British workwear meets Japanese down in Universal Works’ best-looking winter collab yet
The British workwear favourite has teamed up with TAION again for a bigger, bolder collection built around lightweight down, military references and seriously good layering
by Matt Kollat · T3
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Universal Works has reunited with Japanese down specialist TAION for the second instalment of the pair’s Future Friendship Project.
The new collection takes some of Universal Works’ most recognisable pieces and reworks them around lightweight down construction.
Chief among them are the Universal Works Cardigan and Rams Jacket, two styles traditionally associated with wool fleece that have now been filled with TAION’s signature down for the first time.
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The result is exactly the sort of British-meets-Japanese outerwear mash-up you’d hope for, combining Universal Works’ relaxed workwear shapes with the quilted construction TAION has become known for.
Alongside the more restrained seasonal shades are pink and yellow options, plus a new Cloud Camo pattern that prevents the collection from drifting into generic technical-puffer territory.
Military layers with a modular twist
The most technical piece is probably the new CR RAF Jacket, which draws on vintage RAF flying jackets and pairs a water-resistant outer shell with a removable down liner.
The two parts can be worn together in colder weather or separately in milder conditions.
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Military references continue elsewhere in the collection, for example in the returning Down Mod Parka, which now also comes in new colourways.
Both jackets can be customised with six removable badges inspired by traditional insignia, British subcultures and music.
Universal Works says wearers can leave the supplied patches in place, remove them altogether or swap in their own.
A reversible down trapper hat rounds out the collection and is available in five colour combinations.
This is the second TAION collection produced under Universal Works’ Future Friendship Project, an initiative designed around long-term collaborations rather than one-off drops.
The relationship began after the two brands met while sharing a showroom in Paris, with Universal Works later visiting TAION’s team in Nagoya during a trip to Japan.
The accompanying campaign was shot around Tokyo, which feels particularly fitting.
Universal Works’ distinctly British take on relaxed workwear sits surprisingly naturally alongside TAION’s lightweight Japanese down expertise, and this latest collection leans further into that overlap than their first.
The new collection is available now from Universal Works, with prices starting at £60 / $82 / €63.95 (AU$113).