Cooper Hewitt says...
Jurgen Lehl was a German-born designer who spent most of his life living and working in Japan. In the 1960's Lehl left Germany for Paris to avoid compulsory military service. In Paris he hoped to pursue work as a graphic designer, but was instead hired by a textile design company. Lehl’s designs eventually became so well known that he was scouted by a firm in New York. In the following years he worked in both New York and Berkeley, California. In 1971 he left the United States and moved to Japan to work as a consultant at the Japanese textile firm Asahi Kasei. In 1972 Lehl founded his first company, "Jurgen rail (Jurgen Lehl)," which in its beginning focused on textiles and later developed as a clothing brand. The Jurgen Lehl brand has since become a famous fashion house in Japan, known for its use of natural materials and dyes.
In 2005 Lehl developed his second brand, "Babaghuri," of home goods and clothing to produce environmentally friendly products with an environmental focus using only natural materials. Throughout his career Lehl was committed to using only natural materials and dyes to produce fabrics for his clothing, accessories, and decorative home goods. He resolved that these kinds of measures produced quality products which reflected on the skill of the craftsman. Indeed Lehl 's brands are well known for their subdued and elegant designs and for the use of natural materials. He continued to work and live in Tokyo until the end of his life.
