Story & Lesson Highlights with Yuh Okano of Chestertown MD

Yuh Okano shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Yuh, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Juggling multiple tasks like balls in midair, catching each one as it falls and clearing them off one after another. And before you know it, it’s the middle of the night.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Yuh Okano creates fiber art and textile wearable based in Chestertown, Maryland. She began her career in 1995 and celebrates her 30th anniversary this year. Her deep interest in the natural world serves as the source of her work, expressing each fleeting moment through delicate patterns, colors, shapes, and textures. Before moving to the U.S., she taught for seven years at a textile design school in Tokyo, developing technical expertise in fibers, textiles, and all aspects of processing. She also honed her weaving skills in one of Japan’s major textile production areas and participated in a weaving group. Building on the foundation of Kiryu City’s globally renowned precision craftsmanship and attention to detail, she established a textile design production and sales company in 2000.

Centered on shibori dyeing techniques, she creates layered, flowing fabrics with colors reminiscent of undulating seas and rich textures. Aiming to fuse art and craft, she participates in numerous fashion designer exhibitions and craft fairs, expanding the possibilities of her work. Since 1998, those “Epidermis Shiori series” has been selected as a representative work of the artist in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. https://www.moma.org/artists/23267

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I have vague memories from around age three, already being conscious of my appearance and comparing myself to others. My sensitivity to choosing beautiful things had already begun.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
In my early twenties, I had someone I promised to marry. I believed marriage meant never parting ways, as if that were how the whole world worked. Yet before we could marry, I parted ways with that person all too easily. Was it my own pain, or the stares of others that hurt? I was too young to understand. And to mask that pain, to find a substitute to overcome it, I sought something else. It was there I learned how to create art that draws out the voice of the heart. And I learned that every person is alone, and even if suffering arises, we possess the strength to overcome it on our own. Now, at sixty, that remains true, yet I also deeply feel how fortunate I am to be living with the help of family and friends, and to have been blessed with such grateful encounters.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
We all experience different ways within ourselves, and we never share completely identical feelings or thoughts with others.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
The memories within me and the memories of those who knew me will remain. My body will remain until I die. That’s all.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photographer / Bunsei Matsuura, Theo Coulombe and Paul Henley Jr., Model / Tsukasa Fujita, Hatsumi, Rino Oshima and Barbara Slocum

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