Graphpaper
Graphpaper is a Tokyo fashion brand and store created by creative director Takayuki Minami, whose first shop opened in Jingumae in 2015. It is known for minimal clothing and a curatorial, gallery like approach to retail.
| Founder | Takayuki Minami |
|---|---|
| First shop | Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, 2015 |
| Concept | Curating products as works of art |
| Origin | Japan |
| Website | graphpaper-tokyo.com |
What is Graphpaper?
Graphpaper is a Tokyo label and retail concept self produced by creative director Takayuki Minami. It began as a shop in February 2015 in a quiet residential part of Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya, set inside an apartment building and spread over a ground floor and two rooms behind it.
History
The first shop was designed to curate products and treat them as works of art rather than merely sell them. Its design took inspiration from Harald Szeemann's 1969 exhibition When Attitudes Become Form in Bern. At opening it offered special order pieces such as a long brimmed hat in Czech rabbit fur by COMESANDGOES and a modified L-2B flight jacket by MARKAWARE. Graphpaper later developed its own clothing collections, and its Aoyama location marked its tenth anniversary.
Products and positioning
- Minimal, considered clothing collections
- Seasonal lookbooks with restrained colour palettes
- Collaborations with Japanese makers
Why it matters
Graphpaper is an example of a Japanese brand that grew from a retail and curation concept into its own label, using store design and editing as a core part of its identity and building a following among buyers of quiet, high quality Japanese clothing.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Graphpaper?
Graphpaper was created by Tokyo creative director Takayuki Minami.
Where is Graphpaper from?
Graphpaper is from Tokyo, where its first shop opened in Jingumae, Shibuya, in 2015.