AOIRO

About AOIRO

AOIRO is an olfactory design studio founded by Shizuko Yoshikuni and Manuel Kuschnig. Their Japanese and Austrian backgrounds bring botanical knowledge into dialogue with design. Working between Berlin and Tokyo, the duo develops perfumes and atmospheric scents for international brands, cultural spaces and private settings.

Career

Yoshikuni studied plants and aromatherapy in Australia and began making bespoke compositions after returning to Tokyo in 2002. Kuschnig studied philosophy and aesthetics in Vienna and worked in graphic design before exploring scent as a design and communication medium in Tokyo in 2009. Their collaboration combines practical experience with theoretical approaches. Berlin has been the center of their life and work since 2012, while their practice continues to connect with Japan.

Creative Style and Philosophy

Their work translates materials, seasons, textures and cultural memory into olfactory atmospheres. Restraint and sensitivity shape the compositions: small changes and quiet presence matter as much as a recognizable fragrance impression. They approach smelling as an experience within a space, linking botanical knowledge to the way people encounter their surroundings. This outlook carries across their work for personal fragrance and ambient scent.

Signature Works

• *La Valse* — A perfume for La Nuit that interprets Ravel's music through familiar woods and sharp spices.
• *Hakudo Rain* — An ambient fragrance inspired by a Japanese island after rainfall, evoking damp earth, dark greenery, leaves and resins.