. It is even said one of the greatest deities in ancient Japanese beliefs, Takamimusubi would use trees as stairs to descend from the sky.
Due to these beliefs, wood was seen as a precious and sacred material since ancient times, and therefore meticulous care and crafting techniques were used to work wood into religious objects of worship. These ancient beliefs are the reason behind the superb skill shown by Japanese woodworkers.