Design Magazine "AXIS" Vol. 237 Released July 1st! Featuring Martin Margiela and Ettore Sottsass

AXIS Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Mitsuhiro Shimazaki), publisher of the design magazine "AXIS," released vol. 237 on July 1, 2026 (Wed). This issue focuses on Martin Margiela and Ettore Sottsass. The COVER STORY delves into Margiela's present, who continues to create even after retiring from the fashion world and is embarking on a new chapter as an artist, through a valuable, latest interview. Furthermore, we feature Ettore Sottsass, a master who shook the design world in the latter half of the 20th century. We trace his practices across products, furniture, and architecture, exploring the scope of design that continues to question us today.

COVER STORY Martin Margiela

For me, the unexpected is essential and highly stimulating. I am irritated by the obvious.

Martin Margiela is always creating something. It is said that the boy, born into a family of barbers, made costumes for Barbie dolls from childhood. Upon entering art school in his teens, he learned various techniques necessary for creation, and at Maison Martin Margiela, founded in 1988, he deconstructed fashion and completely rewrote the subsequent language of mode. Even during the "silent decade" after retiring from the fashion world in 2008, Margiela is said to have been engrossed in art production alone in his atelier day and night. Now, Margiela is drawing a line under his story as a designer and is about to move into a new chapter as an artist. Where does he come from, and where is he going?

Feature Ettore Sottsass — Aesthetics of Deviation

From innovative products to the bold furniture of Memphis, and from architecture to drawings. Ettore Sottsass was a designer and architect who left a vivid mark on the design of the latter half of the 20th century. For him, design was not merely "things" but the very act of shaping human ways of living and perceiving the world. His practice, which brought back a sense of symbolism, playfulness, and even prayer into his work, continues to ask us "what to design" even today. This feature traces its endless scope.

When I Was Very Young, 1973 Text by Ettore Sottsass

In the early 1970s, Sottsass, feeling the limitations of corporate design and functionalism, believed that the core of the design he sought lay in "primal memories" that transcended rationality and functionality. He began to write down his childhood memories as fragmented words. What did the young boy feel in South Tyrol, where the cultures of Italy and Germany, where he spent his childhood, intersected, in a "world that was not a single culture"?

From Rationalism to Sensibility: Reading the Evolution of Sottsass's Thought

The portable typewriter "Valentine" with its vivid red casing—this product, which greatly changed the concept of typewriters, was designed by Ettore Sottsass in Italy in the late 1960s with the concept of "a tool that users would cherish and want to carry around." However, his thinking was not always consistent; it gradually shifted from an early interest in rationalism to the intersection of function and symbolism seen in his collaboration with Olivetti, and further to strong colors and bold forms symbolized by "Superbox" and "Carlton." Guided by the insights of Nagisa Sugimoto, curator at the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, who was in charge of the exhibition "Ettore Sottsass — When Magic Begins, Design is Born," we aim to decipher the evolution of Sottsass's thought.

Reminiscence Dialogue: Michele De Lucchi × Alberto Alessi "Ettore Sottsass, the Master of Freedom"

Ettore Sottsass, a giant of 20th-century design. Michele De Lucchi, who spent intense time with him at Memphis, and Alberto Alessi, who co-created numerous products with him at Alessi, speak about his true nature. Days of imitation, invitations to travel, discomfort with postmodernism, and the cultural responsibility of corporations. What emerges from the memories of these two is the figure of a "master" who showed the future more through his way of life than his works.

Exceptional Foundations as a Designer Naoto Fukasawa Speaks About Ettore Sottsass

Naoto Fukasawa once had the opportunity to present his design philosophy in front of Sottsass. Sottsass's designs, characterized by rich colors and passionate forms, might seem to be at the opposite pole from Fukasawa's design philosophy at first glance. However, Fukasawa expresses great respect for him. While their styles differ, he delves into the depths of Sottsass's thought, resonating with someone who has mastered the essence of design.

Learning from Sottsass Today Naoki Sato, Tatsuhiro Sekisaka, Olympia Zaniri, Ultra Studio, Yuko Oshima, Bethan Laura Wood, Rio Kobayashi, Kazuhisa Horikiri

How do Ettore Sottsass's works, activities, and underlying philosophy connect to contemporary design? We gathered voices from people connected to Sottsass, such as a gallerist dealing with Memphis works, a design coordinator living in a house designed by Sottsass, and stakeholders in local industries, as well as designers, architects, and illustrators who say they were greatly influenced by him. Ten different portraits of Sottsass emerge.

