Artists like Kentaro Yoshida are few and far between.

Born and raised in Japan, but now living in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Kentaro has a singular vision of Australia- one where surf and skate culture is imagined through the illustrative style of Japanese manga. You may have already caught glimpses of his illustrations on big-name brands from Converse to Mambo, but his most recent collaboration with BONDS is the stuff of underwear legend.

As part of our Meet The Maker session with BONDS, we caught up with Kentaro for a chat about his creative process, the influence of his beachside neighbourhood, and his artistic pairing with one of Australia’s most iconic brands. Peep the full interview below.

Hi Kentaro! Congratulations on the huge collaboration with Bonds! How does it feel to be hitting stores?

Thank you! I never thought I’d work with [an] iconic Aussie brand like BONDS so I really appreciate the guys who made it happen. 

Initially, how was the project presented to you? 

Initially I got contacted from BONDS, and at the first meeting, I was told that they like the humour in my work and how it has a mix of Japanese and Australian feelings. So they gave me a theme of Australiana, from my point of view, for entire concept. I am pure Japanese (born and grew up in Japan) and I never thought I’d be asked about that theme.  

I also have lived in Sydney since I arrived in Australia, so I have local friends and know the area well. But I have only travelled the East Coast of Australia, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity to showcase my work to people from other parts of Australia where I’ve never been to.

What was the process like of deciding what type of designs would suit each piece? 

BONDS picked up on few motifs I always illustrate, such as plants and the ocean, and a few Australiana humour ideas as a flash sheet style artwork, which I often draw.  Other than that, I started sketching on paper to create some mock-up for T-shirts, as well as fun ideas for flash sheet. In general, they liked my initial sketches so the process was smooth and good fun. 

How did you feel when you first saw your illustrations on Bonds’s iconic apparel?

The print came out really good on T-shirts, and the fabric was nice too, so I was stoked. I have worked with quite a few brands and clients, and made T-shirts or merchandise. But I’ve never made underwear, so it was bit funny to see the outcome. But it come out great, so it was fun to see all of them.    

When you moved to Australia over 15 years ago, did you ever imagine you’d have a collaboration with such a renowned Australian brand? 

I was one of those drawing kids when I arrived in Australia in 2004. I drew lots of meaningless stuff and even I drew some comics in Japanese style then. But I never thought I’d live in Australia for good, and work as an illustrator and artist. And I never imagined I’d work with BONDS either, so there are lots of surprises for sure. 

Imagine yourself walking down the Manly Corso on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. In the corner of your eye, you spot a bunch of teens all decked out in Bonds X Kentaro pieces. How does that make you feel? 

I spent fair bit of time in Manly and I was skating around Corso Street every day when I was 18, so it’d definitely be a mixed feeling of surprised and stoked if I saw teens wearing them.  

Time flies, but it was a great decision for me to come to Australia, and I am glad that I could overcome a few turning points and tough times to keep living overseas. I hope everyone likes my work and enjoys my humour and perspective of living by the beach in Australia.