To celebrate the 35th anniversary of G-SHOCK watches – potentially the most heavy-duty Casio range – the Japanese time giant teamed up with Perth-based producer TA-KU to create a very special, limited edition piece that gives a big nod to TA-KU’s biggest passions – music and photography.
PEDESTRIAN.TV sat down with the West Coast creative (aka Regan Mathews) to chat about the collab, dealing with imposter syndrome, and developing a new love for film photography.
I’d done a few things with them in the past, and I’d actually done a lookbook for G-SHOCK in Japan when I was there. They needed it shot in Tokyo, so I did that. That’s kind of where it started from, I guess, but I’ve always been really interested in street culture and street fashion – as much as I hate that term – and I think Woody (Sneaker Freaker’s Simon Wood) knew that and set it up.
G-SHOCK were really great to work with, and its kind of weird seeing it [the watch] because I really respect the G-SHOCK brand and seeing it come fruition is really great.
The watch itself comes in a small travel case with a sheet of bespoke stickers that match up to the watch’s face, and TA-KU’s EP, ‘Songs To Make Up To’. Joining the watch and customisable case is a hardcover book full of his photographs, taken while on his honeymoon in Asia.
It was supposed come with a zine, but they [G-SHOCK] just said “hey let’s just do a book” and then the book itself is just, I’m really happy with it.
The photo book features images from his three-month-long honeymoon (the dream), and was TA-KU’s first real exploration into film photography, which he now says he adores.
For the zine I shot on a Ricoh GR1S which is just like a really small 35mm camera – a point and shoot thing. That’s pretty much what I shot on the whole time we were on our honeymoon – we were away for three and a half months. It was a long one. But I think getting into film on the honeymoon was like really special to me, and it’s made film photography feel a bit more personal for me.
Regan tells us that working with G-SHOCK is something that he’s been excited about for a while, despite feeling like he’s definitely not a big enough name to be working with such streetwear heavyweights.
I’ve still got a bit of that [imposter syndrome] about it, about most things, I think. ‘Cos I know what most scenes are like, and I hate being that dude that comes in and thinks that he’s not earned his way. I feel like I wanna just put a lot of respect into the product itself and make the collaboration more than just slapping my name on something.
I think I just wanted to make something that I want to wear. I used to wear the really big G-SHOCK watches when I was in like year 10, and like the bigger I got, the smaller my watches get.
I said to G-SHOCK “I’d like to do a watch that’s something I would wear” because then I’d feel like it’s true to something I would want to wear on a daily basis. That was the main influence behind it. We went for a really thin band, and really small face. I’m really happy with it.
The watch draws inspiration from his album artwork – dark, brooding tones make up the mechanical parts of the pieces, with a muted floral face. The watch itself is modelled on DW5600, the original G-SHOCK design created 35 years ago by the father of G-SHOCK – Kikuo Ibe. It suits TA-KU to a T – subtle, reserved, and intricately stunning.
Regan believes that time is precious, and everything from the collab release points toward that. Being relatively newly-married, time spent with loved ones and exploring things that he enjoys – music, photography, and food – were the foundations of a gorgeous release with G-SHOCK.
You know the whole travel aspect kinda playing on the whole concept of how important time is when you’re travelling, how important cherishing time while you’re away as well – especially if you’re away with a loved one or if you’re away with your partner.
Grab your own TA-KU X G-SHOCK model over HERE, and keep up with Ta-ku’s releases on his Soundcloud over HERE.
