2016/Arita has originated from previous cooperation between Scholten&Baijings and porcelain manufacturer Momota Touen. Together with Teruhiro Yanagihara, they selected for this new collection sixteen international designers, who were each linked to a local craftsman. During a two-year period, research was done and products were developed. The Netherlands is represented in the project by Scholten&Baijings, Studio Wieki Somers, Christien Meindertsma and Kirstie van Noort.

Scholten & Baijings and Teruhiro Yanagihara linked sixteen designers to craftsmen from the Japanese porcelain village Arita. This resulted in sixteen collections surrounding the ritual of coffee and tea drinking, each characterised by a careful balance between contemporary design and the traditional Japanese language of form. This project goes beyond the creation of products: it ensures the preservation of the craft, the exchange of knowledge, and revaluation of traditional manufacturing processes. 2016/Arita scores highly in the field of aesthetics, while the realisation lends it significant added value.