Setsu & Shinobu Ito

What Setsu & Shinobu Ito does

Setsu & Shinobu Ito is a Milan-based, Japanese-Italian industrial design studio founded in 2000 by its two namesake principals. The firm operates a pure B2B model, designing furniture, lighting, tableware, and textiles that are manufactured and commercialized by third-party licensees rather than produced in-house. Headcount is approximately 5, with the principals also holding academic positions at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST).

The studio's product surface spans residential and commercial furniture (e.g., pieces for Riva 1920, Edra, Poltrona Frau, Giorgetti, Desiree, Lago), interactive/sensor-integrated furniture (NE.MU.RI line with Aisin, incorporating automotive-grade weight-shift detection and LED lighting), lighting, textiles (TAO Tessile), and tableware (Guzzini). More recently the studio extended into inclusive design with the IKOO stair lift developed in collaboration with RCAST.

The business model is licensing and royalty-based: the studio earns design fees and ongoing royalties from a network of more than 30 manufacturing partners across Europe and Japan. There are no direct-to-consumer sales, no disclosed external funding, and no disclosed revenue. Brand equity is supported by awards including the Red Dot Best of the Best (2016), Compasso d'Oro, and IAUD (2023), and by placement in permanent collections at the Triennale Design Museum Milan and Die Neue Sammlung Munich.

Name

Setsu & Shinobu Ito

Legal name

Studio I.T.O Design

Website

https://studioito.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Setsu & Shinobu Ito is a Milan-based Japanese-Italian industrial design studio founded in 2000, licensing furniture, lighting, tableware, and textile designs to a network of 30+ manufacturing partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Design Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420), Interior Design Services (54141), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Household Furniture (2510)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Industrial design services
• Furniture design licensing
• Product design studio
• Tableware and lighting design
• Material innovation design

