As co-founder of Ala CHAMP Magazine, our Editor-in-Chief Joanna Kawecki has led our design and architecture content from the magazine’s start 15 years ago, curating key stories from around the globe in both our print and digital platforms.

As a design journalist, editor and creative consultant, her curiosity has driven her passion for story-telling and her curated focus on Japanese craft, design and architecture.

Based in Tokyo for 12 years, Joanna previously lived in London, Paris and Melbourne before calling Japan home. Now, after over a decade residing in Tokyo, she has accumulated an immense knowledge of Japanese design, architecture and artisanal craft; specifically with – but not exclusive to – natural materials and multi-generational techniques by artisans working across the country.

Championing the immense value of craftsmanship, Joanna highlights this in her role as Editor-in-Chief at Ala Champ Magazine, curating destinations that share this respect for artisan-made detailing and wares.

Meeting the hands and hearts behind these wares first-hand inspired her own brand IMI  – which literally translates to, ‘with meaning’ – to connect and collaborate with the artisans that create the soulful objects that protect Japanese heritage of culture, techniques and skill passed down from generation to generation.

Ala CHAMP Magazine has long highlighted the ‘champion of contemporary culture’. Launched in 2009 with Joanna’s co-editor and twin sister Monique, Ala CHAMP Magazine distinguishes itself as a globally focused media publication that explores design, architecture, art, fashion, and contemporary culture across borders. Creative projects are also at the forefront – led by the magazine’s in-house studio Champ Creative, a creative consultancy specialising in creative direction, editorial conception and special projects (for brands like nike, adidas Originals, SKII and consulting for companies such as Apple and Ye [Kanye West]).

Not limiting her journalism just to Ala CHAMP, Joanna has contributed widely to international outlets such as Wallpaper Magazine, T Magazine (The New York Times), Surface Magazine, Indesign, HabitusLiving, and The Japan Times, writing about architecture, craftsmanship, and travel-inspired design narratives.

At the heart of Joanna’s work lies a philosophy deeply rooted in curiosity and cultural connectivity. She envisions the creative landscape as a borderless, interconnected global community, where embracing traditions and craftsmanship goes hand in hand with innovation. She encourages breaking existing constructs, championing research and the pursuit of new contexts—urging creatives to venture beyond digital feeds and explore inspiration through physical discovery, whether in nature, second-hand bookshops, studio visits, or museum archives. Joanna blends an international editorial vision with authentic engagement in craftsmanship and culture. She advocates for inquisitiveness, physical exploration, and print as a meaningful medium—and strives to elevate Japanese and global designers by bridging local tradition with global attention.

We wanted to find out more, so we sat down with Joanna to ask her all about the in’s and out’s of her role as Editor-in-Chief, where she sees media heading in this ever-changing landscape and finally, all about her new Japanese craft brand, IMI.

CHAMP: As co-founder of Ala CHAMP Magazine, can you tell us about your journey from day 1 to now, where we are in an age of mainly digital media consumption?

JOANNA KAWECKI, CHAMP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: I have always been a big collector of print – books, magazines, catalogues – as a kind of collateral for capturing knowledge. The enduring value of print media and its tactile quality, aesthetic resonance, and collectibility is incomparable, even in the digital age. Authentic story-telling transcends any medium however, and even the right digital tools can help evolve what I’ve always been working towards at Champ: to inspire in any way possible through sharing others’ stories and work, either through print, online, video or audio. When I look at our global readership, it is spread to the farthest reaches, and so I always think about how it can inspire sometime in a small town or city somewhere in the world (just as I was, growing up in a beach side suburb of South Australia).

As Editor-in-Chief, what does your role entail, and where do you see the role of media heading in the near future?

I’ve always loved the printed form, tangible to hold, and especially with Ala CHAMP, we always loved to discover new paper stocks with our distributors (GF Smith) and production in different regions. After years of print, we wanted to re-examine our ethos of sustainability and use of resources of physical materials. Each issue of the magazine was like making a book, so much work went into original photography, text, translations and production that was quite overwhelming every 6 months. My team and I also started to enjoy publishing and reading online, and the flow of content worked better for the times we were in. Now, I am still just as passionate for print but want to direct that energy to a book – more on that soon!

A lot is changing because of AI capabilities and the playing field is becoming more democratic which is great – anyone can share their talent, knowledge and skills – but there is a lot of noise also for those susceptible to it. At Ala CHAMP, my job is to keep the curation as strong as it has ever been. All my decisions are completely led by intuition. A lot of the creatives we’ve featured, even back from 2009 when we started, have all gone on to become leading designers, artists and creatives truly transforming and positively influencing society and culture. There’s a responsibility element to it that I take very seriously and someones intentions and ethos also informs a feature or not. I’m also proud that we’re a go-to resource still for beautiful stories on people and places around the world from the Tibetan plateau to behind hidden doors in Milan, to the many hidden gems I discover and travel to in Japan. I truly lead anything I work on with pure intentions to positively impact the world.

