ROOTOTE×Independent Tokyo 2026

ROOTOTE, a brand specializing in tote bags, will produce and sell art tote bags for artists participating in "Independent Tokyo 2026" as an incubation project to fully support the careers of emerging artists.
The works of 33 artists will be commercialized as special collaboration tote bags, with ROOTOTE's iconic standard vertical model "TALL" serving as the canvas. This initiative aims to connect artists with society by delivering their works not just as something to "display," but as "art to carry around" in daily life.


 

■ Participating Artists
@asanomakoto., Masakane Abe, Emi Idachi, Oimy, Hiroaki Onuma, Hayato Ogura, Akiko Kasai, Saori Kashiwamura, Atsushi Kawakita, Lisa Kishida, Q-tani T-ko, Gento, Hako Shimakawa, Daman, Rino Tokito, TOYO, Toyomi Dubai, Homare Nishide, Hana Yamashita, MAMETA, Mayu Croissant, Mari Nishimura, Keita Minami, Masanori Miyachi, Takuya Miyamoto, Yamachiha, Nana Yamazaki, Riku Yamamoto, yuha, YOKOSHOW, Takayuki Yokoyama, Ruchika, REIINABA　

RT; ESKA

While inheriting the spirit of ROOTOTE (RT), the connection to the new line "ESKA" is expressed with a semicolon ";". A semicolon connects sentences while respecting their individual independence.
It symbolizes the nuanced relationship between ROOTOTE's values and the new design aesthetic created by the new line.
機能

〈Oki Sato, Chief Designer, nendo〉

Born in Canada in 1977. Completed his Master's degree in Architecture at Waseda University in 2002, and founded design office nendo in the same year. He was selected as one of Newsweek's "100 Japanese People the World Respects" and has won numerous international design awards, including the EDIDA "Designer of the Year" (2012). His representative works are collected in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art (USA) in New York. He was responsible for the Olympic cauldron for TOKYO2020 and the design of the new TGV high-speed train for France. He serves as the general producer of the Japan Government Pavilion for Expo 2025 Kansai.

Kvadrat

Founded in Denmark in 1968, Kvadrat is deeply rooted in Scandinavian design tradition. They produce high-performance design textiles, rugs, and acoustic and window covering solutions for both commercial and residential interiors.

 

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The eco-bag that you just carry around has been transformed into a tote that you can show off as part of your fashion.

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TOFU

5 sizes
2 colors
Simple Design
Self-Standing

In the early 1950s, the legendary design group Push Pin Studios was called the "origin of Pop Art." Over 200 archived works, centered on the new work "POSTERMAN" by its founder, Seymour Chwast, who is now 90 years old, have been revived using the latest digital technology. The "Push Pin Phenomenon" swept through the golden age of New York design. Now, after almost half a century, that legendary "Push Pin Style" can be enjoyed on a tote bag!

FEATURE HERE

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These designs have been reissued and reconstructed for Japanese fans, giving birth to the new brand "NORDISKA TYGER." In Swedish, "Nordiska" means "Nordic" and "Tyger" means "textiles."

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Photography dates back to the daguerreotype in 1839, but its influence on the evolution of art began even before then. From the 17th century onwards, camera obscura enabled artists to create accurate one-point perspective, helping to shift painting from religious art to naturalism and realism.

Contemporary photography has evolved from silver halide to digital and inkjet printing, transforming it into a form of "machine painting" that maximizes color and texture, creating a new aesthetic that goes beyond traditional painting and printmaking.

icon CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY is a platform for exploring the possibilities of photography as contemporary art and communicating to the world the unique visual expressions of Japanese artists who combine tradition with cutting-edge technology.

Icon Representative / Tomohide Ikeya

-Photographer-

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