Remember your high school days? If you secretly envied the nerds who excelled in math and science, you probably took maniacal pleasure in seeing them struggle in art class. And those artsy kids, didn’t they always go into a panic when they had to take a math test? The two disciplines seem almost mutually exclusive and yet, there is Kazuo Kawasaki, who not only combines them, but manages to excel at both.
Born in the Fukui Prefecture of Japan, Kawasaki graduated from the Kanazawa College of Art in 1972. He went on to become an award-winning industrial designer working for the likes of Apple, Fujitsu and Sony and he is the creator of the EIZO brand of computer displays. Not to be limited or tied down by the corporate sector, he also produced acclaimed functional art designs, such as his “Carna” folding wheelchair and scissors in the shape of an X and an I, which are in the New York’s Museum of Modern Arts’ collection. And he’s currently teaching at Osaka University, while serving as a visiting professor at both Tama Art University and Kanazawa Institute of Technology.
Like everything else he touches, Kawasaki’s eyewear line has enjoyed fabulous success – so much so that Sarah Palin chose his 704 model with SP shape to complete her look as a vice presidential candidate in the 2008 campaign.
Kawaski’s eyewear combines his engineering prowess with his artistic talents and his love of sophistication and sleek lines. He developed a novel screwless, tension-mounted frame design and chose beta titanium for its durability and light weight.
Curious? Come see his MP series eyeglass frames at our store.