In case you missed it, Tokujin Yoshioka was honored as Designer of the Year 2011 by German design and interiors magazineA&W Architektur & Wohnen. He was honored at this year's imm cologne fair which included a survey of his work over the past decade exhibited at the Kölnische Kunstverein until January 23rd. In the designer's own words, "The exhibition is a retrospective of the past ten years, which displays the products from collaborations with furniture companies. The space is designed based on the image of the past installation CLOUDS, presented in 2003 at Salone del Mobile.The products from the past appear one after the other as the viewers passed through the fog as if memories are recalled."

Asked about the use of white and transparency in his work, Tokujin replies, "I am drawn to simple and iconic formless elements that evoke people's emotion. For example, diamonds and crystals obtain their appearance when the light shines on them. I am not intending to design only with white, nor transparent, yet all those elements of beauty, which has been resonant with my own sensation and cultivated inside me, might be appearing on my work as these colors."

Check out the video of Tokujin's work here!