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Interviews with Sayoko Kitai
Designer profileDesigner of the Day Interview
18 May 2022
I have been in this industry for more than 20 years and recognized by several organizations for great quality of my works. One of the most prominent clients for me is Ms. Yumi Katsura, a famous wedding dress designer. I provided some embroidery works for wedding dresses and a tuxedo she designed. I have never learned designing or stitching at any school but learned them by myself.
I first started stitching because I just wanted to make my children happy. I really liked seeing them smiling when they saw stitched cars or robots. My strong feeling of wanting to reproduce the beauty of nature is also one of my reasons to become a designer and creator.
I feel excited through the course of designing and creation with the realized work in my mind. For me, the most exciting moment is when designs are realized.
I watch and examine things closely and always keep designing or creating without giving up. I think these helped me become successful.
Almost 40 years ago, I started designing and stitching for my children. It had been just one of my favorite things to do for a long time. But, after I won several prizes and awards, I trademarked “Rittai-Shisyuu (3D Embroidery)” about 20 years ago, started creating embroidery works as business, and established my own brand 2 years ago.
In the morning, after doing some workout, mainly stretching, I start designing or crafting. In early evening, I go for a walk to get new inspirations.
I read fashion magazines to follow up trends. That said, it is important for me to prioritize what I really want to design and create.
I first look at its overall balance, because I think it is the key for successful designs, as well as its backside.
As I mentioned earlier, my biggest work is for Yumi Katsura, because it was very time-sensitive. I also had to design and craft embroidery works just with her staff’s directions and images and without even seeing sketches of her dress design or the actual dress made.
I love to design in a quiet environment. However, during crafting, I love to listen to BABYMETAL songs.
Collaborating with other people is possible for me, and the most desirable partner can be a person who can inspire each other and be on level ground.
Design competitions such as the A’ Design Award are one of the opportunities for gaining publicity, as well as a chance to try designing new works.
Design Interview
23 June 2022 · Butterfly La Spilla
“Airiness” and “free” are the concepts of this design.
While using precious materials, I tried to reproduce butterflies’ thin and airy wings.
I am really honored that my design won an award in this category of the Award even though mine is an embroidery work. I am committed to making “Art Jewelry” known around the world.
It took me one and half months from the start of this project to its end, two weeks of which are for designing.
I decided to create it.
I produce and am going to produce this design for myself, because the technique used is my original and no one knows how to properly do it.
For my brand, butterflies are a kind of symbol so that I wanted to try new things with butterflies; making an embroidery work true art jewelry.
No one. It is completely my original.
All the people who have a craving for designs or items that anyone has never had or seen.
First, this is simultaneously an embroidery work and a jewelry. Second, it is stitched using the Double-Sided 3D Embroidery technique that I devised, by which the same pattern can be stitched on both sides of a piece. Lastly, this is developed under the concept of “Art Jewelry.”
This is an embroidered 3D butterfly whose wings were stitched using the Double-Sided 3D embroidery technique. With this original technique, the same pattern was stitched simultaneously on both sides of the wings. On top of that, the form of these wings can be changed as you like.
No one. I solely designed and crafted this item.
At the very start, I examined a lot of pictures and videos online to understand how butterflies’ wings move as usual.
As I mentioned earlier, I examined a lot of pictures and videos as well as encyclopedias for deeper understanding of the butterflies’ movements and their form.
This is the first time for me to craft a piece that uses platinum thread and diamonds for its material. As heavier than usual materials are used for this item, I needed to adjust where to place diamonds and wings’ sizes again and again to craft a balanced item. This was the biggest challenge for me.
It was a friend of mine who suggested me to submit one of my works to this Award & Competition. I took her advice because I wanted to let more people know the existence of the form-changeable art jewelry.
This was the first time for me to craft a piece that uses platinum thread and diamonds for its material. As I noted earlier, this diamond-encrusted design required me to adjust where to place diamonds and wings’ sizes to craft a balanced item. I once again learned how important overall balance is.
Design Legend Interview
15 May 2022
I have never learned it at any schools but learned it on my own.
