Meet Mariko

many passions IN one place

Mariko Loves was born out of my many passions. I wanted to create a platform where all my interests come together in once place, and when I realised that there is a common thread running through everything after all, I decided to finally bring Mariko Loves to life. 

Plants are an obvious passion that has been passed on to me from my Japanese grandfather. As I was suspending one of my many moss balls from my London flat window, it occurred to me that I had the same plant love running through my veins like my beloved grandfather who used to grow his prized orchids and chrysanthemums in his gardens. We would go on long walks through the tea fields of Shizuoka, and he would teach me the names of the many plants we saw along the way.

I am currently enrolled in RHS Level 2 (stay tuned).

Travel is an important part of my identity. Having gone on my first long-haul flight under the age of one, being constantly on the move is part of my family’s DNA. I grew up with a mixed heritage in Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, Belgium and Italy, continuing my journeys as an adult until settling in London. Of course, many of my destinations include botanically-themes places of interest.

An everyday part of being human is being expressed through Food. Incidentally, it also links to my passion for travel, cultures and plants together. It fuels and nourishes us, gives us identity, tells stories and evokes memories. Food is life and food is love. 

How we carry ourselves through life and our experiences is defined by our Lifestyle and our view of the world. By giving it attention and finding a mindful balance for ourselves, we can raise the quality of our human existence. This includes looking after the world around us. 

Meet NesuTora

PASSIONS PASSED ON THROUGH GENERATIONS

All things made with textile are a joint project with my mother. It all started when we both realised that we share a passion for beautiful textiles (amongst other things like healing plants). We decided to make little bags from Japanese obi silks (the wide “belt” you wear on a kimono) and hand dyed tenugui (multi-purpose pieces of cotton cloth), of which we both had our respective collections. We called the brand NesuTora, and the eye pillows are made by us.

My grandmother was a professional seamstress in her younger years (she is about to turn 102 and still going strong), teaching at her local school and made silk kimonos all by hand. She passed this knowledge on to my mother who makes anything out of textile you could ask for. So in a way, all textile projects are made by all three of us.

INSTAGRAM MUSINGS