Owa Yurika

Clothes for children who climb trees

Yuki and Yuriko Oshima, a Japanese mother-daughter duo based in London, were launching a children’s wear brand that sat in open space on the market map. Positioned between the heritage luxury houses (Gucci Kids, Burberry Kids) and the directional independents (Caramel, Bonpoint), Owa Yurika needed to feel sophisticated and clean without losing warmth. The name itself, 欧和, translates as “Europe and Japan.” The brand had a philosophy, a price point, and garments already in development. What it lacked was a visual identity that could hold all of it together.

The positioning was clear: directional, functional, effortless. Japanese aesthetics meets London cool. The clothes were designed for children who climb trees in well-cut trousers — quality fabrics, multifunctional tailoring, nothing fussy. The identity had to carry the same discipline. Most luxury children’s wear brands lean either precious or overtly playful. Owa Yurika needed a third register: considered and distinct, with room for humour.

The logotype went through a long process of exploration. Early studies pushed into brutalist, almost punk territory, bold and confrontational. Dozens of variations were drawn, the OWA letterforms redrawn across grids, testing weight, density and attitude. From there the work moved through rounds of distillation. Each iteration stripped away mass and gained clarity, until the mark arrived at three geometric forms (a circle, an angular W, a chevron) reduced to single-weight strokes with plenty of air around them. Where the explorations had been aggressive and blunt, the final mark is calm and delicate.

The broader type system pairs Futura for headlines, set uppercase with generous tracking, and Avenir for body copy: two geometric sans-serifs from different eras, related but doing different jobs. The colour language paired softer neutrals with bold vivids, echoing the garments themselves. Every element was designed to travel cleanly between a Harvey Nichols shop floor, an Isetan Tokyo concession, and a Shopify storefront.

Owa Yurika launched with stockists including Harvey Nichols London, Kids 21 Singapore and Hong Kong, and Isetan Tokyo. The brand now serves ages 3 to 14 across English and Japanese markets — a bilingual, cross-cultural presence the identity was built to support from the start.

Year

2018

Client

Owa Yurika (欧和)

Founders

Yuki & Yuriko Oshima

Sector

Luxury sustainable children’s wear

Role

Brand identity, logo, visual expression

Markets

London & Japan — English and Japanese

Website

owayurika.com

Each shape in the OWA mark doubles as a building block the fashion designers could graft directly onto the garments — the circle reappearing as oversized pockets on a coat, the chevron as a triangular yoke across dresses and shirts. The logo became a system, a shared geometric vocabulary that lets each collection carry the brand’s DNA in the cut of the fabric itself.

An identity built to move between a London flagship and a Japanese stockist. Product photography © Owa Yurika, reproduced with permission.

Owa Yurika business cards.

Owa Yurika — grid of logotype variations exploring weight and depth — Mark studies. The Owa Yurika monogram explored across a grid of variations.

Owa Yurika — the OWA mark resolved as a clean 3D lockup — What started as an exploration into the playful, chaotic world of a child gradually distilled into a calm mark that carries what the brand stands for.

Owa Yurika — monochrome portrait with a single red mark, dated 2015 — What started as an exploration into the playful, chaotic world of a child gradually distilled into a calm mark that carries what the brand stands for.

Owa Yurika — process drawings and studies — Process drawings and studies.

Owa Yurika — Yamato coat, the circle of the mark reappearing as oversized pockets — The three forms of the OWA mark (circle, W, chevron) double as design elements in the garments: oversized pockets, triangular yokes.

Owa Yurika — Heather shirt, the chevron of the mark as a triangular yoke — The three forms of the OWA mark (circle, W, chevron) double as design elements in the garments: oversized pockets, triangular yokes.

Owa Yurika — Yurika dress, chevron yoke carrying the mark — The logo lives in the clothing, as an extension of the brand’s ethos.

Owa Yurika — Yurika dress, pleated silhouette — The logo lives in the clothing, as an extension of the brand’s ethos.