EXPERIENCE

February 2019 - Present

ADIDAS JAPAN K.K. - Tokyo, Japan

Senior Manager Footwear Design for Creation Center Tokyo Reebok

• Conceptualizing and designing footwear for the Performance and Classics range, mainly for APAC.

• Leading Asia-relevant fashion and account collaboration projects.

October 2015 - January 2019

REEBOK INTERNATIONAL Ltd., Boston MA, USA

Senior Footwear Designer / Manager

• Conceptualized and designed footwear for Classics range.

• Managed direct reports, junior team members, and/or interns and apprentices in their daily work and ensure they meet deadlines and deliverables.

January 2011 - September 2015

AKAMATSU DESIGN CONSULTANCY, Himeji, Japan.

Footwear and Graphic Design Consultant

• Provided design and trend research services.

• Created footwear for various brands, including Bridgestone, Mizuno, Patrick, Li-Ning (China) and New Balance (USA). Designed for Japanese, Chinese, and US markets.

• Designed graphics for various organizations, such as Hyogo Federation of Bar Associations and the City of Ako.

January 2006 - May 2010

PUMA JAPAN K.K., Tokyo, Japan

Footwear Designer

• Created various footwear models across performance and lifestyle categories, such as running, golf, vulcanized, sandals, and walking.

• Led Tokyo fashion trend research each season and presented to the global product team.

• Created image-driving footwear for the company, such as Michelle Obama’s sneakers and Olympic figure skating medalist Daisuke Takahashi’s training shoes.

September 2004 - March 2005

ATELIER BELLINI, Milan, Italy

Industrial Design Department Intern

• Worked for acclaimed Italian designer and architect Mario Bellini, at his design consulting firm.

• Projects vary from creating home furniture to outdoor art installation.

June - August 2004

Freelance Designer, Rhode Island, USA

• For Conair Corporation (Connecticut, USA), generated new concepts for beauty and therapeutic products such as hair dryers and face steamers.

• For CIMIT (Massachusetts, USA), designed and created prototypes of medial mannequins for US Army’s combat medics.

July - August 2022

Kokuyo K.K., Yokohama, Japan

Office Furniture Department Intern

• Designed an office partition wall system based on market research done in the US and Japan.

AWARD

2023 - Himeji City Art Award “Pretty Like You, Pretty Like Me”

2012 - City of Ako, City Mascott Design Award, Grand Prize “Jintakun”

EDUCATION

July 2012 - March 2015

KOBE SHOKUNIN ARTISANS’ COLLEGE, Kobe, Japan

Footwear Production Studies

Concentration study on pattern making, lasting, and shoe fitting

September 2010 - December 2010

COMMUNICATION UNIVERSITY OF CHINA, Beijing, China

Chinese Language Studies

September 2000 - June 2004

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN, Providence Rhode Island, USA

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Industrial Design

February - July 2003

POLITECNICO DI MILANO, Milan, Italy

Student Exchange Program for graphic and interior design

July - August 2001

SOFIA UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan

Concentration studies on Japanese literature and Japanese art history

September 1996 - June 2000

LAWRENCE ACADEMY, Groton Massachusetts, USA

High school