DFA Design Leadership Award 2024

Kikuo Ibe, known as the "Father of G-SHOCK", successfully developed and commercialised G-SHOCK in 1981, has revolutionised the watch industry with his groundbreaking creation of G-SHOCK, a shock-resistant watch that has become an icon of durability and style that would withstand impacts and continue to function perfectly even if dropped.

Ibe's relentless pursuit of durability did not stop there. In 1994, he initiated the creation of a full metal G-SHOCK, the MR-G model, which was released later. His creativity continued to push boundaries, leading to the launch of the DREAM PROJECT in 2016, which culminated in the creation of the 18K-GOLD G-SHOCK in 2018 to celebrate its 35th anniversary of the G-SHOCK line. The limited run of 35 units were sold out by reservation. Now more than 1,000 CASIO shops around the world sell G-SHOCK products, and G-SHOCK has sold a total of 100 million pieces worldwide, which registered as an important historical resource for science and technology, further acknowledging his contributions to global cultural development.

The DFA Design Leadership Award 2024 celebrates Kikuo Ibe’s extraordinary contributionsto the design world, recognising hisrelentless pursuit of innovation, resilience, and his lasting impact on global trend and product design.