T-1 WORLD CUP/English » Tsuguya Inoue




Jun Miura Models for a T-shirt!

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When we went to deliver Tsuguya Inoue’s sample t-shirt, Tsuguya Inoue was talking about Jun Miura. He was telling us what a great guy he is, and he’s even recommendating Miura’s books to people around him!
Jun Miura is the author for our column “Jun no Ongaeshi“, and is an old friend of Shigesato Itoi.
“How about asking Jun Miura to model for you t-shirt?” we proposed.
Inoue’s answer: “That would be great!”
So there we go! We went to meet Jun Miura!
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── Hi, thank you today for becoming a model for out t-shirt today.
Miura I thought I was going to become a t-shirt! I was wondering why Hobonichi was going to sell t-shirts with my face on it.
── What? (laugh)
We wouldn’t do something like that without asking your permission, Miura! But even if we were planning something like that, it’s surprising you would accept such a strange offer! Actually, we came here today to ask you to wear Tsuguya Inoue’s t-shirt for this year’s T-1 WORLD CUP.
Miura Oh I see. I did think it was a bit strange but I thought I was going to be the icon or something. What’s T-1 by the way?
── It’s a t-shirt world championship where 24 designers from around the world compete by selling their t-shirts designed for this game.
Miura I remember Itoi saying “Miura, t-shirts are going to be ‘in’ from now”. Tsuguya Inoue is the designer for RC Succession’s CD cover jackets, right?
── That’s right. He’s telling everyone around him how great you and your work are. He’s even hanging out your book “Yurukyara no Hon” to designers around him.
Miura Really? Wow. I should be wearing his t-shirt. Okay, I’ll go and change quick.
(As he stands up, he notices Stefan Sagmeister’s t-shirt)
Why is John Lenon on the tag of that t-shirt?
── We brought it since you’re a John Lenon lover.
Miura The design on that shirt is a bit different… It’s…
── Bingo! This t-shirt has the wrinkles of the t-shirt on his portrait.
Miura Oh… Maybe you didn’t need to do that. (laugh) I think it’s better just to have it simple!
I have the same t-shirt as John’s, but the logo in white, and the t-shirt in black.
Is a Japanese the designer of that t-shirt?
── No, it’s done by Stefan Sagmeister. He did the design for the cover jacket of the Rolling Stones album.
Miura The Stones. I designed two of the tour t-shirts for the Rolling Stones. I should’ve showed it off to Itoi about it more.

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── You look good in it!
Miura Really? Personally I think white t-shirts become harder to wear as you grow older. Black t-shirts, you can sort of cover yourself up.
── Not at all! You look great in it! By the way, we heard that Tusguya Inoue checks your media coverage, and he said that the article on “Switch” the other day was great.
Miura Really? Thanks!
── Can we ask a few questions while wearing that t-shirt?
Miura Sure.
── (Showing the list of t-shirts)
The design for year’s T-1 WORLD CUP is “the t-shirt of your country”, and 24 designers from 13 countries are the contestants.

