Graniph Design Award Vol. 2 Winners Announced

nik.mercer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:40:24 -0700

Graniph has a pretty simple yet ingenious business plan. Every month, the Tokyo-based T-shirt company releases and sells thirty or so unique, limited-run tees in its sixty-plus boutiques, and voila, a pile of money is made. The tees are cheap (about $20 each), and since customers will never find the same one twice, there's a great incentive to return regularly. Also, the one-stop shops are ultra-convenient, often being wedged in between big-name retailers or smack-dab in the middle of a trendy neighborhood.

Last year, Graniph introduced the Annual Design Award, a contest in which they ask anyone who wants to get one of their drawings, paintings, or pictures on a T-shirt to submit as many prototypes as they'd like for the chance of winning a run of the selected pieces and also a pretty hefty cash prize.

Apparently, for this year's second Design Award, Graniph received 15,000 pieces from over 50 countries! Below are the gold, silver, and bronze winners; to the right are some samples by them. Pick up a few at the online store when they're out on July 5.

Gold: Cho Jo Tzu (Taiwan)

Silver: Chan Man Sing (Hong Kong),
Justin Sereni (UK), Joe Rogers (UK), Maurice Uzzan (Italy), Monsieur Nils (USA), Rik Lee (Australia), Ryoko Takabatake (Japan), Klara Petra Szabo (Hungary), Tomoe Miyazaki (Japan), Vicky Lao Wai Kei (Macao)

Bronze: Alison Michiko Fairbairn (UK), Choho Hatake (Japan), Daichi Hosoya (Japan), Emily Beamer (Canada), Hisasing (Japan), Kana Osada (Japan), Natsuki Ando (Japan), Rieko Toyoura (Japan), Sei Shimura (Japan), Sonja Ahlers (Canada). Soong Sub Shin (USA), Su Qin (China), Takeshi Tsunemoto (Japan), Tomohiro Tezuka (Japan), Valentina Venturi (Italy), Yashka Steiner (Switzerland), Ye Ji Yun (Korea), Yuki Shimada (Japan), Sharon Campbell (UK), Tommi Kovala (Finland).

Read our interview with Graniph, too!