Whenever I see all the beautiful things around me, I am urged to reproduce them.
I chose to become a designer and have never been forced to do so before.
Just try to watch and examine things around you so that you can develop the ability to appreciate things or beauty.
I think just keeping creating what you really want to design is the key.
Morpho Rhetenor Helena Butterfly brooch is my greatest design ever because it was first time for me to be successfully able to make their wings form-changeable.
When I design something, I design it again and again until I feel satisfied. This has improved my skills.
I can’t imagine myself doing anything else other than the designer and creator.
Design is my reason for living.
Team members on this project, because I was finally able to create an embroidery work that can be called jewelry.
I have pre-existing conditions and this helped me to achieve this height.
On the other hand, my pre-existing conditions can sometimes be an obstacle for me.
Creating an embroidered insect jewelry collection is in my mind for the next project.
I want people around the world to get to know “Art Jewelry”.
Morpho Rhetenor Helena Butterfly brooch is my greatest design ever because it was first time for me to be successfully able to make their wings form-changeable.
On average, it takes one to two weeks just for designing.
Don’t forget a sense of fun.
As a designer, I want design to come first.
We, designers, can be more creative and do more with technologies.
Adobe photoshop and illustrator.
They are the things that make designs more attractive.
When I see a great design or product, I start to think how I can incorporate what I felt great into my design.
Co-design is possible for me, and the most desirable partner can be a person who can inspire each other and be on level ground.
MODEetMODE.
When I see beautiful things that inspire me, I always think how I can make them look most appealing with my design.
Young people all around the world. I like hearing different opinions and ideas.
They are outcomes of all my efforts and recognize my achievements. I feel very happy when I get one, but it is difficult to be famous in Japan just for getting awards.
I like all the four seasons in Japan and eating food in season.
When I was walking along a street with an embroidered butterfly brooch on my shoulder, a passerby thought it a real one and said to me “a (real) butterfly is on your shoulder.”
Beautiful flowers and dresses made my day great.
I never imagined I would become a designer in my childhood.
Designer Interview
15 May 2022
I have never learned it at any schools but learned it on my own.
My brand devised the novel Double-Sided 3D Embroidery technique and is creating bespoke products including art jewelry and altered fashion items.
Art jewelry. It’s because they are so delicate and needs meticulous attention to details when designing. It’s always challenging but fun for me at the same time.
Butterflies are my most favorite design because their wings’ patterns are so complicated and it is difficult to find how I can reproduce their beauty when it is realized.
3D hawks and various butterflies to decorate wedding attires.
When I encountered things that are interesting and inspiring.
Back side of the works. Usually people see the front side but don't see the back side of things. However, in my opinion, we, designers should take great care of the details, even back sides.
I feel excited with the realized item already in my mind.
I feel a great sense of accomplishment.
I think an overall balance in a realized design is key.
I first consider its overall balance, because I think it’s the key for successful designs, as well as its backside.
Enriching people’s lives through designs and leaving them as a record of this age for future generations.
I think it will follow the current of the times.
My last exhibition was held at Saliot gallery, Tokyo, Japan, and another exhibition is to be held at Chibagin Himawari gallery, Tokyo, Japan from July 5th to 18th, 2022.
I can get a lot of inspirations by going out. I often visit galleries, parks, and so on.
I live in Japan. And when I was a child, I lived in a city close to Kyoto, old capital of Japan, so many beautiful legacies had an impact on my design style.
Listening to designers and incorporating their ideas are important.
Tablets are the great tool for scaling. Pens that are easy to hold and draw are necessary for me.
In the morning, after doing some workout, mainly stretching, I start designing or crafting. In early evening, I go for a walk to get new inspirations.
Getting steady income might be difficult even though you have excellent skills and a sense of design. But you can get a great pleasure and a sense of happiness, once you are recognized.
Watching and examining things are most important.
Encyclopedias, websites, fashion magazines.
On average, it takes one to two weeks just for designing.
Yumi Katsura International.
I want to earn a solid brand reputation and market my designed items globally in the near future.
I usually work by myself but also like working with other people.
I’m designing a new dragonfly brooch.
