ABOUT ME
IKUMI KAWASHIMA
川島伊玖未 (かわしま いくみ)
川島伊玖未 (かわしま いくみ)
Hello, and welcome to my portfolio!
I make creations using textiles, and I love to explore how fabric can transform spaces.
Born in Ealing,London to Japanese parents, I spent my childhood there before moving to Japan as a teenager.
Over the years, I’ve created works from large-scale installations and displays to unique textile-based projects for public and artistic spaces.
Now back in London, I’m excited to connect, collaborate, and take on new creative challenges!
I make creations using textiles, and I love to explore how fabric can transform spaces.
Born in Ealing,London to Japanese parents, I spent my childhood there before moving to Japan as a teenager.
Over the years, I’ve created works from large-scale installations and displays to unique textile-based projects for public and artistic spaces.
Now back in London, I’m excited to connect, collaborate, and take on new creative challenges!
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My Story
After studying textile design at Tama Art University in Tokyo, I became deeply interested in traditional Japanese crafts.
To explore this further, I worked in retail at Nippon Department Store, where I had the chance to immerse myself in the world of craftsmanship.
To explore this further, I worked in retail at Nippon Department Store, where I had the chance to immerse myself in the world of craftsmanship.
After three years, I felt a strong urge to create with my own hands and joined Mitaka Tent Ltd., an awning fabricator in Tokyo.
There, I developed a wide range of skills:
Designing, measuring, drafting plans, custom-ordering metal parts, cutting and sewing, welding PVC fabric, and even installation.
By combining my background in textiles with these technical skills, I was able to expand the scope of projects we could take on. By my fifth year, I was making tarp-based displays, creating installations for artists, and decorating Japanese gardens with textiles—stretching far beyond the usual boundaries of an awning company.
Wanting to focus more on these unique projects, I decided to move to London in search of inspiration and new opportunities.