Some collaborations are about pattern and colour. This one is about a language - and a promise to celebrate and keep it alive. Following the complete sell-out of our first partnership, we have reunited with renowned Tā Moko artist and cultural advisor Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) for a second limited-edition release.
The latest BLUNT x Graham Tipene collaboration draws inspiration from Te Reo Māori and the history and meaning of language. Launching on 17th September, during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori across two BLUNT styles, this carries a story that reaches back generations and asks to be carried forward.
Two kawakawa, one kaupapa.
The name holds a double meaning. Kawakawa Pounamu is a treasured variety of Aotearoa New Zealand greenstone, prized for its deep, rich green tone. Pounamu holds a revered place Māori culture, and this collaboration draws a direct parallel between the value placed on the stone and the value of protecting and actively using Te Reo Māori. Kawakawa Rakau, the native kawakawa plant used for healing, is another taonga held in equally high regard.
Together, the two Kawakawa become a single idea: some things are precious precisely because they need protecting, and Te Reo Māori is one of them.
A design that carries history
For Graham Tipene, the inspiration is personal. Kawakawa, a small town in Northland, is where his father was raised among his Ngāti Hine people. A native speaker, Tipene's father lived through the 1950s and 60s, a period when Māori were actively discouraged from speaking their own language.
This collaboration doesn't look away from that history, it honours it, acknowledging the resilience of those who safeguarded Te Reo Māori through difficult times so that it could be spoken freely today. "Ko te Reo te take, kia kaha tatou te korero Maori," says Tipene, of the kaupapa behind the design.
Reading the canopy
Every line across the canopy is intentional. The design follows a poutama pattern, tracing a journey from darkness at the base, the circle representing the harder chapters in the language's history. Up towards the centre represents where Te Reo Māori is spoken, taught and shared openly.
Running through the design are whakarare, lines that speak to disruption, and ngutu kākā, the beak of a bird, symbolising the passing on of verbal knowledge. A kiri kiore pattern nods to a story from the north, water trickling over the backs of swimming rats, while three unaunahi, representing fish scales, speak to manaakitanga: the practice of gathering kai and looking after each other. "The designs are about looking after each other," Tipene explains. "Now we have direct access to knowledge."
Built to carry it well
This limited-edition design is featured on two BLUNT model styles. Metro, the compact, everyday umbrella that fits easily into a bag or backpack, built with an auto-open button. And also the Classic, offering full coverage for you and one another.
“Ko te Reo te take, kia kaha tatou te korero Maori.”
Quote by|Graham Tipene
Timed to launch for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, but built for generations to come. This second BLUNT x Graham Tipene collaboration is a reminder that language, like design, survives through active use.
Both styles are available from 17th September in limited quantities.
Crafted for the streets, made to last a lifetime.
on 4x
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