SIWA

The Japanese paper (washi) maker ONAO, located in Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi Prefecture – an area boasting a washi-making history spanning 1000 years – and industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa have teamed up to create the SIWA series. Fukasawa discerned that the special texture of Naoron – a paper developed by ONAO that doesn’t tear easily – emerged when the paper was crumpled, and suggested designs for everyday goods that harnessed this. The name SIWA is both a reversing of the characters in the word washi and a word meaning, “crinkle” in Japanese. As with leather goods, these products are individually crafted with great care.