Hiroshi Kajimoto
Hiroshi Kajimoto (b. 1955, Takarazuka) is a Japanese product designer who graduated from Tama Art University's Department of Three-Dimensional Design in 1979 and began his career at Sharp Corporation before founding Kajimoto Design Office in 1991. He is best known for UnBRELLA, an inverted umbrella where the frame sits on the outside so the wet surface folds inward, a design that took roughly a decade from concept to commercialization and won the PVC Design Award 2015 Grand Prize. His work is defined by "reverse thinking" (逆転の発想), a philosophy of questioning long-standing assumptions about everyday objects and re-engineering them to solve entrenched practical frustrations. Other notable designs include the Tana-pin shelf peg system and Paper Tsubo repurposed bottles, all born from observing daily inconveniences. He collaborates closely with h concept and its +d product line, and his work has been featured in Designboom, AXIS, and NHK