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Miura There’s no twist to it, is there?
── Uh… you think so?
Miura Nope, no twist. But that’s what’s good about it!
I don’t want to wear a t-shirt with a twist to it. A t-shirt with a twist to it has a strong statement; it’s like walking around advertising that opinion. Actually, I used to design lots of t-shirts like that.
── I see. (laugh)
Miura I wondered why nobody really wore the t-shirt I designed. I think there’s too much of my statement in it. I designed a lot of t-shirts that weren’t worn…. T-shirts shouldn’t be too loud. These t-shirts here, they all think about the people who sell the t-shirts, and about the people who wear them.
── The winner of the T-1 WORLD CUP is the t-shirt that sells the most.
Miura I see. Are you taking photos of every t-shirt, worn by somebody?
── Well, for Tsuguya Inoue’s t-shirt, we were looking for someone who would look good in it, and we came up with you.
Miura Tsuguya Inoue is about the same age as Itoi, right?
── I think he’s a bit younger that Itoi.
Miura Are you sure he hasn’t mistaken me for someone else?
── No, no, definitely not!
Miura Really? Then I would love for him to design a t-shirt with my photo wearing this t-shirt on it.
── (laugh)
Miura I thought that was the concept. I thought everyone was wearing a t-shirt with my picture on it. I thought Itoi came up with a strange idea. I thought it was a surprising project of a “t-shirt that you wouldn’t want to wear”.
── If we were to do something like that, we would’ve asked for your permission beforehand.
Miura I was happy about it. I thought Itoi got in a good mood and started saying “Let’s make a t-shirt with Miura”.
── Without asking your permission (laugh)
Miura So I got psyched up, and gave my hair a treatment so that I would look nice.
── Sorry about the miscommunication (laugh)
Do you find any t-shirt you think would look good on a particular person?
Miura A t-shirt that would look good on a particular person… How about Aki Hoshino (pin-up girl) for Stefan’s t-shirt? The logo of NEW YORK CITY is crumpled, but it’s stretched out on her breasts.
── That is an answer difficult to respond for us… but it does draw interest.
Miura I don’t design t-shirts with a motif on the right of left chest. I put the design in the middle. Are there t-shirts with prints on the back?
── There is no t-shirt with only a print on the back, but there are t-shirts with prints on the back.
Miura I don’t like t-shirts with only prints on the back. I feel like I’ve been written something on the back without me noticing.
── I see (laugh)
Miura But all of these t-shirts are designed thinking of people who wear them. Maybe thinking too much about them.
── Which t-shirt do you think will win?
Miura So the general public is to choose the winner, right? I’m like a spokesperson for the general public! People will buy these t-shirts, right?
── Yes.
Miura The fabric is nice and heavy duty. Is it a bit expensive?
── It’s 5200 yen. There’s a lot of readers who haven’t made up their minds on which t-shirt to buy. Can you give them some recommendation?
Miura Are you sure you want my recommendation? Wouldn’t it have the opposite effect?
── We’re sure it will work as a recommendation. (laugh)
Miura 5200 yen, right? I would come up with thoughts like t-shirts with more color would be worth the price. 5200 yen… worth about 3 records.
── I see
Miura … Isn’t the color for Ayumi Ohashi’s t-shirt Samurai Blue for the national soccer team? Isn’t this what everybody wants no? Am I right?
── We’re sorry we can’t tell you the results. Which t-shirt would you like to buy?
Miura As for me, I would want to buy Akiyama’s t-shirt. The other t-shirts, there’s a concept to it, so people will be asking questions about it. I don’t want to be bothered being asked questions… I would have to answer some bits of knowledge on the Beatles if I were to wear the John Lenon t-shirt.

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── I see… (laugh)
Miura Out of all these t-shirts, I like Akiyama’s t-shirt the best. Well, to be honest, maybe I haven’t fully understood this project…
── Th…Thank you! (laugh)

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We were so drawn into the “Jun Miura World”, that we almost forgot we were there to have him model for the t-shirt. We left the office with a proposal for a strange new “Jun Miura WORLD CUP”.

He said that he doesn’t look good in a white t-shirt, but don’t worry, you look great!
Thank you again!

2006/7/6

Amazing Happenings around Tsuguya Inoue

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We encountered an amazing happening when we went to visit Tsuguya Inoue the other day, to hand him his first sample t-shirt.

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The photo below is a CD of a Thai artist, which Inoue took some effort to find and get in hand.

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── What is this?
Inoue A couple of months ago, I heard their music aired on a TV program so I called the broadcasting company up, and asked the name of the artist. After that I searched for their album. Their album isn’t distributed in Japan, so it took me about two months to actually get the CD. The music is great, and the jacket design is awesome, don’t you think?
── Thai musicians, I see. Most of the information is in Thai, but some are written in English. Let me see… the name of the group is “Prik”, maybe? The title, “Endorphine”…?
Wow, hold on a sec! Look at the credit for the jacket design! It saids “Phunk Studio” in English!
Inoue What? Really?

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What a coincidence!
A few days after that, we visited his office again, this time with the final sample t-shirt. As we were looking at the list of the T-1 t-shirts…

── What do you think of this year’s line-up?
井上 Fukasawa’s t-shirt is wonderful! It’s really stylish. And Sagmeister, his design is just brilliant!
── You think so?
Inoue The color of Taku Satoh’s “104.5 degrees” is really nice. My guess for the champion is Kashiwa’s t-shirt. But you know, Sagmeister’s design is just brilliant. It’s my number one.
── I see…
Inoue Tom Vincent comes next, I guess? Yanai’s “WHERE IS YOUR COUNTRY” is truly a Yanai world. But Sagmeister! His design is just so brilliant!
── You really like Stefan Sagmeister’s design, don’t you?
Inoue Wait a sec… This design… I think I’ve seen it before…

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T(ypography)-shirt !
(Oded Ezer)

Inoue I remember! One or two years ago, I saw his design at some design contest, and I thought it was really good that I asked for a copy! I kept that copy in my hands for about a year! Yes, it’s definitely him!
── Really? Amazing!

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What a coincidence! Or is it really coincidence?
We just but dropped our jaws at the amazing coincidences that occurred around us.

2006/6/23