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Design Licensing and Royalty Agreements: Setsu & Shinobu Ito design furniture and products for established manufacturers. The studio receives licensing fees or royalties for their designs which are then manufactured and sold globally by partners such as Riva 1920, Desiree, Fiam Italia, Edra, Poltrona Frau, Aisin, Giorgetti, Lago, and others. Each product page shows the manufacturer partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Setsu & Shinobu Ito (Studio I.T.O Design) is an industrial design studio that creates original furniture, tableware, lighting, textile, packaging, and architectural element designs. The studio licenses its designs to established manufacturers including Riva 1920, Edra, Poltrona Frau, Giorgetti, Fiam Italia, Desiree, and Aisin, who handle production and global distribution. The studio generates revenue through licensing fees and royalties on these designs rather than manufacturing products itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IKOO Stair Lift Device Stair lift device for historical buildings that supports inclusive and universal design, developed for joint commercial-academic partners.
• ILY-I Movable Armchair Armchair-type personal mobility device with battery-powered mobility, designed for licensed production by Aisin.
• NE.MU.RI Sofa Interactive sofa with built-in sensors that detect weight shift and trigger seat lighting, designed for Aisin.
• NE.MU.RI Bed Interactive bed with built-in sensors for weight and movement detection, designed for Aisin.
• BOOTAMP Furniture System Modular furniture system constructed from Ductal lightweight cement for interior and exterior use.
• OPS Sofa Module-type sofa bench fabricated from DuPont Corian, produced for DuPont Corian.
• YU Armchair World's first plastic two-tone molded armchair made via rotational molding, produced for Felicerossi.
• NA Side Table Plastic two-tone molded side table with storage using rotational molding technology, produced for Felicerossi.
• TRE RE Sofa Sculptured stainless steel sofa expressing three structural forces.
• NU Armchair and Sofa Series Series of compact armchairs and sofas with a dual-character design language, produced for Felicerossi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple products selected for permanent collections at Triennale Design Museum Milan, Die Neue Sammlung Munich, and major international exhibitions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Riva 1920coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing multiple collections designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito including Animal Collection, MA, HEBI, USAKO, PANDA, TATSU, WAN, NEKO, GURURI, MIYA, KU'KI TABLE, OOKI TABLE, and WABI SIDEBOARD. The partnership has been active since at least 2018.
• DesireecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing extensive collections including KARIN sofa, KARIN outdoor, SHELLON collection, DABLIU collection, SYON series, NEMU, IMAE, TOMO, SABI, GRADE', ALASIA, STUM, WING ARMCHAIR, and LE MIDI.
• Fiam ItaliacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian glass furniture manufacturer producing INORI library, SHINTO extension dining table, TRIBECA table, TOKI side table, KAMY chair, and KIGHI products.
• AisincoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerJapanese automotive parts manufacturer producing NE.MU.RI interactive bed and sofa, SU E GIU' bed collection, TORTA workstation, and ILY-I movable armchair designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• EdracoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing AU sofa collection designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito, first shown at Milan Salone 2003.
• Poltrona FraucoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian luxury furniture manufacturer producing BINA chair and SAKU table designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• GiorgetticoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing KIRI furniture collection designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• LagocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing KINOKI furniture series including table, stool, and chair designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• DuPont CoriancoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMaterial manufacturer for OPS sofa and SULA outdoor furniture series designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito using Corian material technology.
• The University of Tokyo RCASTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with The University of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. Both Setsu Ito and Shinobu Ito hold academic positions as Project Professor and Project Associate Professor respectively in the Advanced Art Design Field. Joint research projects include IKOO stair lift device with Daido Kogyo and inclusive design research.
• Grassi PietremajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian stone manufacturer producing IZUMI fountain, KONOHA stool, FROTTAGE collection including table and chaise longue, and MUTABLE SPIRIT armchair.
• GuzzinimajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian manufacturer producing tableware and objects including FUTAGO dish, ANIMAL espresso cups, FLOWER espresso cups, LOVE series, SPOT clock, and other table accessories.
• NAVAmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian brand producing desk accessories and stationery including HOW collection, HOW PAD (Good Design Award winner), SHINE PAD, BICLIP, FOLD NOTEL, PROTECT POCKET, and other accessories.
• FornasarigmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing SWA CELL and SWA LOUNGE collections combining traditional Friuli woodworking with Japanese design aesthetics, and TAKI chair.
• Sawaya & MoronimajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing ZAZEN, VOW, FULLER, ICY sofas and the MAZDA DESIGN COLLECTION.
• Slow WoodmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian wood furniture manufacturer producing COCOCI SOFA, ENN TABLE, ENN CHAIR, MORI SCREEN, and MAJI SYSTEM office furniture.
• AdrenalinamajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian manufacturer producing MAJI SYSTEM and MAJI OFFICE SYSTEM modular furniture designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• FelicerossimajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian furniture manufacturer producing TA table, NU armchair/sofa, YU chair (world's first two-tone molded armchair), FLOW sofa, and related seating.
• IllulianmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian manufacturer producing TSUKUROI, ORIGAMI MIX, and Flying Gru rug collections designed by Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• TAO TessilemajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerItalian textile manufacturer producing URBA collection of technical fabrics for roller blinds and panels including VOLO, FIREWORKS, CUBES, FLOWERS, PIZZI, and OPTICAL designs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Piero Lissoni: Milan-based industrial designer and architect licensing furniture and product designs to premium Italian manufacturers including Cassina, B&B Italia, Living Divani, and Porro. Same licensing-driven business model and same Milan design-studio category.
• Philippe Starck: French industrial designer with prolific B2B licensing across furniture (Cassina, Kartell, Driade), consumer goods, and hospitality. Comparable in prestige, brand recognition, and breadth of licensed categories, though operating at much larger scale.
• Marcel Wanders: Dutch industrial designer licensing furniture and product designs to premium manufacturers including Moooi (which he co-founded), Kartell, and Cappellini. Same licensing-driven design studio model with similar award-winning prestige positioning.
• Jasper Morrison: British industrial designer licensing furniture, lighting, and product designs to manufacturers including Vitra, Cappellini, Magis, Flos, and Muji. Comparable small-studio licensing model with long-term manufacturer relationships and functional design focus.
• Patricia Urquiola: Spanish-Italian industrial designer operating Studio Urquiola in Milan with the same B2B licensing model, designing furniture for premium manufacturers including Cassina, Moroso, B&B Italia, and Cappellini. Closest peer in scale, model, and partner profile.
• Tom Dixon: British designer operating as a design-led brand with licensing and in-house manufacturing across furniture, lighting, and accessories. Comparable on the licensing-plus-own-brand model and premium positioning.
• Karim Rashid: Industrial designer with broad licensing portfolio across furniture (Artemide, BoConcept, Magis), consumer products, and packaging. Comparable B2B licensing model and prolific product output, though heavier on consumer goods than Setsu & Shinobu Ito.
• Antonio Citterio: Italian architect and industrial designer with long-running licensing relationships with premium manufacturers including B&B Italia, Maxalto, Kartell, and Flexform. Direct competitor in the Italian premium furniture licensing space.
• Ross Lovegrove: Welsh industrial designer known for organic, material-driven product design with licensing relationships including Artemide, Moroso, Vitra, and Kartell. Particularly comparable on the material-innovation dimension that Setsu & Shinobu Ito emphasize.

Emerging players

• Neri&Hu: Shanghai-based architectural and industrial design studio with licensing relationships across furniture (De Stijl, Stellar Works, Poltrona Frau, Mogg) and broader design disciplines. Comparable small-team licensing model with cross-cultural positioning analogous to Setsu & Shinobu Ito's Japan-Italy duality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/setsu-&-shinobu-ito

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Setsu & Shinobu Ito