To mark the launch of T.T’s women’s line, the brand collaborates with its long-standing creative partner, the London-based studio OK-RM (Oliver Knight & Rory McGrath), to present IN THE BEGINNING WOMAN WAS TRULY THE SUN, an exhibition spanning publication, film, and installation. The exhibition will be held in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, from August 1st to August 9th, 2026.
Before founding T.T, Taiga Takahashi’s earliest creative endeavors were rooted in womenswear. The birth of this new line evokes a sense of returning to the brand's origins and perhaps to memories that predate its inception. Moving beyond a mere collection debut, the exhibition serves as a vital occasion to re-examine the contours of T.T through OK-RM’s distinct lens.
At the core of this exhibition lies a concept OK-RM terms "worldview." Rather than viewing masculinity and femininity as opposing forces, this perspective treats them as mutually supportive, balancing energies, offering a panoramic gaze over the universe of T.T. Resonating with the complementary philosophy intrinsic to Japanese In-Yo (Yin-Yang) and Shinto beliefs, it is an attempt to perceive the world as a wholeness.
This ideology is deeply intertwined with T.T’s enduring ethos of Applied Archaeology. While the brand's journey thus far has focused on finding narratives within historical artifacts to pursue functional and logical aesthetics, this exhibition ventures into a more mystical realm, one gently liberated from rigid control.
The production of photography and film deliberately distanced itself from traditional fashion imagery. Research was dismantled into minute elements: gesture, symbol, and action. While a script was prepared, intentional margins were left to embrace chance and improvisation on set. "Daily Reality," rooted in utility, and "Imaginal Reality," conjured through imagination. These two dimensions crystallize into a book and a three-channel video installation, deeply resonating within the space while suspended in differing registers of time.
The accompanying publication is a hardcover book. Throughout its 116 pages, a tactile selection of contrasting papers is interspersed, meticulously designed so that every turn of the page shifts the tactile and visual expression.
Led by OK-RM’s creative direction, the project brings together a collaborative circle: photography by Olya Oleinic, set design by Annika Thiems, text by Lila Matsumoto, styling by Marie-Thérèse Haustein, and film by Pol Garcia. This exhibition presents an ongoing genealogy of practice, deepening its inquiries through the methodology of Applied Archaeology.
Exhibition Information
IN THE BEGINNING WOMAN WAS TRULY THE SUN
Dates: 1st – 9th August, 2026
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
*On the final day (9th): 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
Venue: Chokkan
1F 3-3 Nihonbashi Kabuto-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
