ECHO Brooch

Standing before a painting in a quiet gallery — the way a certain color or brushstroke stays in the body long after leaving the room. ECHO began with the idea of carrying that sensation physically, not just as a memory but as something worn. The name refers to that resonance: the way a visual experience echoes through the senses.

ECHO is a collection of enamel brooches made in our Tokyo studio. Enamel — called shippo (七宝) in Japanese — is a technique where powdered glass is layered onto metal and fused by firing in a kiln. We use this traditional technique, but with a different approach.

Traditional enamel often uses wire outlines (called "wired enamel" or yusen shippou in Japanese) to create compartments that hold each color in place. ECHO does not use compartments. Instead, we apply glaze freely using techniques borrowed from painting — collage and dripping. Layers of color are built up one firing at a time: each time glaze is added and the piece goes back into the kiln, new depth and accidental mixing emerge. The result is a surface with physical thickness, where the layers of glaze remain visible as texture — similar to the way a painter's brushstrokes build up on canvas as material, not just as color.

Every ECHO brooch is one of a kind. The number of firings, the way colors overlap, and the unpredictable reactions inside the kiln all contribute to an expression that cannot be exactly repeated.

What makes ECHO distinctive is its sculptural dimension. These are not flat enameled surfaces — the repeated layering creates physical ridges, subtle bumps, and variations in depth. Running a finger across an ECHO brooch, the texture is immediately apparent. The surface carries warmth from the copper beneath, and the glaze has a luminous quality that shifts with the angle of light.

This tactile quality creates a connection between the piece and the person wearing it that goes beyond the visual. Bold composition and the richness that comes from a centuries-old technique — those two qualities resonate in each brooch, adding a point of character to any outfit.

The idea behind ECHO is simple: art does not need to stay on gallery walls. A small painting can live on a lapel, travel through the day, and bring color and texture into ordinary moments. The vivid glaze colors and considered forms work across any style of dress, without regard to gender or convention.