Reiko Kaneko
Product and Furniture DesignerAre you a graduate? If so, what did you study?
I graduated in 2005 having studied BA Arts and Design
Brief description of what you do.
I design and supply products under my label. I work closely with companies in Stoke on Trent who produce ceramic pieces for U.K. based companies, we’re also able to offer bespoke services. A fairly new side of the business is designing furniture and lighting.
What is a standard day for you?
Day to day is so different - I wouldn’t know where to begin. A standard year will start with designing new products or furniture and dealing with the development and manufacture, including packaging and photography. Some take no time, others seem to take months, even years.
A lot of time gets spent preparing for exhibitions, trying to gain press and working out how to market the products. And then Christmas starts mid summer, as the long lead magazines and stockists start to prepare and that’s when it gets busy.
There is of course a lot of the normal office logistics, dealing with manufacturers and distributors - all the while trying to develop any design ideas.
What skills have you come to rely on most in your position?
Organizing and planning. Sometimes, it all seems to happen at once and being on top of it (for most of the time) has helped. And I seem to spend quite a while thinking about where I see the business going next.
If you had to pick one positive and one negative aspect of your job what would they be?
The fun part is definitely designing and developing with people who are skilful at what they do. Whether that’s technical or craft based. The negative, I would have thought is similar to most jobs – necessary piles of paperwork and general admin.
How did you get into your role?
My final graduation projects were all functional products and wanted to draw people in with humour. Beyond the Valley picked up one of the pieces to sell at their store and I remember being amazed that some of the handmade pieces sold. I then started to think seriously about producing under my own label. It took me 3 years of developing the brand, product lines and generally learning how ‘to do business’ by doing it. At first I worked on my business around some part time work but a year ago I was able to go full time.
Do you do any type of networking? If so, what?
Just through meeting new people along the way, for example at exhibitions or friends of friends but it never feels like ‘networking’. I love talking to the likeminded, and there are plenty of people at exhibitions with similar designs/ businesses or buyers and press who are interested in supporting and promoting new designs.
In my field, some of the helpful organizations include Hidden Art, Craft Central, Design Boom, trade shows such as Designers Block and Pulse, and events during London Design Week, and Maison et Objet.
Is there any advice that you would give students looking to get into your field?
I had no idea how to run a business when I left college. But any experience in work helped. Even working as a shop assistant at an independent store taught me the basics of how the retail industry worked. And just trying things out, making things better, and persisting until they work out.
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