In Search of a Beautiful Blend of Materials and Forms

Osamu Fujiki, an expert fabricator with Mazda’s design team, creates new value by using different materials to show off the beautiful forms that are the foundation of interior cabin design. As he works with the ever more beautiful and innovative forms, he gives a unique aesthetic identity to the cabin space through an ingenious mix of elegance and playfulness. With his stitching expertise, Fujiki gives a new edge of beauty to products.

Giving Character to a Form through the Combination of Materials

Expert fabricators make realistic models using a wide variety of materials. Fujiki is an expert at producing fabric and leather interior parts in particular. “It is first and foremost important to create the form wanted by the designer,” Fujiki says. “And then, I make adjustments to show off the beauty of the materials while exchanging ideas with the designer. In this way, I can create an expressive design that is distinct to Mazda.”

When deciding on the surface design to adopt, Fujiki prepares dozens of real samples for comparison. “A slight difference in the seam location, for example, would make a big difference in the impression it creates,” he explains. “We can’t make a decision unless we produce real samples.”

Bringing Satisfaction to Users through the Passion of Creators

Fujiki describes the process of using fabrics and leather to add an expressive texture to a form designed with meticulous care and attention as an effort to unite the passions of various people, “The seat design, for example, is decided after much trial and error,” he says. “I’m proud of realizing my stitching work such that the passion of all the people involved in this process can be rewarded.”

The surfaces of the seats and the steering wheel are places of direct contact between the car and its occupants. “I want people to think, ‘This is good,’ when they see and touch those parts,” Fujiki says. “I want them to feel Mazda’s devotion to design. If they do, I believe they will feel the joy of driving and love their cars all the more.” Fujiki says that’s exactly why he rigorously checks the quality of the materials and the stitching work.

Bringing Satisfaction to Users through the Passion of Creators

To create innovative designs, Fujiki says it is important to have an open mind. “From time to time, the designer comes to me and asks, ‘Do you have any new ideas?’ So, I make it a routine to observe works of art for new inspiration. For example, I came up with a seam design that was inspired by the hilt ornament of a Japanese sword, and ended up being adapted for a seat seam.”

Fujiki turns a conceptual idea into a form regardless of whether or not it can be used as an actual design. He says a form created in this way sometimes inspires others to create a new design. Fujiki continuously explores new concepts while exploring beautiful combinations of materials and form.

Mazda Design Creates New Products through the Harmony of Brilliant Technology and Ideas

It is essential for clay modelers to collaborate with digital modelers, who use computer software to create 3-D models. In this way, forms created through the art of sculpture can be checked with digital technology. Furthermore, the forms refined through digital technology can be further enhanced through clay modeling. Through this collaborative cycle, an attractive design that appeals to people’s hearts is turned into a tangible form. And what starts as one person’s passion, becomes energy that fuels the team as a whole, creating beauty that captures people’s hearts.