Dani Song and Makoto Kishino met as students at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. The Brooklyn-based designers have worked both independently and in collaboration since marrying in 2005. Dani, a fashion designer, and Makoto, an artist and architectural designer, strive to design functional objects that address both practical and aesthetic needs.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Dani relocated with her family to Pennsylvania when she was 13. She studied fine art at SVA and received her MFA in Combined Media Arts from Hunter College. She actively pursues fine art projects and has organized numerous art exhibitions and performances worldwide, including New York, Berlin, Paris, and Caracas, Venezuela. In 2011, Dani began to explore the traditional Asian art of silk painting and launched Xsilk, an independent fashion label specializing in hand-painted silk clothing and accessories.

At a young age, Makoto was encouraged to pursue his passion in the arts, leading him to ultimately leave Japan to attend SVA in New York. Makoto apprenticed with several prominent contemporary artists, including Takeshi Kawashima and Takashi Murakami, before deciding to pursue architecture at Hunter College and the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture in London.