Setsu and Shinobu Ito are Japanese designers working in Italy across architecture, interiors, product and packaging design. Setsu studied at Tsukuba University and worked with Alessandro Mendini and Angelo Mangiarotti; Shinobu studied at Tama Art University and earned a master's degree at Domus Academy. Their studio, founded in 1997, received the Compasso d'Oro in 2011.
For Riva 1920 they designed the Animal Collection sculptures Hebi, Neko, Osaru, Panda, Tatsu, Usako and Wan, each carved from a single block of solid scented cedar. Several draw on the Chinese lunar calendar, Tatsu the dragon and Hebi the snake, while others take the form of a monkey, a rabbit, a panda and a Maltese dog.
