Interview

Mae Engelgeer

Dutch textile designer Mae Engelgeer enter the new art scene of Kyoto with a new textile collection inspired to shoji designed for HOSOO. We present an interview with May Engelgeer with the launch of this collection.

A new collection created in collaboration with Dutch textile designer Mae Engelgeer has been unveiled by HOSOO at Milano Salone Design Week in April 2023 ahead of the rest of the world.

The Dutch designer, that has spent some time in Kyoto together with her family has been impressed by the atmosphere of the city, and by the beauty and poetry of its crafts.  
“When I visited HOSOO for the first time in 2015, I had a hunch that I wanted to collaborate with this wonderful brand. Kyoto has a calm atmosphere and is connected to the creative art scene. Kyoto scenery is poetic and beautiful and it gently envelops my heart.”

The new collection created by Mae Engelgeer for HOSOO is inspired by the Japanese shoji. Textile is made of washi paper and engage some color and design that renovate the classical vision of light produced by the shoji in an endless game of light, shadows, and transparency.

HOSOO GALLERY exhibits "Ori-An," a woven tea room using "Shoji Fabrics" from September 8 to October 15, 2023. Please come and see the rich colors and textures that are covered with light.

Mae Engelgeer

Engelgeer has studied textile design from her high school days to her studies at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and Sandberg Instituut. Since opening her own studio in 2013, she has nurtured her curiosity for the craft, experimenting within the existing boundaries of textile production to elevate old techniques to a modern stage. Her work embraces subtle color palettes, patterns, and linear elements. Complex compositions merge to establish harmony. In addition to developing her own collections, Engelgeer collaborates with brands around the world on projects ranging from art direction to large-scale installations and public artworks.