Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka has distributed the following letter expressing his concern for the tsunami disaster in Japan.
"I know I am not in place to ask such thing, yet one of the thing that we can do for the people in the afflicted area is to donate for their relief and recovery. There are babies in need of milk, people who has lost their families, and houses," he writes in a letter posted on Dezeen.
He encourages the design community to show support by making a donation to the disaster relief through the American Red Cross or the Japan Red Cross Society.
He posted the following letter today on his own website:
Dear people who are in the quake-stricken area,
As I have been seeing the broadcasting reporting the news of the earthquake hit Japan on March 11th, I am truly worried about suffering people at the site, and am hurt by this overwhelming damage and heartbreaking situation.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the afflicted people, and my sincere appreciation to those who are working for the relief of the area. I am praying here that the second disaster nor the spreading of the damage would never occur.
As I have received the message from all over the world, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation for your warmest concerns.
I believe that Japan will get over and regain the vitality in this miserable situation, supported by the kind care and the warm support by all over the world. I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that the peaceful days to come to Japan.
It is time for us to think what we really can do, and I would like to get over this situation, joining hands with people around.
Tokujin Yoshioka
Born in Saga, Japan in 1967, Yoshioka worked under Shiro Kuramata in 1987 and Issey Miyake since 1988 and established his own studio in 2000. He has collaborated with various companies in and outside Japan such as Hermes, Toyota, BMW, Swarovsky, among others. Some of his most important works are displayed as a part of permanent collections in the MoMA, Georges Pompidou, V&A, Cooper-Hewitt, among others.
