Jun Takahashi , the Graces, Uniqlo & Nike (part two)

Jun Takahashi, photo by Yoshie Tominaga

The Graces, Dolls

Designer Jun Takahashi of the ‘cult’ fashion house Undercover makes dolls. They’re called Graces and he makes them out of metal and teddy bears and light bulbs and other things.

Jun Takahashi: ‘The Graces spontaneously come out of me, genuinely, while making clothes is something more calculated, an entire process that requires teamwork. But doing both allows me to keep a balance in my creativity. Therefore, it makes sense to me to have everything linked.’

Takahashi collaborated with perfume brand Comme des Garçons to release two new perfumes named after his own fashion label Undercover and inspired by his fantastic plush animals, the Graces.

The fragrances are called Undercover Holygrace and Undercover Holygrapie. 

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UNDERCOVER for Uniqlo called UU

UNIQLO collaborated in a design project  Jun Takahashi and his Undercover fashion label. It debuted in 2012 and is called the UU collection which focused on a family theme, with a full lineup of apparel for women, men and, for the first time in 10 years, UNIQLO UK also offered kidswear to the British market!  

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Nike x Undercover = Gyakusou

In October 2010, Nike and Jun Takahashi’s label Undercover, released the first Nike x Undercover Gyakusou performance running collection. The design partnership fused cutting edge Nike running innovations and design with the functionality of Takahashi’s Undercover.

Takahashi began running six years ago  “I run 12 or 13km every other day. It’s kind of like meditation to me – but with adrenaline. It’s part of my life. I have to run.” Gyakusou takes its name from a group of Tokyo-based runners who passionately run in their city. The name Gyakusou comes from ‘gyaku’ meaning wrong way or reverse and ‘sou’ meaning ‘run or running’. It draws upon a shared obsession for design innovation and improving the performance of the athlete.

“Style and functionality is very important and when I started running, I looked very closely at the color and styling of products as well as their performance attributes and functionality. We both wanted to create an authentic performance running collection from the point-of-view of the actual runner.” A technical approach is sustained throughout, ensuring Takahashi’s run remains a mobile personal space where he can concentrate, unwind and continually achieve.

Jun Takahashi

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Amazing Runway Outfits 

Fall/Winter 2003

Fall/Winter 2006 collection ‘Guruguru’

 Fall/Winter 2008-09

 Spring/Summer 2009

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Runway Headpieces

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info official website:  http://www.undercoverism.com/