Kentaro's visit to Western Australia.

Artist Kentaro Yoshida has been collaborating with OTIS for more than a decade now. No stranger to travel, he’s been all over the world, including having two ‘homes’ – Japan and Sydney. One place he’d never been, however, is OTIS’s birthplace of Western Australia. 

So, as part of our recent photoshoot for the Kentaro’s x OTIS Collection, we thought it fitting to fly him over for a little Yallingup hospitality. As soon as he got off the plane, Kenny noticed that it’s a whole different world on this side of the country.

“It just feels different,” Kenny says. “The air. It feels like overseas. Then you get to the ocean and it’s this amazing turquoise. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

We explored some of our favourite places, took Ken to a few secret local spots, and showed him the native Melaleuca trees which he used as a reference for his latest collection designs. The traditional food and beverage drive also took centre stage, culminating in a trip to Beerfarm where Kenny was booked in to create a new mural. For three days he worked in the blazing WA sun, fighting the flies, pulling together his unique brand of colour, detail and imagination. 

“The guys from Beerfarm treated me really well,” says Kenny. “They were just really excited every day, seeing me painting and watching everything progress.”

“It was a pleasure hosting Kentaro and the OTIS crew,” adds Venue Manager Jack Leonard. “He’s added an amazing piece of art to the legacy of the Beerfarm here.”

 

 

Everything came together brilliantly, with Ken even somehow managing to wrap the mural seamlessly around a downpipe that sat in the way of the wallspace. It’s that kind of keen eye for detail that makes Kentaro so great at what he does, and why we love him so much at OTIS.

 

 

For a piece of his art you can wear this summer, check out the full Kentarto Yoshida x OTIS collection. 

 

Or, to follow Kenny’s work, find the man himself on Instagram here.