Our Story
Hello, we’re Link Collective — blending contemporary textile design with traditional Japanese craftsmanship
Link Collective is a Tokyo-based textile studio connecting master artisans across Japan with designers and artists from around the world. Weavers, dyers, printers, fan makers, people who have spent decades, sometimes generations, perfecting what they do brought together with international creative minds to produce something neither could make alone. That belief has driven us for fifteen years.
Our products are sold in select shops and cultural institutions across Japan, the US, Europe, and beyond. We run workshops from our Tokyo studio, and work with brands and organisations on custom textile projects. We don't preserve craft by talking about it. We keep it alive by putting it to work.
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Founder & Director
Kyoko is Japanese, born and raised in Tokyo. She studied design at Tokyo Zokei University, developing an interest in materials, form, and everyday objects. After graduating, she worked in luxury retail and brand marketing before founding Link Collective in 2011. Having spent three years in London, she is now based in Tokyo, working closely with artisans and international partners.
Collaboration Designers
Lucinda Newton-Dunn
Lucinda is a British designer specializing in printed textiles and graphic design. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1999, she moved to Tokyo where she lived for seven years and met Kyoko. She is now based in San Francisco, where she designed the Dots, Stripe and Folded Paper furoshiki. Learn more at space-to-think.com
Hannah Waldron
Link invited Hannah to design a furoshiki for us in 2012, and she came up with the beautiful Tokyo, Stockholm, Maze and The Hida Express designs. Hannah's work often explores the textures, patterns, forms and structures of her surroundings, and the development of landscape over time. Learn more at hannahwaldron.co.uk
Leah Duncan
Leah is an American illustrator and designer. A self-taught artist, Leah draws her inspiration from her old neighborhood in East Austin, her love of folk art, and her Native American roots. Leah currently resides in Texas after spending a few years in Brooklyn, where she created our Angles and Mountain Blossom designs. Learn more at leahduncan.com
Tilman Zitzmann
Tilman is an interaction and graphic designer from Nuremberg, Germany. Since 2012 he has created over 500 geometric minimal compositions, publishing them daily on Geometrydaily.com. His work with Link includes the Arcs and Triangles furoshiki and pocket squares. Learn more at tilman.me
Jonathan Lawes
Jonathan Lawes is an artist and designer based in south east London, experimenting predominantly with the silkscreen printing process. He has a keen eye for nuance and layering, paying close attention to colour and detail. Working in a loose and organic way, abstract compositions are formed and ultimately develop due to his genuine enthusiasm for, and evolution of, the printing process. Learn more at jonathanlawes.com
Lotta Jansdotter
Nature is my biggest source of inspiration, it grounds me, brings me calm and joy. I'm a visual explorer, finding patterns and motifs everywhere. For over two decades my tools haven't changed: cut paper, India ink, black markers, scissors, and glue. Learn more at jansdotter.com. Learn more at jansdotter.com
yamanoteyamanote
yamanoteyamanote is a Tokyo-based Swiss design duo known for their graphic series Tokyo Manga, which draws on the geometry and energy of the Yamanote Line. Their work is at once deeply local and visually universal. In collaboration with Link Collective, they created an originalfuroshiki design for Asahi Beer. Learn more at yamanoteyamanote.com