Glitched Logomania: Welcome to Nukeme & GraphersRock’s “Dear Supreme, Dear PLAY” Project |

Modern totems reaching out to people and immediately communicating the brands and powers they represent, logos are simply everywhere. Though they keep on proliferating, they also go in and out of fashion every now and then.

At the moment, though, there seems to be a new trend, a desperate attempt by certain brands to combine through specific collaborations more than one logo in one product, usually to lure consumers into thinking that, by owning and wearing that branded item, they will make more powerful statements and affirm the values of the two companies represented by those symbols.

Japanese graphic designer Tamio Iwaya, better known as GraphersRock, and Tokyo-based artist, fashion designer and musician Nukeme took this discussion to a new level with their exhibition "Dear Supreme, Dear PLAY" that took place in June at the Shinjuku Ophthalmologist (Ganka) Gallery in Tokyo.

Everything started from a very simple idea: GraphersRock has always been inspired and influenced by '90s street culture (something clear also from last year's collaboration with Puma that resulted in a capsule collection of vintage runners with a futuristic twist about them) and in particular by brands such as Supreme. Yet, as the years passed, the graphic designer felt that other and more powerful entities were reclaiming iconic streetwear brands to transform their essence.

GraphersRock therefore decided to ask embroidery hacker Nukeme to transform the existing logo on one of his Supreme caps employing glitches that would create interferences capable of deconstructing the original logo.

The first cap became the starting point for an exhibition that then came to include not just Supreme accessories, but also garments by Comme des Garçons' Play line (Rei Kawakubo's CdG is one of the reasons that prompted Nukeme to opt for a career in fashion).

Contrary to what some people might think, the exhibition wasn't about imitating more famous designers and producing rip offs, the items Nukeme transformed with his glitches were indeed purchased from official shops, and the real aim of the project was showing loyalty and respect for a brand, reclaiming it for yourself.

Can you introduce us the exhibition "Dear Supreme, Dear PLAY" by Nukeme and GraphersRock that took place in June at Shinjuku Ophthalmologic (Ganka) Gallery – which were the main themes and inspirations behind it?
Nukeme: The main inspiration is the excessive consumption: when brands become more popular more people buy their products, but, while this may be profitable for the brand, the "core" atmosphere that surrounded that particular brand gets lost. We wanted to explore this process from a very specific perspective: the quality of these products may be high, but the fact that they gets avidly "consumed" transforms their essence, so this was the main and concern behind the exhibition.

When did you first meet GraphersRock and when did you decide to collaborate on this project?
Nukeme: I met GraphersRock around 5 years ago when I went to see his solo exhibition. Originally, this was a private project as he had a collection of Supreme gear and wanted me to customize it.

Did you actually purchase the original items and then transformed them for the exhibition?
Nukeme: Yes, we did. We got the Supreme gear from the shop in Harajuku: we queued from around 8 o'clock in the morning and bought the items. There were around 100 people already lined up, but, luckily, we were able to purchase the items we wanted. I do not know whether this only happens in Japan or you must line up also in other countries, but it is absolutely not normal. Of course I purchased Comme des Garçons's designs at a regular shop too.

How did people visiting the exhibition respond to this change in the recognizable logos?
Nukeme: It was popular among my friends who know my glitch work. However, there were a lot of people who came to see it because they are Supreme and Comme des Garçons fans. I'm not sure what they thought, who knows, maybe some of them wondered why we glitched their favourite brand's perfect logos!

A few brands (such as Louis Vuitton) are constantly turning to iconic street brands (like Supreme) for collaborations and special designs. Do you think this interest is genuine or are big and corporate brands jumping on the cool street label bandwagon to find new and younger consumers?
Nukeme: In the past Supreme sampled Louis Vuitton, so doing the reverse now may sound like a good story. I guess that keeping things fresh is the main dilemma of all sorts of brands out there and a collaboration is the simplest solution. At the same time, I'm not sure I really want this product, but I think that this trend will continue in the future.

More and more brands are collaborating with artists nowadays on prints for their collections: would you like to work with a famous fashion house one day?
Nukeme: Yes, of course. I would like to try all the possibilities I may get offered.

You studied fashion, what do you think about the current state of the industry? Does is offer real chances and opportunities to young designers?
Nukeme: I think the current situation is interesting, especially if we look at brands such as Vêtements and Gosha Rubchinskiy. The whole industry is changing and one day I would like to collaborate with someone. I hope I will be able to get a younger generation of fans more actively interested in fashion. Working with a famous fashion house shouldn't just be a way to advance in your career, that's why I'd like to encourage young designers to work together with other creatives and come up with products that merge more disciplines together such as fashion and music, so think about N.A.A.F.I. and SOPHIE's products that are very intriguing as they include exclusive items and not just T-shirts.

What do you dislike about the modern fashion industry?
Nukeme: It is more difficult to find your place in it. But I I like everything concerning the production of an item, such as weaving, sewing and knitting.

A while back you developed the glitch technique and applied it to knitwear, would you like one day to take it further and develop a whole collection inspired by it?
Nukeme: Good timing for such a question! Actually, we are just working on a new collection, it is a sweater series that will be made to order and people will be able to get it directly from us. We have finished shooting the images, so stay tuned to know more about it!

Will you be doing any exhibitions in Europe and will the garments you did for the “Dear Supreme, Dear PLAY” exhibition be on sale?
Nukeme: My dream is to exhibit, and possibly sell, at Dover Street Market!