makio hasuike. in 1982 he created a company for manufacturing bags and accessories which carries his initials, MH-WAY.


makio hasuike

was born in tokyo in 1938. he studied at the university of arts of tokyo'
where he graduated from in 1962. he started his career working for
seiko, designing clocks for the olympic games held in tokyo 1964.
in 1963 his career lead him to milan in italy where only a few
years later, in 1968 he founded his own studio.
today the studio makio hasuike&co covers a vast range of design,
from home appliances to graphic design, architecture, exhibition design
and furniture. clients include colombo, fiam, ariston, villeroy & boch,
franco pozzi, wmf, rubinetterie christina, gedy...
in 1982 he created a company for manufacturing bags and accessories
which carries his initials, MH-WAY.
the research and the studying of the people's requirements for
a right balance between functional aspects and aesthetic
sensitivity are the base of the philosophy of MH-WAY.

since 1995 hasuike teaches at the polytechnic of milan at the faculty
of industrial design and is one of the members of the founding
committee of the masters degree in strategic design.

his projects have won several design prizes and gained international
recognition. to mention a few, 'compasso d'oro', 'design plus' and
'triennale awards'. his works are part of the permanent collections at
the museum of modern art new york,the triennale di milano and
the industrieform museum in essen.
---
http://www.makiohasuike.com
http://www.mhway.it

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we met makio hasuike in his studio in milan 21st of october, 2005.
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what is the best moment of the day ?
maybe morning when I have just woken up,
or when I go home in the evening.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment ?
music that my daughter listens to, I wouldn’t even know
what it is. (laughs)

do you listen to the radio ?
mainly in the car.

what books do you have on your bedside table ?
a mix of books. at the moment I am reading a book by a
spanish philosopher... what is his name again...
anyway, the book is ‘dopo la passione politica’
(editor’s note: a literal translation would be ‘after the passion of
politics’, the author is josep ramoneda)
there are about ten other books.
art, antique arts, ceramics, which I like very much.
I read in little pieces, I never manage to read an entire book at once.

do you read design magazines ?
I receive about a ten a month. but I very rarely read them ,
I skim through them quikly.
they are all a bit the same.

where do you get news from? newspapers ?
newspapers yes, I read them every day when I go back home,
but also the news is always a bit the same, and politics
have become a scandalistic novel.
reading the book I mentioned before, I understand how
much politics has become a spectacle.

do you notice how women are dressing ?
do you have any preferences ?
for me ‘style’ means dressing simple and elegant.
when a woman has too much make up, jewellery etc. it scares me.
I like classics but also the more modern garments.
character is important.

what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing ?
too fashionable or sporty.
I don’t like anything which is exaggerated.

do you have any pets ?
yes, a dog.

when you were a child, did you want to be an architect ?
more than to become an architect or a designer, I wanted to
become a tram driver, but my destiny seemed that I would
become an artist. maybe because of my father, who was a
graphic designer and painter, I imagined myself as a painter too.
later reading and seeing films about artists which all died poor...
I started to doubt - why should I opt for such a tragic life?-
I always liked mathematics and science, and I thought to become
a tecnician or an engineer, but I felt that this would betrait my
artistic nature. at a certain point I resolved this dilemma by
becoming a designer.

where do you work on your designs and projects ?
I work in the studio, because it is a kind of a cage which forces
me to work. though I remember some projects done while travelling,
sometimes I manage to concentrate on work in a hotel when I am alone.
at home I don’t manage to work.

what project has given you the most satisfaction ?
a project for me is not only the result, the final object,
but I’m intrigued by the kind of decisions you’re obliged to take.
decisions that mark a path, a changing.
for example, when I started MH-WAY I tried to be distinctive,
but wanted our products not to be exaggerated.
I wanted things that were practical and simple for ‘urban nomads ',
with a minimum cost and weight, because after work, getting on
the metro with a heavy briefcase, is a burden...

your deisgns range from buildings to home appliances and
accessories, is there something you still haven’t designed
but would really like to ?
anything that comes.
designing is like eating - I always find new tastes.
I also like to work on something that I have already designed,
because when I do it again I might take a different approach
and it would become a completely new thing.

it seems you pay a lot of attention to details.
...details are important, (a long break)
details are never mere decoration: I develop them from
innovative materials by using modern technologies.
sometimes I would like to finalize all of them, but in many cases
I am not satisfied with them at all. (laughs)

did you design your ideal house for yourself ?
I have always dreamed about my own ‘perfect’ house,
(long break) which I have never had.
now, since 4 years, we are building a house that could get
very close to this ideal. but I noticed that when I concentrate
too much on it, at the end don’t want it anymore like this (laughs)...
maybe I’m looking for an empty space, and I can continue to dream,
which might be the house that most suits me.

who would you like to design something for ?
... I am not so determined here either, what comes I do.
I cannot decide against something that is bigger than me
- against destiny. one thing that gives me a lot of satisfaction
is that my life is not like my original idea was.
everything has come out in a strange way.
this strangenes I like a lot.
I look at my own life like I look at a film, and probably
I am not the director (laughs).

do you discuss your work with architects and designers ?
I would like to, but this is very rare.
it doesnt happen much, not even ten times a year.
of course there is a lot of discussion in our office or with my clients.
I teach and I started partly to be-able to discuss about projects.

describe your style, like a good friend of yours would
describe it.
well, how I would like it to be ...
my design should be part of nature, non violent, no disharmony,
sometimes invisible.

please describe an evolution in your work,
from your first projects to the present day.
like I have said, if I had to do every project again I would love to do so
and the outcome would be very different. I came to italy because
a certain discontinuity fascinates me.
I’m interested not only in a partial change of a project,
but to change the entire way of thinking every time.

is there any designer and/or architect from the past,
you appreciate a lot?
this also changes a lot, I looked a lot to europe -
scandinavia, germany, italy...
and the americans - eames, saarinen, nelson...
today I would like to have the eames chair.
isamu noguchi makes me think a lot.

and those still active, are there any particular ones
you appreciate?
too many.

any advice for the young ?
one has to have a strong passion for this work and it needs a
certain amount of sane ambition because you have to work a lot.
quantity is part of the quality.
one has to have an abundance of energy.

what are you afraid of regarding the future?
more than afraid I am very dis-pleased about getting old.
life is so interesting that it should be twice as long.





makio hasuike
© designboom



‘zip’ bag for MH–WAY, 2005



‘arabica’ portfolio case for MH-WAY, 1996



‘topstar’ cooking utensils for WMF, 1995



‘zoom’ carrying tube for MH-WAY, 1986
a specific design created to keep different sizes of drawings.
you can unwind it to the size it needs to be.



‘impronta’ backpack for MH–WAY, 1985
the egg-shaped lycra backpack is using a support structure
originally developed for bra cups.



‘piuma’, for MH-WAY, 1983
portfolio case made in extruded polypropylene,
a light, durable and affordable solution.



waste basket, for gedy, 1977



toilet brush, for gedy, 1977









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