Contents

COVER STORY Martin Margiela

Feature Ettore Sottsass — Aesthetics of Deviation

A Sottsass con Amore

When I Was Very Young, 1973 Text by Ettore Sottsass

From Rationalism to Sensibility: Reading the Evolution of Sottsass's Thought

Landscapes with Metaphors—Exploring Sottsass's Visual Thinking

Reminiscence Dialogue: Michele De Lucchi × Alberto Alessi "Ettore Sottsass, the Master of Freedom"

In the Whirlwind of Milan Text by Kazuko Sato

The Joy of Form and Color—Sottsass's Architecture Text by Taro Igarashi

Exceptional Foundations as a Designer Naoto Fukasawa Speaks About Ettore Sottsass

Learning from Sottsass Today Naoki Sato, Tatsuhiro Sekisaka, Olympia Zaniri, Ultra Studio, Yuko Oshima, Bethan Laura Wood, Rio Kobayashi, Kazuhisa Horikiri

SCOPE

Unknown sensations emerging from a microscopic perspective. The power of design presented by Haruka Misawa in Milan.

Series

Ambience

The day I was born, you weren’t born yet. Kai Yokoyama

LEADERS

Maria Porro (President of Salone del Mobile.Milano)

Sci-Tech File

Astrobioogy Unravels the Origin of Life and the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life Keiichiro Fujisaki

From a Single Piece

Folding Armchair 4820 (1979) Sakura Nomiyama

Practitioners in Africa

Meilin Rocco (Architectural Scientist, Designer, Artist) Makiko Nakata

Design of Decision Making

New Value Created by "Collectives" / Building Environments that Drive Individual Decisions Shunsuke Ishikawa (KESIKI)

Ancient Creativity

Tropical Artistry "Gunung Kawi" and "House of Masks and Puppets" Chihiro Minato Designer’s Eye Small Joys Yuri Himuro Poetic Engineering Exercises

The Phenomenon of This World Shohei Takei (nomena)

The Beginning of Beginnings

Someone to Cheer For Haruka Misawa

Creator's Navi

Shun Sasaki, Thale Berger Holmeback, Alvin Citrowilljoh, Haruka Shoji

Design Magazine "AXIS" vol.237 summer

Release Date: July 1, 2026 Language: Japanese-English Bilingual

Format: A4 variant (274 x 210mm) Price: 2,500 yen (tax included) Published by: AXIS Inc.

About Purchasing

Purchase Online

Subscription

Purchase at Bookstores: Available at major bookstores nationwide. If not in stock at your local store, it can be ordered.

About "AXIS" Design Magazine

Launched with the opening of the design hub "AXIS" in 1981, it offers a unique editorial perspective distinct from general magazines, featuring original special features, bilingual editing, and high-quality layouts. The trust, network, and editorial capabilities cultivated since its launch have earned high support from creative professionals, particularly designers involved in service and product development, and opinion leaders with influence in society.

On July 1, 2024, it underwent a major renewal for a new phase. The publication frequency will shift from bimonthly to quarterly, offering content with deeper insights and greater depth.

AXIS Media Membership

Back Numbers of "AXIS" Design Magazine

AXIS Inc.

Since its founding in 1981, AXIS Inc. has been based at the "AXIS" design hub in Roppongi, Tokyo, continuously pursuing the possibilities of design in life and society. Currently, in addition to various design promotion activities for consumers, companies, and organizations, it practices design development in all fields.

Company Name: AXIS Inc. Location: 5-17-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Established: February 1, 1981 President & CEO: Mitsuhiro Shimazaki Corporate Site: https://www.axisinc.co.jp/

[Business Activities] ■Design Development Planning and production of branding (CI, VI), graphic design, product design, space design, web design, interaction design, etc. ■Planning and production of advertising, promotion, and sales promotion. ■Consulting Business Design consulting, urban/space development consulting, brand consulting. ■Media Business Editing, publishing, event planning. ■Operation of Directly Managed Stores ■Car Brand Merchandising Business Product planning and development, creative production. ■Gallery Operation and Planning ■Building Space Provision Building leasing, management, and operation.

[Business Sites] AXIS Web https://www.axismag.jp/ AXIS Media Membership https://membership.axismag.jp/ AXIS Font https://www.axisfont.com/ Design Hub "AXIS" https://center.axisinc.co.jp/ AXIS design https://design.axisinc.co.jp/ Living Motif https://www.livingmotif.com/ Le Garage https://www.legarage.jp/