Founder / CEO & Creative Director, suzusan

Born in Nagoya, Japan, in 1982, Hiroyuki Murase is a fifth-generation successor to his family's legacy of Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori, a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique with over 400 years of history. After studying art in Düsseldorf, Germany, he founded suzusan in 2008, bringing traditional Japanese craftsmanship into dialogue with contemporary design.

Today, Murase works between Düsseldorf and Arimatsu, Japan, connecting the knowledge and skills of Japanese artisans with an international creative perspective. Through fashion, textiles, and interior design, suzusan explores new possibilities for traditional techniques while addressing the challenges of preserving craftsmanship, revitalizing local communities, and building sustainable forms of production.

Murase's work goes beyond creating beautiful objects. It raises fundamental questions about how cultural heritage can remain relevant in a rapidly changing world and how creativity and entrepreneurship can help traditions evolve rather than simply preserve them.