Jun Takahashi is the talented creative japanese designer behind the cult label undercover.
undercover
was founded back in 1988 (a brand originated with his friend);
later established as a company/fashion house (not until six years later in 1994)
never have i came across to this label, not until the year when i watched one of his earlier collection in class (around the same time when i watch Alice). i have vague memory about which collection it was, nevertheless it was one of those remarkable show i had ever seen.
his approach to designing are very much influenced by music (very much !)
his works is indeed artistic, unique and self expressive.
his version of deconstruction/reconstruction is somehow anarchy - taking his cue from the punk (he was a lead singer from a punk band himself) ;as well as inspired by life's dark side.
but yet they come along well and are still so beautiful, sending message out through his collection.
anyway,
just want to introduce his Graces if you haven't know so.
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| Graces |
Grace is the name he gave to his dolls.
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| doll-making in process |
They are actually stuffed animal made by him and his teams (yes, doll-making is his hobby).
playful stuffed animal but yet quite haunting and surrealism - filled with his imagination and creativity.
they are large-scale creatures constructed from multiple cut-out parts of teddy bears, pearls, lace, light bulbs, wires ...
as unique or monstrous as they could be - Graces have multiple arms emerging out from body part and light bulbs supplanting onto their head; and
as romantic or feminine as they could be - wearing vintage lace gowns and pearls.
Graces have indeed become an iconic symbol for him, prominently since his spring/summer 2009 collection.
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| spring summer 2009 |
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| Grace photo exhibiton in Dec 2008 |
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| doll-making performance in the Giardino di Boboli |
an interview regarding his performance in the Giardino di Boboli
furthermore, he extended his experiment by travelling across japan; performing the doll-making with his team - taking its shape in front of the crowds; together with live soundtrack of electronic loud music or band on the background.
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| The Sound and The Fury performance across Japan |
two limited edition fragrances was released in 2010 called Holygrace and Holygrapie.
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| perfume (( holygrace and holygrapie )) |
here are videos from his doll-making performances
if you're interested in viewing more, visit his unofficial website
"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." Jun Takahashi
(images courtesy from Jun Takahashi's blog)
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