BIOGRAPHY
TAKAHASHI Hiroko
At the intersection of art and fashion, Takahashi Hiroko applies the minimalist elements of curvature and linearity to capture the infinite possibilities inherent in the finite circle and line: the two most fundamental of forms. Her creative process begins with small-scale, hand-drawn original motifs, enabling her to compose lines, curves, and dots at the same speed as her ideas. By constraining this creative energy within a geometric baseline, these hand-drawn originals can later be expanded into bold, large-scale patterns.
After receiving her PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Takahashi applied this aesthetic sensibility to reimagine Japanese kimono design. She has developed these carefully crafted motifs into renowned kimono textiles and washi paper prints, fusing the modern with the traditional and the subtle with the provocative. Her circles and line patterns have also been printed on products for daily use. As a visual artist, she continues to be inspired by transcending constraints, as well as her knowledge of Japanese art and aesthetics, in which true creativity emerges from and recasts the limits of the medium.
This design philosophy guides the products of Takahashi’s brand HIROCOLEDGE, leading to collaborations with Adidas, BMW, and IKEA, in addition to an exhibition at the V&A (London) where her kimono became part of the permanent collection. Returning from fashion to art, her most recent work goes back to her roots—the rich, evocative power of her trademark circle-and-line patterns, represented on canvases in large-scale installations. Thus Takahashi’s motifs continue to provoke innovative ways to overturn fixed ideas and spark new ways of thinking.
EDUCATION
BFA, Tokyo University of the Arts (2000)
MFA, Tokyo University of the Arts (2002)
Ph.D. Tokyo University of the Arts (2008)
LATEST UPDATES
IKEA × TAKAHASHI HIROKO SÖTRÖNN collection / Now on sale globally.
shu uemura art of hair × TAKAHASHI HIROKO GIFT SETS / 2023
Malaysia Seibu The Exchange TRX / 2023
adidas × HIROCOLEDGE HIROKO TAKAHASHI COLLECTION / 2021
IKEA × TAKAHASHI HIROKO SÖTRÖNN collection
Born 1977.
1996 Graduated in Fashion Design from Saitama prefectural Niiza Comprehensive Technical High School.
Entered Tokyo University of the Arts, Dept. of Crafts.
2002 Started work as a designer in an apparel company once completing her Master’s in Fine Arts, majoring in dyeing and weaving.
2003 Enrolls again into Tokyo University of the Arts for PhD.
2005 Invited by Culture France, then the AFAA (French Association for Artistic Action) of The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Resides and works in Cité Internationale des Arts.
2006 Founds HIROCOLEDGE Co., Ltd.
2008 Completes PhD.
2013 Changes company name to TAKAHASHIHIROKO INC.
2014 Renovating a 50-year-old factory, opens her own studio. (Design by Jo Nagasaka, Schemata Architects)
2019 Selected as part of the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
2021 Appointed as a professor at Musashino Art University in Tokyo.
［SOLO EXHIBITIONS］
2005 “Exposition de Kimono”, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
2007 “HIROCOLEDGE×HIDA OMOTESANDO”, Omotesando Hills, HIDA OMOTESANDO, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “TAKAHASHI HIROKO EXHIBITION”, ELTTOB TEP ISSEY MIYAKE, Osaka, Japan
2009 “THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITION – transform-”, GALLERY ROCKET, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITION”, DODEKA Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2010 “ON PURPOSE”, TAKAHASHI HIROKO BASE, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “PATTERNS -DOTS & STRIPES-”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “effect”, Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
2012 “ON PURPOSE”, Impossible Project Space, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “OVERTURNING FIXED IDEAS AND PROVOKING NEW WAYS OF THINKING.”, LOGOS GALLERY, Shibuya Parco, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “HIROCOLEDGE”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “Le bouleversement des mani ères de penser.”, Compagnie Française de l’Orient et de la Chine, Paris, France Paris, France
2014 “RENOVATION”, TAKAHASHIHIROKO STUDIO, Tokyo, Japan
2015 “Creating Continuity from Discontinuity”, ANTEROOM Gallery 9.5, Kyoto, Japan
2016 “RENOVATION”, Tokyu Plaza Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “7th Anniversary POLA x TAKAHASHIHIRKO”, POLA GINZA, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “All Different, All the Same”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “Hiroko Takahashi Exhibition of Works from the Collection of Yokohama University”, Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
2019 “HIROCOLEDGE -TAKAHASHIHIROKO”, ONE AND ONLY, Kyoto, Japan
2019 “HIROCOLEDGE -TAKAHASHIHIROKO”, HAGI ART, Tokyo, Japan
2020 “RENOVATION – KIMONO&SUSTAINABILITY”, JAPAN HOUSE LONDON, UK
［GROUP EXHIBITIONS］
2006 Incheon International Universal Design 2006, Incheon Art Center, Korea
2012 365 Days Charming Everyday Things, Bastille Design Center, Paris, France
2012 TOKYO FASHION WEEK in INDIA, WILLS LIFESTYLE INDIA FASHION WEEK, New Delhi, India
2015 “A SIGN OF LUCK”, TAKAHASHIHIROKO STUDIO, Tokyo, Japan
2017 Design Miami.Basel Aritayaki Collection, Messe Basel, Switzerland
2020 “KIMONO – Kyoto to Catwalk”, Victoria and Albert Museum, LONDON, UK
2022 “KIMONO”, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, afrance
2023 “KIMONO – Kyoto to Catwalk”, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland
2024 “ORIGIN of SIMPLICITY 20 Visions of Japanese Design”, ADI Design of Japanese Design”, ADI Design Museum, Milan, Italy
［PUBLIC COLLECTION］
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
［LECTURES］
2011 Kanazawa City Dyeing and Weaving Artist Association, Ishikawa, Japan
2012 The 30th Anniversary Ceremony of Saitama Prefectural Niiza General Technical High School, Japan
2012 Yuchengco Museum, Metro Manila, Philippines
2012 Design Singapore Council2012 Cultural Fashion Academy, Bangkok, Thailand
2012 University of Chiang Mai, Thailand
2014 The 24th Saitama Prefecture Industrial Education Fair, Japan Hosted by Saitama Prefectural Board of Education
2016 Arita House Amsterdam, Netherlands Hosted by City of Amsterdam / Cooperated by Embassy of the Netherlands
2017 Oregon College of Art and Craft, Oregon, USA
2017 Otis College of Art and Design, California, USA
2017 Salem Multicultural Institute, Oregon, USA
2017 The 22nd China Fashion Forum 2017, Beijing, China
2018 Saito University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2019 The 63rd National Conference of High School Home Economics Practical Research Association, Saitama, Japan
2020 London Craft Week JAPAN HOUSE LONDON, UK
2022 Asahikawa Design×Management Seminar vol.11 Hokkaido, Japan
2024 University of Milan, Italy