Shinichi Sumikawa was born in Tokyo. He studied design at the Industrial Design Department of Chiba University before joining Sony Corporation as a product designer. At Sony, he contributed to the development of products like the Walkman, radios, headphones, and televisions. In 1992, he founded Sumikawa Design in Tokyo, and since then, he has been involved in designing communication devices, cars, medical equipment, sports gear, and various other crafts. Shinichi Sumikawa is currently a visiting professor at Osaka University of Arts. He is primarily known as an aluminum product designer, with his designs often embodying qualities of elasticity, softness, and user-friendliness.