Tokyo born and raised, Maki found inspiration in the exotic handcrafted arts of Japan, establishing her affinity for the intricate beauty of couture. Maki studied fashion design at Tokyo’s renowned Bunka Fashion College in the footsteps of an earlier graduate, Yoji Yamamoto. Issey Miyake recognized Maki’s craftsmanship and avant-garde imagination when he twice selected her for the highest merit fashion prize in Bunka’s prestigious, nomination-only design competition. In 2003, following a study of printmaking at the National Academy School of Fine Arts in New York City, she merged her work as an artist in New York, with her savvy devotion to textiles to launch her eponymous brand, Maki Yamamoto Textiles.