Kurama Abeta

I’m an accessories and footwear designer with over nine years of experience at ISSEY MIYAKE, working across bags, footwear and small leather goods from concept development through final production. Before moving into design, I spent around a year and a half at a leather bag factory producing BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE products. This hands-on experience gave me a strong foundation in construction, materials, sample making and mass production, and continues to shape the way I approach design. Since joining ISSEY MIYAKE as a designer, I have worked across PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE, HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE and GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE. Since June 2026, I have also been involved in BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE from the design side. My work spans concept development, material research, construction, hardware, colour, prototyping, production engineering, factory communication and quality control. Alongside product design, I occasionally contribute to visual direction, presentation concepts and display / fixture design. During my time working across PLEATS PLEASE and HOMME PLISSÉ, I contributed to approximately 3.5× growth in the PLEATS PLEASE accessories business and 3× growth in HOMME PLISSÉ accessories. Recent projects include footwear development in collaboration with ASICS and accessory projects with Ronan Bouroullec. I’m particularly interested in the relationship between sculptural form, utility, material innovation and industrial production. Based in Tokyo, relocating to London in late 2026 under the Youth Mobility Scheme.