OUR JOURNEY WITH UNDERCOVER
Sunday morning – 10 a.m.: Jun, Yoyo, Yuka, Kubo, Paul and I meet up to have a first look at the artwork. JUN TAKAHASHI shows and explains to us all the work he has been doing over the last few months exclusively for A MAGAZINE #4.
It’s a great and emotional moment when we discover his vision, his world, his collaborations with friends and his invitations to several international talents. Obviously a lot was produced by Jun himself in a generous, spontaneous and intense way.
You would be mistaken to think of Jun Takahashi as just a fashion designer because his talent, his crave for creation, goes far beyond clothes: anything that he touches becomes his Creation.
Give him a Charles & Ray Eames chair and he’ll make it into an ‘Anarchy’ piece. Give him a couple of old wooden horses from a carousel and they become an amazing rocking sofa. Give him a few toys and you’ll end up with a strange and graceful creature that may seduce children as well as grown-ups. Give him a Hermès bag and he’ll change it into a work of art largely inspired by the punk aesthetic. Give him a space and he’ll create a magical laboratory full of treasures – a constant source of inspiration to him, his staff and any visitor that has the privilege to see it. Give him a pencil and you’ll discover the complexity of the human brain, combining its dark side with joyful moments.
All the collaborators in this issue have obviously been inspired by this charming young man dressed in black, and have given him their best, focusing on originality and un-expectedness: Rei Kawakubo – one of the first to support Jun – made a wonderful portrait of him; Katsuya Kamo, hair designer and long time collaborator, made poetic still lifes; Ngap shares his creative, funny and joyful Furnitures feature; Maison Martin Margiela played with one of Jun’s T-shirts to create an exclusive piece that shares the vision of two strong creative minds; And many more you are about to discover in this issue.
After an amazing journey through U-land, my mind and soul are overwhelmed and I am proud to share this experience with you. I sincerely hope you will be as surprised as I was. It’s up to you now. Feel free to love or hate, be disturbed by or enjoy A MAGAZINE curated by JUN TAKAHASHI.
Strange, yes, but Oh So Beautiful.
Welcome to U-land!
