Motoki Yoshio | Who is the Milan-based Japanese designer behind the Special C68 Colnago livery

Motoki Yoshio is an independent professional designer based in Milan. He was born in Japan, in 1975. Some years later, in 1997, he moved to Italy, where he developed his artistic and professional personality. He graduated from IED Turin in 2001 and obtained the Masters in Transportation-Interface Design at the IED in Madrid an Turin the following year. During his career he has collaborated with numerous companies and design studios, starting from Pininfarina in 2002. Then, he was dispatched to Motorola in Miami from 2005 to 2006. In 2011 he opened his own design studio which is involved in Product and Transportation Design.

During his work experience, he met the bicycle universe several times. Firstly he encountered helmet design, collaborating with Kask, a company based in Italy, which deals with the development, design and construction of high quality safety helmets. Then, his professional road crossed Fizik, one of the leading companies in the cycling sector thanks to the production of shoes, dumbbell ribbons and saddles, characterised by a unique attention to detail and engineering. It was on saddles that he gave his main contribution.

Motoki’s helmet design portfolio is made up of 4 projects handled with Kask: Utopia, Mojito, Mojito 3 and Kask Khimera. While the first three are road cycling helmets, the last one is for skiing. Kask Utopia has aerodynamics at the forefront of its design, with ventilation also as a key factor considered during its development. The Mojito helmet, instead, is one of the historical models offered by Kask. Motoki had the chance to contribute both to the first model as well as to the Mojito3, the latest version. Thanks to its design, this helmet allows the rider to stay cool, thanks to an optimised ventilation system, designed to increase airflow. The Colnago C68 x Motoki is the latest design project in the cycling universe for Motoki Yoshio. A precise work of art, where the C-series’ heritage and the overall harmony needed to be respected carefully.