Japan Designer Benigna Iwasaki & BCOME

Interview with Japan Designer Benigna Iwasaki from BCOME

Tell us something about BCOME
We are Benigna & Rika, a German Japanese team with a Japanese German background. Both personally and professionally, we try to bring the best from East and West together. Benigna, the German living in Tokyo/Japan, is the designer, and Rika, a Japanese domiciled in Duesseldorf/ Germany, is a PR and communications consultant, which is why we can offer a full design & concept package to our clients. We both love our jobs and we think that it is vital to have fun with what we do. We strongly believe that this combined with our professional abilities is the key to satisfy the needs of our clients.

What does Japan design stand for in your opinion?

Japanese design is clean and straight forward, it goes very well with our love for simplicity.

Does your work refer to Japanese traditions?
O yes, we both have a crush on the old traditional Japanese style – that is a wonderful source of inspiration to us. Presenting traditional Japanese ideas with our Western view in new colors and shapes, that is what we like to do.

We both grew up in Europe, so we might have a fresher and definitely different approach to the Japanese style.

How would you describe your design principles?

We only deliver what we love and try to implement our customers needs and into a consequent style: Clear and simple lines, a balance of traditon and modernism, the perfect match of materials and colors.

What experiences or emotions do your creations enhance for the users?

The understanding for Japanese style combined with the western design appraoch – that seems to be one of the big BCOME appeals. Our clients find their needs and identity well perceived and then presented with a east-western touch in order to reach a broad global audience, attracting both eastern and western clientele.