2016/ Arita

2016/ is a new brand producing contemporary porcelain objects for the home. 2016/ puts together the porcelain making skills of potteries in Arita, Japan, with the talents of 16 international designers. The project is a collaboration between Saga Prefecture in Japan and The Netherlands. In past centuries The Netherlands has been a significant importer of Arita porcelain. Today, this unique and longstanding relationship has provided an important inspiration for reviving Aritaware. Together creative directors Teruhiro Yanagihara and Scholten & Baijings are leading a venture that incorporates the efforts of ten manufacturing companies from Arita with 16 international designers.

Combining the ingenuity and experience of some of the best international design talents with the skill of traditional makers is the key to the 2016/ project. The international designers bring a purposefully fresh perspective to Aritaware. Through their vision, the qualities of Arita porcelain will be reexamined and reworked for a contemporary audience.

The creative directors paired designer with manufacturer and oversee the design and production process of each product. The complete 2016/ collection has been launched in the spring of 2016, on the four hundred year anniversary of Arita porcelain’s birth.