I prefer to be contacted via e-mail (sayoko@rittai-shisyuu.net) or inquiry page on my website (https://www.rittai-shisyuu-en.net/contact/).
Grand Interview
22 October 2025 · Butterfly La Spilla
I taught myself embroidery, and 30 years ago I invented and created the "3D embroidery" technique that is currently gaining attention on social media.I was fascinated by the shape and pattern of a butterfly's wings as it fluttered about, and wanted to create a butterfly that could open and close its wings to move and shape like a real butterfly. I analyzed many butterflies to create a work that was as close as possible to the real thing in terms of the shape, movement, and texture of the wings, and developed a unique double-sided 3D embroidery technique that combines a unique wire technique and double-sided embroidery.The design, which is delicately stitched with a single strand of various types of thread and perfectly reproduces the thinness and shine of a butterfly's wings, radiates beauty like a living butterfly itself. With the unique double-sided 3D embroidery technique, not only the front side when the wings are open, but also the back side when closed is beautifully finished.While the work is completely three-dimensional when viewed from any angle, it is also possible to freely change the shape of the wings. With this technique, I was able to express a realistic and elegant butterfly design that looks as if it were alive.From designs that recreate realistic butterflies such as the Helena Morpho butterfly, to engraved butterflies adorned with natural stones and pearls, to platinum butterflies and real gold butterflies lavishly incorporating diamonds and pearls, we have created a wide variety of designs. Each piece has its own unique brilliance and elegance that captivates the viewer.
After seeing a news report about an obi sash that used real gold and platinum threads to depict the Kinkaku-ji Temple in weaving, I wanted to make platinum butterflies and real gold butterfly jewelry using these threads, so I began researching how to obtain them.Real gold and platinum threads were specially developed by a thread manufacturer in Nishijin, Kyoto for companies that make obi and uchikake kimonos, and are extremely valuable and not available to the general public. In order to obtain such thread, I was introduced to someone who does business with a thread manufacturer, and after six months of work, I was finally able to get my hands on it.Although the manufacturer told me that "it is intended for weaving, and is too hard to use for embroidery," I succeeded in creating platinum butterflies and real gold butterflies using my own unique techniques.
The four wings, finished using a unique wire technique and double-sided embroidery, are attached to a brooch pin, and the butterfly itself is designed as a brooch. After years of trial and error and experimentation, we developed a unique technique that pursues durability so that the wings would not break when repeatedly opened and closed.By tailoring the brooch pin to the body of the butterfly, we have created a brooch with the shape and movement of a real butterfly, with the wings able to open and close freely. This design recreates an elegant and lively butterfly, as if it were alive.
The right wing is embroidered from below, and the left wing is embroidered from above, using a unique wire technique on both sides. Due to the difference in stitching, the left wing tends to be larger, but in order to finish the left and right wing symmetrically, the embroidery is carried out simultaneously with great care.Platinum and real gold threads are very hard, so if you pull the thread as in normal embroidery, it will float off the fabric, and conversely, if you pull it too hard, the wing will become smaller and the balance between the left and right will be lost. Furthermore, since it is difficult to redo double-sided embroidery, we learned the technique of finely controlling the strength of the thread through repeated failures.In addition, embroidering the entire wing with only platinum thread would give a heavy impression, so we expressed lightness and elegance by adding openwork to the wing. However, it is very difficult to embroider openwork patterns with hard threads, and even if we pull the thread carefully to avoid breaking it, it sometimes breaks. We researched this issue repeatedly and finally succeeded.By combining these techniques and ingenuity, we have achieved a beautifully balanced, light and elegant butterfly design.
When making a butterfly brooch, the hands and arms are subjected to about four times the force of normal embroidery because very hard platinum thread is used. Therefore, after a short stitch, the hands were rested, and the details were carefully adjusted, while checking the stitching position, the tension of the thread, and the thread passing through one by one. This process was more difficult than expected, and there were many failures before the design was completed as designed, but by further strengthening the unique double-sided three-dimensional embroidery technique, the result exceeded the initial image.The wings were made thinner and more delicate, and were designed to give off a beautiful shine, and the openwork pattern was applied to express lightness and elegance. In addition, the challenge of sewing the diamonds was also realized. By fixing the four wings to a brooch pin, the butterfly itself was designed as a brooch, and the movement of opening and closing the wings like a real butterfly was successfully reproduced. It took six months to make, but the intricate and lifelike butterfly brooch was completed, and it turned out to be a beautiful piece of jewelry.
