Creative Expeditions

Milan-based designer Kensaku Oshiro looks back at how his boyhood memories of swimming with manta rays inspired the design of his first furniture collection for B&B Italia

- Hong Xinying

If you ask Japanese designer Kensaku Oshiro about his formative years, two memorable experiences stand out: the beautiful sun-kissed summer holidays when he visited his hometown in Okinawa, and the cherished time he spent drawing and discussing all things design-related with his childhood friend, Yuichiro Kobayashi. These fond boyhood memories proved to be so influential that Oshiro was determined to move to Milan to become a product designer; and that was exactly what he did as a teenager.

After graduating from the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, he subsequently completed an eight-year tenure with notable Italian architect Piero Lissoni, and did a three-year stint with British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. In 2015, Oshiro founded his namesake firm, and recently also added another milestone to his career: he designed his first collection for Italian furniture giant B&B Italia, joining his design mentors on the star-studded list of creative luminaries who have worked with the internationally renowned brand. We met Oshiro in person at the B&B Italia showroom in Milan to learn more about his new Lemante collection for the brand.

How would you describe your design philosophy?

Design is an act of creating possibilities. I’m trying to expand the possibilities of everything: about technology, history, material capacity and our way of living. As a designer, I try to find the best solution [for every project]. [To me], design is [about providing] variety and diversity. When the concept is clear, I think that it is beautiful.