Our Story
Hello, we’re Link — blending contemporary textile design with traditional Japanese craftsmanship
Link produces contemporary furoshiki textiles through our network of artists and designers from around the world. We aim to cross cultures and generations by creating beautiful and functional products, merging international design with traditional Japanese production methods.
We believe Japanese craftsmanship is second to none in terms of quality and attention to detail. It's because of this that all our furoshiki are hand-printed and sewn in Japan by a family-owned business with over 50 years experience in furoshiki production.
Although Japan's craftsmen often spend a lifetime perfecting their artistry, much of that skill and knowledge is being lost as today’s mass production, cost cutting and on-demand culture drives ever more business decisions. Invaluable knowhow is disappearing as tools are put down, and the last small factories and workshops die out.
We hope to play a part in keeping these crafts alive by showing what can be achieved when creativity and craftsmanship come together. To find out what we're doing today, visit us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube or read our blog.
Link is an international collaboration between likeminded creators and entrepreneurs
Kyoko 京子 — Founder
Kyoko was born in Tokyo. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University she spent over 10 years working in Japan's retail industry before starting Link in 2011. After spending 3 years in London, she’s now based in Tokyo.
Lucinda Newton-Dunn — Collaboration Designer
Lucinda is a British designer specializing in printed textiles and graphic design. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1999, she moved to Tokyo where she lived for seven years and met Kyoko. She is now based in San Francisco, where she designed the Dots, Stripe and Folded Paper furoshiki. Learn more at space-to-think.com
Hannah Waldron — Collaboration Designer
Link invited Hannah to design a furoshiki for us in 2012, and she came up with the beautiful Tokyo, Stockholm, Maze and The Hida Express designs. Hannah's work often explores the textures, patterns, forms and structures of her surroundings, and the development of landscape over time. Learn more at hannahwaldron.co.uk
Leah Duncan — Collaboration Designer
Leah is an American illustrator and designer. A self-taught artist, Leah draws her inspiration from her old neighborhood in East Austin, her love of folk art, and her Native American roots. Leah currently resides in Texas after spending a few years in Brooklyn, where she created our Angles and Mountain Blossom designs. Learn more at leahduncan.com
Tilman Zitzmann — Collaboration Designer
Tilman is an interaction and graphic designer from Nuremberg, Germany. Since 2012 he has created over 500 geometric minimal compositions, publishing them daily on Geometrydaily.com. His work with Link includes the Arcs and Triangles furoshiki and pocket squares. Learn more at tilman.me
Jonathan Lawes — Collaboration Designer
Jonathan Lawes is an artist and designer based in south east London,
experimenting predominantly with the silkscreen printing process. He has a keen eye for nuance and layering, paying close attention to colour and detail. Working in a loose and organic way, abstract compositions are formed and ultimately develop due to his genuine enthusiasm for, and evolution of, the printing process. Learn more at jonathanlawes.com
Lotta Jansdotter — Collaboration Designer
Nature has always my biggest source of inspiration. Nature grounds me, makes me calm and brings me joy. I’m a visual explorer and see patterns and motifs everywhere. I create all my designs and artwork by hand. For over two decades my tools have not changed: I love cutting papers, painting with India ink, drawing with black marker pens, creating shapes and motifs with my scissors and gluing them together. Creating is a journey I take with my patterns, sometimes with a clear destination and sometimes where the wind takes me. Learn more at jansdotter.com
Erika — Distribution
Erika keeps Link's international deliveries running like clockwork, helped by her logistics experience at Louis Vuitton Japan. She previously lived in L.A. for 4 years, and now lives in Tokyo where she's bringing up two boys.
Thanks to…
Martin Holtkamp for our photography, Jonathan Pound for our video, Chihiro, Rie, Ben & Julia for modelling, James Bowskill for our website.
For support, collaboration, press and wholesale enquiries, please get in touch with Kyoko via email: info@linkcollective.com