Jun Takahashi, the reclusive designer behind the cult Japanese clothing label Undercover, happens to be an avid runner—he’s a member of the Tokyo-based Gyakusou International Running Association, whose name refers to its propensity for running counter-clockwise around the city’s parks instead of clockwise like everyone else. There’s a similarly contrarian thread running through Nike’s third Gyakusou Collection, a high-performance line of lightweight, waterproof sports gear designed by Takahashi. “The more I ran, the more I thought about my perfect running product,” he says. “I already had a relationship with Nike, and so we discussed working together to create an authentic collection from the point of view of the actual runner.”

Using his experiences as a template, Takahashi designed the collection in order to enhance the meditative quality of running, primarily by removing the sources of discomfort runners typically face. With his Thermore jacket, for example, he eliminated the back of the neck completely and replaced it with a curved detail, because runners often find the sweat on the back of their necks distracting. He also gave the collection an aesthetic edge by incorporating materials from the world of men’s suiting, such as heather grey wool. One of the hoodies has laminated zip pockets and dri-fit French-terry trim around the torso and at the end of the cuffs.

The transformative effect is best captured by a video (below) made for the collection that shows Takahashi and the Gyakusou team jogging in near-silence through historic Japanese temples like Tofuku-ji and Kozan-ji. Running there is traditionally prohibited, and yet the team proceeds with a quiet, determined focus which suggests that—despite their spectacular and somewhat-subversive surroundings—they could just as soon be anywhere.

Nike x Gyakusou
Photos: Courtesy of Nike