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Photo: Ed Watkins
Jun-ichi Arai
Photo: Ed Watkins
Photo: Ed Watkins

Jun-ichi Arai

Japan, b. 1932
Place of BirthKiryu, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
BiographyJun-ichi Arai was raised in Kiryu City, Japan, a city known for its textile production. He took over the family weaving business from his father and began designing unique textiles. He developed new techniques for weaving with metallic fibers as early as the mid 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s and continuing today, he has taught these techniques internationally and continued his production, subsequently gaining the attention of designers, such as Issey Miyake, who want to work with his fabrics, and museums, who want to collect and display his work.