Brand Strategy & Design for Fabric Manufacturing Startup -- KOBA

KOBA is a premium eco-textile brand evolved from Kobayashi Woven, a Kyoto-based manufacturer founded in 1947. The core challenge was to reposition a legacy heritage business as a global leader in sustainable fabric innovation. The branding needed to bridge the gap between 75 years of artisanal Kyoto craftsmanship and a future-forward, 'mountain forest' philosophy, all while avoiding the visual clichés of generic sustainable branding.

I developed a 'Craft & Future' strategy that leveraged the brand's deep roots in Kyoto's mountains. The visual system pairs minimalist Swiss-inspired typography with traditional Japanese weave patterns. The identity was designed for extreme scalability—from microscopic fabric labels and ceremonial Hanko stamps to large-format OOH and high-end digital flagship interfaces. Every touchpoint reinforces KOBA’s position as the vanguard of premium, eco-conscious textiles.