Wink Armchair by Toshiyuki Kita for Cassina, 1980s

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

Italian furniture manufacturing giant Cassina, originally named Amedeo Cassina, was founded by brothers Cesare (1909-1979) and Umberto (1910-1992) Cassina in Meda, Italy in 1927. Although initially specialized in bespoke woodworking and high-end interiors, by the 1950s the brothers took the company in a new direction, anticipating the growing demand for mass-produced home furnishings. Cassina is often credited with introducing industrial design to Italy and has built an international reputation for collaborating with some of the world’s most respected designers.

Notably, in 1964 (while famed architect Le Corbusier was still alive), Cassina signed the first exclusive licensing agreement covering the edition rights for designs by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. The company soon after launched the I Maestri Collection which over the decades has gathered major icons of design under the Cassina brand, such as the LC4 Lounge (1928) jointly designed by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret, and Perriand, as well as Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s 635 Red & Blue Armchair (1918), Scottish architect-designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House Chair (1902), and many more.

With a focus more on partnering with the best designers rather than creating and maintaining a particular style, Cassina is responsible for some of the most recognized and beloved designs of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Highlights include Italian architect-designer Gio Ponti’s Superleggera Chair (1957), German designer Konstantin Grcic’s Kanu Chair (2009), Iranian-British architect Zaha Hadid’s Zephyr Sofa (2013), and French designer Philippe Starck’s My World Sofa (2013).  Throughout its visionary collaborations with both design luminaries and cutting-edge experiments with new talents, Cassina has remained dedicated to the Italian design ideals of craftsmanship and quality, and the brand continues to excel in the fusion of industrial technology and artisanal production.

Cassina’s designs are included in permanent collections the world over, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein) and London Design Museum.

Cassina is now a part of the prestigious Poltrona Frau Group.

* All images courtesy of Cassina.