青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

Wonder-filled impressions from his travels, unassuming sights encountered from day to day: the images from his sketchbook leap off the page to capture the wind, soak up the light, meet the rain, and take form as umbrellas without peer.

——Reiko Sudo (textile designer)

For twenty years Yoshihisa Iida has fashioned bespoke umbrellas (kasa) and textiles through his Iida Kasaten brand. That trajectory is put on enchanting display in this book, which presents all 160 of his works to date in all 500 color variations. The array of umbrellas, parasols, fabrics, design drawings, and sketches offers detailed insight into his process of first sketching by hand, then designing his fabrics and transforming them into umbrellas.

From floral motifs like “Hydrangea” and “Mimosa” to “Cotton Swabs,” “Corn Cob,” even “Oden Hotpot” (born from the offerings at a Fukuoka street stall), the pages reveal Iida’s imagination in all its colorful inventiveness. Essays by Iida recount the inspirations he has gained from everyday life and share his thinking on the particular demands of designing fabrics for umbrellas. Altogether the volume is sure to delight not only fans of Iida and textiles, but indeed anyone interested in design and fine crafts.

Yoshihisa Iida was born in 1981 in Yokohama and graduated in textile design from Tama Art University. In 2005 he founded Iida Kasaten, through which he offers umbrellas and parasols crafted to order, starting from the fabric. He does not maintain a retail location, instead operating through custom-order sessions and sale events held twice yearly throughout Japan; he also creates umbrellas for film, television, and stage works and develops products in collaboration with other businesses. Publications include The Design of Iida Kasaten (PIE International, 2014).
Official website: http://iida-kasaten.jp/
Instagram: ＠iidakasaten