May 24th, 2024
Who is Fumi?
Fumi is my grandmother’s name.
My name is Mia. I never spoke enough Japanese when she was alive to really have a conversation with her but I knew she loved me. My brother and I grew up taking turns each year to go back to Japan with my mom to see her. I loved the smell of her suitcase when she came to visit us. It took me back to the shopping arcade that housed her small jewelry-watch-clock-glasses shop. Her home was just up one extremely steep staircase to the second and third floor of the same building.
I regret not being able to speak to her. I know my mom carries some regret for not teaching me Japanese, but she chose to assimilate like many immigrants do. No hard feelings, Mom. I have the power to forge my own connections to the language and culture of my maternal ancestors. Starting Fumi is an expression of that effort. No less an influence is the culture from my pop.
My folks, Kiyo and Tom, circa the 1970s.
He was a California-raised furniture designer with mentorship roots in Spain and Mexico. He worked with my mom to create custom furniture and home design. Their hay day was in the 1970s and 80s in Los Angeles, California. They loved antiques and filled our home with all kinds of objects of interest. It encouraged a love of interior design, quality craftsmanship, and a preference for all things patina.
I, unsurprisingly, grew up to be an artist with an entrepreneurial spirit - which brings me to Fumi. At its core, it is an ode to ancestral connection, the craft of being home, and a love of the arts and their power to activate our senses, and ground us in the present.
I expect Fumi to take many forms. It will always be a work in progress. Thank you for your interest and time if you’ve made it here.
Me in the hotel room while visiting the Kochi Prefecture in 2023.