For this next installment of NOT muses, I'm so pleased to introduce Grace Jun. Grace is the CEO of Open Style Lab, an award-winning non-profit organization committed to making design accessible to everyone, regardless of cognitive or physical abilities. She is also a frequent speaker on adaptive fashion and wearable technology and a professor at Parsons School of Design. Grace is always hardworking, curious and learning, exuding a warm and encouraging spirit, and all in all, such an inspiration!
Grace is wearing the white Interlock Sleeve Top.
TELL ME WHAT YOU DO AND HOW YOU GOT STARTED.
I am a graphic designer by training and create work that looks at inclusive narratives around dress. I went to RISD and my love for color and typography started there, where I have carried it over to fashion. I work with an incredible team at Open Style Lab, which brings opportunities in research and co-design with people with disabilities.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I am currently designing a journal and writing. Writing about my creative practice is another long project on its own, so I am practicing that skill this year. With more writing, I am returning to my love for book design and designing a short journal. Yet, my biggest project is designing the interior of my new place in Atlanta with fiancé, Greg.
Grace is wearing the Detachable Sleeve Shawl in Vent.
Books in Grace's collection, including Strut with Pup!
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?
I thrive when I have creative work. My creative practice and research on adaptive fashion and inclusive design is endless. If I am not learning, I feel stuck and unsatisfied. So I am the most happy when I have a long term project and get inspiration from lots of other sources such as interior design, art, and travel. Sometimes I don't always connect my inspiration to my work and it still brings me joy to be able to take my mind off of just one topic. Drawing and working with my hands is not only meditative, but a refreshing break from my work. Lately, I have been returning to my love of illustration and wood block print. I designed a stamp for a crab dinner menu a few months back, started painting graphic shapes, and creating illustrations of fluid forms.
I feel this constant tug and pull between clean visuals and organic shapes in my work so I have planned to explore this more throughout summer. The image below also includes a "Women At Work" poster design gifted to me from another fellow RISD alumni, Lois Harada. It was just the motivation I needed.
WHAT PURCHASE OF $100 OR LESS HAS MOST IMPROVED YOUR LIFE RECENTLY?
My most recent purchase near $100 is an IPEVO USB document camera that helps scan some of my drawings and work on a wide table. It has also been great for scanning book pages.
DESCRIBE A MEMORY YOU HAVE WEARING ONE OF YOUR "NOT" PIECES.
I wore my off white NOT jacket with gold tinted aviators to teach my class at Parsons for the first time. It broke my habit of wearing only button-down shirts. I love the jacket because it had a neckline that is often seen several traditional Asian dresses. Its minimal silhouette speaks loud and clear. I felt comfortable yet stylish.
Grace is wearing her white Bomber Tie Jacket.
WHAT IS AN UNUSUAL HABIT THAT YOU HAVE?
I have a strange love for earrings that don't fit a certain look or wardrobe. I end up buying pieces that are more sculptural without the context of how it can be worn. I have a habit of looking at jewelry as not a wearable fashion piece but more an object that can stand on it's own, so I have several strange earrings...