As a design editor and journalist for almost two decades, you’ve been living in Japan for 12 years. What are some changes you’ve seen in the design and architecture landscape? 

There’s an inspiring emergence of young designers and independent developers merging traditional elements with modern needs. More architects are looking towards natural materials and traditional joinery or plastering techniques, and designers are collaborating with generational artisans to reimagine the potential of local materials such as bamboo or tatami igusa grass, to traditional techniques in metal casting and wood working. Small-scale developers are renovating properties and giving them a second life whilst enriching the relationship with site locality, history and culture for a bright future.

Kengo Kuma, a Japanese architect whom I’ve interviewed numerous times, is a big advocate for traditional Japanese techniques and the importance of preserving this rich knowledge for future generations. It’s extraordinary that one of Japan’s leading architects also recognises how precious it is and is active to incorporate them into his built projects.

Other architects I also love are Shigenori Uoya and Fumihiko Sano to Junya Ishigami and Ryue Nishizawa. Also, artist Hiroshi Sugimoto’s design firm NMRL and Fukuoka-based autodidact Toru Shimokawa are both creating simply stellar works exemplifying my personal ethos in design!

Tell us more about your new craft brand, IMI. What is the ethos and meaning behind it?

Through my life here in Japan, surrounded by so much beauty – from the people, nature, design and architecture – I have developed a strong interest in its traditions and multi-generational crafts. From artisanal craftsmanship to skilled manufacturing, I wanted to establish my own craft brand IMI as a bridge between the West and Japan’s artisans who solely focus on their work. In Japanese, IMI translates to ‘with meaning’ and the name felt right as soon as I imagined it – we should all live our lives with meaning and intention. I’m very big into knowing the origins of materials and how things are made and by whom. We’ve lost a connection to asking more questions around what we consume. There needs to be a shake-up to normalise questioning why things have been lost or broken systems. Our choices truly trickle down to impact communities, families and cultures.

Product-wise, due to being so pure in their craft, artisans don’t have time for marketing themselves. However their stories are so special and worth telling as it is a part of Japan’s cultural tapestry, ingrained in the beautiful culture itself. Through IMI, I aim to highlight the artisans work and also bring understanding and value to what they do, so they can continue to do it. With IMI, my core mission is to highlight a transparency in material and maker origins. There’s an alarming increase in los techniques, but a more concerning increase in imitation products as often the ‘brand Japan’ can be made elsewhere off-shore. This is when multi-generational knowledge can be lost, not to mention how it impacts communities and families within those. On a larger scale, it is about preserving Japan’s heritage through beautiful tools and objects in our daily lives which have so beautifully shaped the country and people we all love so much.

I’ve visited almost all of the 47 prefectures in Japan, and each time I discover something new when I visit them.

Where does your passion for Japanese crafts come from?

I feel an ingrained importance of sharing Japanese design globally so that the unique, everyday-use aesthetics of Japanese craftsmanship can find recognition and be valued correctly. This is something Champ has also always shared – we really respect the artisans, designer-makers and artists of our time making with their hands, heart and soul.

Can you tell us about your ‘day-in-the-life’ in Tokyo, Japan? 

Every day is completely different! I travel throughout Japan for different projects, stories, and production visits, so each day looks completely different. However, I try to have a routine in place each morning and night – although this is impossible when traveling or on a shoot which requires 16-hour-long days. When I’m at home in Tokyo however, I try to start the day at 7am with a few minutes of breath work and mindful meditation and light stretching to get the day started. My breakfasts are quite simple and fairly Japanese – ancient rice, pickled plum, organic veggies. Daily, I made an organic matcha from Marukyu Koyamaen in Uji in Kyoto, which I buy from my local tea specialist Shimokita Chaen Ōyama, alongside my favourite koji chocolate from sake producer Niida Honke, made simply from 100% rice koji and steamed rice.)

From there I get the day going to where I need to be. Sometimes it’s a train to Kyoto, or a three-day shoot in Fukui or a production meeting in Toyama. I love the slower days when I can take a brisk walk and realign at my studio.

I also usually schedule a work day at Mount Takao, one of my greatest inspirations! Yes its just a humble mountain with intertwining creeks and a great view of Mount Fuji, but the gently changing seasons are a great influence on me. I work on the train, take a coffee when I arrive and whilst trekking the mountain I jot down new ideas and solutions. I love the diversity in my work, and that’s exactly why I love what I do. Each day ends with sincere gratitude. Just like the power of music or the enduring chants of monks, our mindfulness raises the vibration of the universe and our place within it.

Photography: Champ Creative (2025)©