Aoi Yoshizawa

“I have been interested in textiles ever since my mother and grandmother taught me to sew and knit when I was small,” says breakout textile designer Aoi Yoshizawa. Born and raised in Japan, Yoshizawa has studied her craft in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where she is currently finishing her master’s degree at Helsinki’s Aalto University. “For pattern design, I like to work with simple elements and overlay them on top of each other, which gives depth to the textile,” she says. This is especially apparent in her Tokyo pattern, produced by Svensson, that manages to be very graphic and very organic at once. Next from Yoshizawa will be a new series of jacquard upholstery fabrics.