Composed of the talented architect Yang Hen Chen and the brilliant weaving & textile designer Noriko Tsuiki, this team is creating a catalyst for craft revitalization utilizing various natural materials, including wood, bamboo, and textiles, in their work. Tsuiki is a master craftsperson who revived traditional Kokura-ori weaving in the 1980s, helping bring back the dense cotton weave with the high, leather-like gloss once the chosen fabric for samurai hakama trousers. Chen is an innovative architect with a visionary ability to reimagine the relationship between traditional crafts and interior architectural settings. Together, their team is changing the design landscape by incorporating newly interpreted forms of traditional crafts into contemporary architecture and interior settings. 

In Kokura-ori weaving, the arrangement of colored threads in the warp becomes stripes in the woven cloth. It was a dominant style for hakama trousers used by samurai families during the Edo period (1603-1868). After dying out just before WWII, it was revived by Noriko Tsuiki in 1984. With 2,300 warp threads jin a 30cm width (almost double the normal density), the technique uses cotton thread to achieve the texture and gloss of tanned leather. The striped patterns formed using naturally dyed threads are said to have been inspired by the natural scenery. Brought back to life in the present day, the refinement and artistry of Kokura-ori continue to evolve.