The 3D embroidered Sayoko butterfly brooch features an elegant design that allows you to open and close the wings like a real butterfly. It can be enjoyed as art on a frame like a butterfly specimen, but on special occasions it can also be used as an accent to your outfit.When traveling or cruising, gently remove the real butterfly from the frame as if you were grabbing it, and fold the wings and store it in a special pouch. When you go out, you can attach it to your shoulder or fingertips to match your outfit for dinner or a party, and enjoy an elegant look. When you return home, return it to the frame and create your own special space as if you were keeping a butterfly.This brooch is designed to be expressed in a variety of ways to suit the wearer's personality and style, and is designed with a story to be enjoyed as both art and jewelry.
The butterfly brooch uses platinum and real gold threads that have never been used before, and its delicate texture and shine were difficult to capture in photographs. However, Fukumi Tadaishi and Atsushi Inoue deeply understood my image and requests, and took the best photos possible. Furthermore, when Murakami Fumiko was in charge of translation, she repeatedly asked detailed questions about the double-sided three-dimensional embroidery method and the type of thread, and worked hard to accurately convey the excellent points and unique charm of this brooch.It was only thanks to the expertise and passion of these three team members that we were able to convey the charm of this piece to so many people.
Brooches are generally thought of as worn on the chest, but this butterfly brooch is finished lightly with a unique three-dimensional embroidery technique. The brooch part is designed to be inflated like a torso, so it can also be fastened to the shoulder or a ring. When you pull it lightly, the torso becomes a stopper, and you can enjoy the beautiful appearance of a butterfly landing on your shoulder. This design can be used by both men and women. By sharing it with your lover or spouse and wearing it according to your own style, you can express yourself in a variety of ways. The butterfly brooch is an art jewelry that can express various things according to the wearer's personality and style, unlike the jewelry you have worn until now.
The butterfly brooch is made with a single strand of hard, thin platinum thread, and a unique double-sided 3D embroidery technique that allows the back to have the same finish just by stitching the front, giving it the thinness of a butterfly's wings. In addition, a unique technique of stitching gold and glitter threads as if they were added delicately reproduces the powdery and glossy feel of the butterfly's wings.In addition, the platinum thread is stitched with real gold thread as if it were dyed, highlighting the subtlety of the colors and the three-dimensional effect. To soften the heavy impression of the platinum thread, a filigree technique is used to create a light and elegant look. In pursuit of the brilliance of jewelry, diamonds are set in a four-pronged setting and sewn onto the wings.By making full use of these techniques, a platinum butterfly with diamonds that is thin and powdery yet shiny is completed. As an intricate and beautifully shining piece of jewelry, it has a delicate and lifelike finish, just like a real butterfly.
When it comes to jewelry, it is usually thought of as something that is stored in a jewelry case and worn on occasions. However, my butterfly brooch overturns that concept and proposes new artistic value. This brooch can usually be displayed on the frame and appreciated as a work of art like a butterfly specimen, but on special occasions, it can be removed from the frame and stored in a special pouch as if holding the wings of a real butterfly. When you go out, you can attach it to your shoulder or fingertips at dinner or a party and spread the wings as if a butterfly is resting, enhancing your outfit for the day and creating an elegant and sophisticated style. When you return home, you can put it back on the frame and enjoy it in your daily life as if you were keeping a butterfly.In this way, this work, which has a story that connects jewelry and art, and even everyday life and special occasions, opens up new possibilities in jewelry making. Jewelry can be established as not just a decorative item, but as an art piece that you can love, touch, and feel a story in your daily life. This approach will be an opportunity to create multifaceted values that go beyond the boundaries of decorative items in future jewelry making, and will inspire you to further expand the artistry of jewelry.
