At a time when people are looking to buy cheap items ranging from daily commodities to clothing and furniture, industrial and automotive designer Ken Okuyama appears to be in no hurry to jump on the bandwagon with manufacturers and retailers.

Okuyama, who founded the design planning and consultancy firm Ken Okuyama Design in 2007 and won fame as the first non-Italian to design a car for Ferrari, is uncompromising when it comes to his stance of offering high-quality products, saying their high prices are worth it because they are also cost-efficient and safe for the environment.

"People go for cheaper products because people are very aware of the value that they get from products, or maybe we simply don't give people high enough value for them to understand about paying more," said Okuyama, who has been traveling across Europe and the United States.