The new year is traditionally a time to make resolutions, both personal and professional. Promotions or roles in leadership within a company are common goals, and while the idea of starting a business is becoming more popular, it’s not often pursued. It requires courage and persistent effort to achieve such a dream, but if the right people come along and the opportunity presents itself, you just have to take a leap of faith and make your move. Ji-lin Hsu, director/designer of Blue on Blue, is a firm believer of that. The Saint Maur graduate was a fine arts major in Montreal and went on to study in London where she fell in love with spacial design.
Upon returning to Japan, Hsu worked at a design firm before she transitioned into a freelance career. She found herself at the helm of a project back at Saint Maur to upcycle the wooden floor of the school gym which was getting torn down. Hsu reached out to some of the craftsmen she previously worked with on a preschool she designed, and collaborated with a business partner/fellow Saint Maur graduate to create furniture out of the gym floor. This particular project led to a backpack collection named Kobalt that launched in February this past year, marking the genesis of Blue on Blue. The title of director was not something Hsu sought after or expected, but as the opportunity fell in her lap she simply took it. According to her close friend, Elina Mitsuhashi, she was a natural leader in her youth. “She was always team captain at school and she really stood out,” recalls Mitsuhashi. “Everybody knew her, both the younger and older students.”
Hsu comes from a family of creatives. She credits her father for training her to have an eye for detail and always taking her to art museums as a child. Her older sister is a talented artist who had some influence on her shift of focus from sports to art. As a child, she watched her mother study interior design, which later inspired her to pursue spatial design.
Growing up in Japan to Taiwanese parents who also grew up in Japan, Hsu initially struggled to find her place in society, but eventually overcame her identity crisis. She used her international and bilingual background to her advantage, developing an appreciation for diversity and respect for Japanese tradition. Hsu’s products are innovative, stylish, yet practical, and true to tradition. She aims to meld the old and new, and to maintain the tradition of skilled Japanese craftsmanship. In addition to being a director/designer, Hsu is a mother of two, and often gains inspiration from her children–the washi paper project she’s currently working on is one of them. Hsu hopes to expand Blue on Blue in the future, to open up a studio and maintain Yokohama as her base. “Yokohama is home to me,” Hsu says. “I need peace of mind in order to create something from the heart, and I know that I can do that here.”