diff --git a/.changeset/tiny-poets-doubt.md b/.changeset/tiny-poets-doubt.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db61a4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tiny-poets-doubt.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@tokens-studio/sd-transforms': minor
+---
+
+BREAKING: add parser that extracts "italic" from fontWeight and adds it as a separate property on Typography tokens object values.
diff --git a/src/parsers/add-font-styles.ts b/src/parsers/add-font-styles.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d3abb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parsers/add-font-styles.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { DeepKeyTokenMap, SingleToken, TokenTypographyValue } from '@tokens-studio/types';
+// @ts-expect-error no type exported for this function
+import getReferences from 'style-dictionary/lib/utils/references/getReferences.js';
+// @ts-expect-error no type exported for this function
+import usesReference from 'style-dictionary/lib/utils/references/usesReference.js';
+
+function recurse(
+  slice: DeepKeyTokenMap<false>,
+  boundGetRef: (ref: string) => Array<SingleToken<false>>,
+) {
+  for (const key in slice) {
+    const token = slice[key];
+    const { type, value } = token;
+    if (type === 'typography') {
+      let fontWeight;
+
+      if (usesReference(value)) {
+        let ref = { value: value } as SingleToken<false>;
+        while (ref && ref.value && typeof ref.value === 'string' && usesReference(ref.value)) {
+          try {
+            ref = Object.fromEntries(
+              Object.entries(boundGetRef(ref.value)[0]).map(([k, v]) => [k, v]),
+            ) as SingleToken<false>;
+          } catch (e) {
+            console.warn(`Warning: could not resolve reference ${ref.value}`);
+            return;
+          }
+        }
+        fontWeight = (ref.value as TokenTypographyValue).fontWeight;
+        (token as SingleToken<false>).value = ref.value;
+      } else if (typeof value === 'object') {
+        fontWeight = value.fontWeight;
+      }
+
+      // cast it to TokenTypographyValue now that we've resolved references all the way, we know it cannot be a string anymore.
+      const tokenValue = value as TokenTypographyValue;
+      if (fontWeight && fontWeight.toLowerCase().indexOf('italic') > -1) {
+        // @ts-expect-error fontStyle is not a property that exists on Typography Tokens, we just add it ourselves
+        tokenValue.fontStyle = 'italic';
+        tokenValue.fontWeight = tokenValue.fontWeight?.replace(/italic$/i, '').trim();
+      }
+    } else if (typeof token === 'object') {
+      recurse(token as unknown as DeepKeyTokenMap<false>, boundGetRef);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export function addFontStyles(dictionary: DeepKeyTokenMap<false>): DeepKeyTokenMap<false> {
+  const copy = { ...dictionary };
+  const boundGetRef = getReferences.bind({ properties: copy });
+  recurse(copy, boundGetRef);
+  return copy;
+}
diff --git a/src/parsers/expand-composites.ts b/src/parsers/expand-composites.ts
index 2690b11..2d1cf6e 100644
--- a/src/parsers/expand-composites.ts
+++ b/src/parsers/expand-composites.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ const typeMaps = {
     fontWeight: 'fontWeights',
     lineHeight: 'lineHeights',
     fontSize: 'fontSizes',
+    fontStyle: 'fontStyles',
   },
 };
 
diff --git a/src/registerTransforms.ts b/src/registerTransforms.ts
index e10e22f..6d98c54 100644
--- a/src/registerTransforms.ts
+++ b/src/registerTransforms.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { TransformOptions } from './TransformOptions.js';
 import { expandComposites } from './parsers/expand-composites.js';
 import { excludeParentKeys } from './parsers/exclude-parent-keys.js';
 import { transformOpacity } from './transformOpacity.js';
+import { addFontStyles } from './parsers/add-font-styles.js';
 
 const isBrowser = typeof window === 'object';
 
@@ -59,7 +60,8 @@ export async function registerTransforms(sd: Core, transformOpts?: TransformOpti
       parse: ({ filePath, contents }) => {
         const obj = JSON.parse(contents);
         const excluded = excludeParentKeys(obj, transformOpts);
-        const expanded = expandComposites(excluded, filePath, transformOpts);
+        const withFontStyles = addFontStyles(excluded);
+        const expanded = expandComposites(withFontStyles, filePath, transformOpts);
         return expanded;
       },
     });
diff --git a/test/spec/parsers/add-font-styles.spec.ts b/test/spec/parsers/add-font-styles.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ddc07b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spec/parsers/add-font-styles.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { expect } from '@esm-bundle/chai';
+import { DeepKeyTokenMap } from '@tokens-studio/types';
+import { addFontStyles } from '../../../src/parsers/add-font-styles.js';
+
+const tokensInput = {
+  foo: {
+    value: {
+      fontFamily: 'Arial',
+      fontWeight: 'Bold Italic',
+      lineHeight: '1.25',
+      fontSize: '26',
+    },
+    type: 'typography',
+  },
+  ref: {
+    value: '{foo}',
+    type: 'typography',
+  },
+};
+
+const tokensOutput = {
+  foo: {
+    value: {
+      fontFamily: 'Arial',
+      fontWeight: 'Bold',
+      fontStyle: 'italic',
+      lineHeight: '1.25',
+      fontSize: '26',
+    },
+    type: 'typography',
+  },
+  ref: {
+    value: {
+      fontFamily: 'Arial',
+      fontWeight: 'Bold',
+      fontStyle: 'italic',
+      lineHeight: '1.25',
+      fontSize: '26',
+    },
+    type: 'typography',
+  },
+};
+
+describe('add font style', () => {
+  it.only(`should expand composition tokens by default`, () => {
+    expect(addFontStyles(tokensInput as DeepKeyTokenMap<false>)).to.eql(tokensOutput);
+  });
+});