8 Questions for Kyo Hashimoto

by Myriah Zaytoun • May 17, 2007 6:16 PM PDT

Hot Designers

Kyo Hashimoto, an Australian jewelry designer that has recently relocated to Japan, is hitting the accessories industry by storm. How could you not be interested in a jewelry line with names like "I Blame the Uni" and "The Anatomy of F"? Since graduating from the College of Fine Arts at UNSW, she has become globally recognized for her handmade, unique, and often times, reversible line of jewelry. Kyo took a few minutes to talk to Stylehive overseas about how she got started with jewelry and the inspirations for her lines.

1. How did you get started with jewelry?
Kyo Hashimoto: I used to make simple glass bead necklaces and bracelets when I was about 6 or 7. Then I became very interested in making Fimo clay necklaces and pendants when I was about 13. I remember getting my parents to buy Fimo clay, beads and other components for my birthday and I used to sell my necklaces at the local markets. So I was always interested in jewelry making.

2. At what exact moment did you realize you wanted to be a jewelry designer as a profession?
KH: I think I seriously considered becoming a jewelry designer when I was at an Art College and leaned metal work for the first time. I love the fact that jewelry combines art and science.

3. Many of your pieces have abstract shapes. Do those designs come from your imagination, or are they inspired by things around you?
KH: Often I see a shape that I like from my immediate environment, then I tweak them in my mind. I think abstract shapes are more interesting than geometric shapes on the body- they have more character, and are somewhat more friendly.

4. Please explain what "I blame the Uni" means!
KH: Ok. Uni (pronounced ooo-nee) in Japanese means the sea urchin - the spiky black sea creature that is prized in Japanese cuisine. When I came up with the name, I was traveling through Croatia with my business partner Guy. He was spearfishing one day, and had accidentally stepped on an uni. I helped him pull the spikes out from his foot, and the wound on his foot looked very much like the dotted patterns that I was designing on my jewelery at the time. So we came up with the name, 'I Blame the Uni', which references the story, and also I feel that sea urchin is a metaphor to me, for things Japanese.

5. And we have to know, for your new collection "The Anatomy of F", what made you choose the letter F?
KH:All the designs from this new collection has an individual name beginning with the letter F. Also, because the designs are inspired by flexing hair strands and has somewhat of an organic feel, I felt that the name was good. And I like that the fact that it sounds slightly mysterious.

6. How has your recent move from Australia to Tokyo affected your design aesthetic?
Hugely. I was always working with acrylic and silver mainly, but since I arrived in Tokyo, I found new materials which I now use in my designs. Also, a lot of my designs I used to do back in Australia were one-offs and often heavily conceptual pieces. My current designs are more ready to wear, fun pieces inspired by the vibrant and colorful fashion scene in Tokyo.

7. What's your favorite thing about your blog, and blogging in general?

KH: I like the fact that I can keep a visual record of how my designs evolve over time. It's also a good platform to show your work to people you meet.

8. OK - lightning round - we say a word, you say the first thing that pops into your mind: