Paints mixed with water. Paper pasted onto stones or scraps of wood, sometimes wrapping them entirely. Lines drawn freely across the ground or on a wall. Everyone has, at some point in childhood, been absorbed in these kind of expressions. Even the large-scale works displayed in white-cube galleries surely stem from these formative experiences.
For Autumn & Winter 2025, Graphpaper found its starting point in the fascination of those expressive methods. Collage, Abstract, and Line & Stripe - three keywords brought together under the title "Arrangement" for this season.
Here, Director Takayuki Minami looks back on the intentions behind it.
Interview & Text by Rui Konno
―The AW season has begun. You mentioned briefly at the exhibition that Graphpaper has multiple themes this season, correct?
Minami: Yes. At first I was thinking around the expressive idea of collage. And then I thought, what if we "collaged" that very concept of collage itself? We usually set one single theme, but this time I decided to set three.
―And the two besides "Collage" are?
Minami: "Abstract" and "Line & Stripe". Around the time I was thinking about this season, I had the opportunity to see Frank Stella's work. Some of the slightly distorted stripes appearing in the collection came from fragmentary images that surfaced from that. I wanted not to force a sense of commonality between the three. I thought it might be interesting - in a good way, messy - if I combined and arranged them by tracing memories that weren't connected at all. Those three elements brought together under the word "Arrangement" form this collection.
―"Interesting in a good, messy way" is a strong phrase. What were your thoughts behind that?
Minami: Our clothing is simple, and can easily become boring. But I kept thinking there must be ways to make it more engaging through textures, materials, and combinations in styling. From there, the collage way of thinking, and how that kind of expression might be translated into fashion, became the point of departure.
―I see. Could you talk about how the three elements appear in the garments?
Gradient Border S/S Tee
Gradient Border L/S Tee
Minami: For "Line & Stripe", these border tees make it easy to understand. Stella's paintings look like straight lines at first glance, but because they're hand-drawn, the lines are actually irregular. I wanted to express that nuance, so we intentionally used uneven yarn to distort the lines. There's a touch of the "Abstract" element in it as well.
―The subtle difference in the way the lines are expressed really changes the impression.
Suvin Corduroy Collarless Jacket
Minami: I think so too. The corduroy switching also incorporates both "Line" and "Stripe" elements. For "Abstract", this knit is a good example.
KNIT Gradient Dyed Wool High Neck Knit
―Gradient dye.
Minami: Right. We've done gradient dyeing many times before, but there is still a great deal that we don't know until we actually test it - from which side it should deepen, or at what point the fading becomes interesting. Not only for knits, but for every gradient piece this season, we repeated many experiments on how the fade should behave.
―Where does "Collage" appear most strongly?
Minami: We did combinations of materials that you wouldn't normally put together, and fabrics that blend wool and cotton within the yarn itself. But the most symbolic examples might be the accessories — gloves, scarves, neckties. We've barely made scarves until now.
SCARF Gradient Dyed Wool Knit Scarf
GLOVES PERTEX UNLIMITED Quilted Mittens
SNOOD Mercerized Fine Wool Snood
GLOVES Gradient Dyed Wool Knit Fingerless Gloves
―Now that you mention it, these are pieces we haven't really seen from Graphpaper before. How does "Collage" come into play for the accessories?
Minami: It's more about styling arrangement. When putting together a look, the accessories become points of contrast through different color placements. This season we intentionally scattered the colors across the collection - in contrast to our usual one-tone looks - and that same idea guided the styling for the lookbook. Of course, you can wear everything simply as usual, but by arranging these accessories and combining totally different materials, each person can "collage" their own outfit. This is the first time we've made so many accessories, but when I actually tried styling them, everything came together easily, and I realized again how important accessories are (laughs).
―It feels like you've gone all the way back to the starting point of clothing itself (laughs). These gloves - fingerless and… are those mittens?
PERTEX UNLIMITED Quilted Mittens
Gradient Dyed Wool Knit Fingerless Gloves
Minami: Yes. Mittens with openings for the fingers. I thought my hands would get cold in winter. The fabric itself also expresses stripes.
―The quilted baffles form the "stripe" motif. And the scarf also carries the stripe theme.
SCARF Geometric Silk Scarf
SCARF Geometric Silk Scarf
Minami: Yes. We tried making a silk scarf. For menswear, I thought a single hit of stripe at the neck or the wrist - a pocket square or a scarf - would work beautifully as an element.
―The mixed layering of materials and textures definitely feels collage-like.
Minami: I've always liked that sense of material contrast. In the past we sometimes placed that contrast within a single garment, but this season we explored it through combinations. Because of the broader variety of items, the production team must have had a hard time - but thanks to that, we were able to try many new things. It's not a "grand culmination", but there are definitely parts where we combined things we've learned over the years, and that was enjoyable.
―Looking at collage as an art form which ranges from the brilliant to the chaotic, what matters most to you in a collage that really resonates?
Minami: Hmm… I think it comes down to proportion. Proportion, and whether the combination creates a sense of depth rather than just a flat surface. The interesting part of collage is how something happening on a plane can feel three-dimensional. Different things brought together can, when seen as a whole, become unified into one mass. I think I like collage most when that expression is visible. Simply sticking random things together doesn't do anything for me.
―But in contemporary fashion, where styling (street and luxury, vintage and new) is almost an expected formula, that kind of combination can also feel like "oh, they're doing that again".
Minami: Exactly. So I tried not to make it look like we're "doing something" (laughs). For example, this sneaker we made with PUMA looks like a single color, but if you look closely, each part uses a different material. That's a kind of collage too. Throwing colors and materials together indiscriminately isn't the point, it still requires a sense of balance.
PUMA for GP SPEEDCAT Plus
―Now that you say it, I can see the subtle switching between nubuck, suede, and other materials. I didn't notice it in the look visual.
Minami: Right. That way, even individual items can align with at least one of the three expressive approaches.
―The shoes create a proportion at the feet that Graphpaper hasn't really explored before. How did they come about?
Minami: When discussing the collaboration, we had several base models to choose from. We rarely make flat-soled shoes like this ourselves, but I suddenly thought they might be interesting. To me, PUMA has always been the pioneer of that type, maybe because the image of 2000s racing shoes is strong. From there, it was about reinterpreting that under our own concept.
―And they work well with Graphpaper's wide trousers.
PANTS Techno Wool Nylon Wide Tapered Trousers
SHOES PUMA for GP SPEEDCAT Plus
PANTS Selvage Denim Two Tuck Wide Pants
SHOES PUMA for GP SPEEDCAT Plus
Minami: They really do. To be honest, that was the part I was most worried about. But once we tried them, the balance felt clean, and the way the wide hems fall over the flat silhouette of the shoe was surprisingly interesting.
―Since it's A/W, outerwear is important too. This coat - it's down-filled, not padded? It's incredibly soft.
Minami: Yes. It's a new down series using PERTEX. I wanted a down that wasn't a zip-up blouson, and I thought a mid-length coat made in down would be something I'd want.
COAT PERTEX QUANTUM AIR Bal Collar Down Coat
―It has a very clear sense of personal vision while still being subtle. Simple, but somehow new.
Minami: Adjusting the silhouette was difficult. PERTEX is thin and soft, so the down loft easily alters the outer shape. When the sample arrived, we took it apart completely and tested repeatedly how much down each section needed to form the right shape. The techpack for the factory ended up incredibly detailed, but in the end, it turned out well.
―I see. And the matching set caught my eye too - it isn't a classic tailored shape this time?
JACKET Melange Herringbone Stripe Samue Jacket
PANTS Melange Herringbone Stripe Chef Track Pants
Minami: Right. We've been making uniforms together with a restaurant in Fukuoka called Yamanokuchi, and this jacket came from that inspiration - a hybrid between tailoring and a traditional jinbei. For a restaurant, shorter sleeves or functional fabrics are better, but for Graphpaper, we made it from melange wool herringbone in a relaxed box silhouette.
―So these pieces sit outside the three main themes. Are there others developed outside the theme?
TOPS Wool Boa Pullover
Minami: This fleece is one. It's a fleece-back fabric with 100% wool used on the reverse side. Because it's natural fiber, it's extremely warm and also deodorizing, so it's very practical. The fabric comes from a pile mill in Wakayama and is truly remarkable. It has no direct connection to stripe or collage, but I was simply glad to be able to use such a great fabric.
―Still, as a material, it seems perfect for collage through layering. Almost like retro outdoor gear made contemporary.
Minami: Yes. Across the board, our brand works well in many combinations. This season especially, for womenswear we intentionally created options to mix long and short tops, making styling even easier and more enjoyable. I hope our female customers will enjoy that freedom.
KNIT High Gauge Intarsia L/S Oversized Crew Neck Knit
SHIRT Silicon Poplin Deep Slit Band Collar Shirt
―Hearing you talk, I feel the conceptual side of your collections keeps getting stronger (laughs).
Minami: Maybe it just means I'm out of ideas (laughs). But yes, I think this is where my interest naturally goes right now. Since the "Sumi" collection (Spring & Summer 2024), I feel I've been moving toward "how much can I do that I didn't originally intend".
―Taking something simple and seemingly ordinary and making it feel new may actually be harder than doing something overtly avant-garde each season.
Minami: We don't change things that dramatically. What keeps me passionate is the act of making fabric. There is still so much unknown and that's what makes it fascinating. Maybe the concept exists to open possibilities for materials and methods we haven't used before. Graphpaper has many carry-over styles, but the collection side is a place for experimentation and play. It's where we can try things we've never done, ideas we've never used. This season, I think we were able to do exactly that.