Creativity and ingenuity in accord, fine-tuned to your everyday.
Authentic experience, knowledge and sophistication, shaped by deep roots and a wide esteem for the world. A foundry of honed aesthetics and ever-beating pulse for the inventive and new. With a steadfast vision for life led more richly, in natural counterpoint to the dizzying shifts of society, the search for the better and smarter stems in a penchant for the versatile and the daily delight in open-ended thinking. At the core, we believe that sheer creativity and ingenuity will unlock a sense of true expression in your everyday.
FEATURES
Universal +
Design
From kids to adults and all in between, designs feature a universal system for anyone to build, scrap and carry on the go.
Functional +
Craftsmanship
Japan-honed artisan craftsmanship meets simple, functional builds that piece together without tools or screws.
Regenerative +
Domestic Materials
Bent on regenerative products like domestic-grown birch wood and salvaged ocean plastics.
Variations +
Novel Culture
Products with a culture and flair that’s all their own thanks to a fully varied array of colors and materials.
Interior +
Your Lifestyle
Draw into a day-to-day kind of interior and a fit that readily opens to your lifestyle.
INTRODUCTION
Launched independently in January 2020 after amassing a wealth of experience as an in-firm designer and director, both in Japan and overseas. After working a number of design and direction projects for interior and complete spaces, Sekine launched SOUI and KUFU, Inc. in February 20, 2024.
As lead he designs SnK goods with an eye for the daily lives of people that value a sense of “creativity and ingenuity in accord, fine-tuned to your everyday”.
Each work is made conscientiously with materials that mind the regenerative effort of restoring our environment.
Since inception with debut works TYPE – ONE and TWO, early pieces stemmed from Sekine’s family roots, using domestically grown birch wood for material. He later created OPTION DISC with salvaged ocean plastics in a nod of thanks to the seaside heart and hometown where he was born and raised.
The resulting brand is a unique expression of blended sensibilities and the wide array of styles and cultures that imparted them.
Ueno graduated from an arts university with a degree in Graphic Design. He then worked as a designer and art director over a wide portfolio of projects before branching out independently in 2022.
Whether for Japanese domestic or global works, from brand logos and product packaging to full branding suites, Ueno is known for his repertoire of true graphic expression that spans broad realms of design and direction.
Shaved away to a sharpened tip, Ueno lends a keen sense to sketch the core simplicity of the SOUI and KUFU worldview with modern design and art direction.
His work creates packaging that diminishes discardable parts, values recycled paper and fortifies the active brand ecology for seeking textures that derive from used paper.
From 2D mediums to the 3D world, the endless breadth and depth of creativity continues to feed the authentic values behind the brand.
After graduating from an arts university with a degree in Environmental Design, Itagaki spearheaded an independent creative team that produces photography and video media.
The firm was launched as a limited liability company in 2018.
His thought follows an emphasis on spatial design, seen across his broad creative portfolio of object photography, fashion stills, promotional videos, brand art direction, advertisements and more.
With a visual ethos for clean, dynamic imagery that minds the air, space and texture around each object, Itagaki imparts a tempered value to the SnK brand by elevating the goods behind it.
With degrees in Linguistics and Business from Japan and abroad, Loretta has consulted in localization and transcreation for a portfolio of world brands before launching her global outfit in 2019. She has since headed the transcreation of major Japan and worldwide brands as they debut across industry spheres. At SOUI and KUFU, Loretta sees English like a wordsmith and expression like a natural musicality in a co-created sense of flair for the brand.
With an ear for more than meaning, she selects each word for a core empathy and kinship that stems in a love for her home and a heart for Japan. Keyed into a global mindset, she stands as an integral piece of the brand’s launch onto the world stage.