This moment marked the beginning of luxury fashion streetwear. In due course, Takahashi put on his famous ‘Scab’ show for Paris Fashion Week SS03 and, henceforth, the Western world became obsessed with the brand and the designer. In a full-circle moment, Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo was one of the first purchasers, which quickly led to a friendship between the two designers.Īfter eight years, Kawakubo had told just about everyone in the fashion scene about UNDERCOVER (she really was, and still is his biggest fan) and finally persuaded Takahashi to flaunt his designs outside of Tokyo he decided Paris was the fashion destination he resonated with the most.
#UNDERCOVER CLOTHING BRAND UPGRADE#
The looks were a huge upgrade to the designer’s previous collections in every way: he took streetwear to high-fashion levels by using unexpected cuts, forward-thinking prints and manifestly luxe fabrics. As one can imagine, the two were already well connected within the Ura-Harajuku area, so it didn’t take long for the store to become one of the city’s most influential fashion hubs.Ī year after setting up Nowhere, Takahashi put on his first womenswear runway show at The Garage in Daikanyama for Tokyo Fashion Week. Named Nowhere, Takahashi launched the store alongside his school friend Nigo (as in Nigo the DJ, record producer and founder of Bape and Human Made). This led to the designer dreaming of his own retail space and subsequently setting up a store, circa 1993. Initially, Takahashi’s collections largely consisted of customised pieces created from vintage finds before he knew it, prominent Japanese stores such as Billy’s in Tokyo began to stock his collections.
#UNDERCOVER CLOTHING BRAND FULL#
From inception, UNDERCOVER collections have been informed by rebellion, which explains the label’s ‘We Make Noise, Not Clothes’ slogan and the gothic undertones of the aesthetic. Undercover - a representative brand in the Japanese fashion industry UNDERCOVER Hot Deal Sale Quick View Beauty Christian Dior 2021 SS Diorskin Forever Undercover 24H Wear Full Coverage Water Bas Multi X 40ml/1.3oz Eu 115.00 72. (Productive, we know.) The designer combined his interests and influences with avant-garde notions that were circling in the industry at the time to create a brand-new look. Jun Takahashi is the founder of Undercover, an exclusive Japanese brand that connects elegance and subversion under the motto Chaos & Balance. In 1988, Takahashi graduated from Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, and just two years later, he founded UNDERCOVER. Interestingly enough, Takahashi only started to pay attention to Kawakubo after being dragged by a friend to a Comme des Garçons show.
To be specific, he did this by joining punk rock tribute band the Tokyo Sex Pistols as lead vocalist adopting the nickname ‘Jonio’ to pay respects to one of his heroes, Johnny Rotten tattooing his arms up (which, FYI is an act that’s frowned upon in Japan) and, showing dedicated admiration for the work of punk designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo. Born in the historic Japanese city of Kiryū in 1969, the streetwear designer deviated from the traditions of his culture by immersing himself in the global punk movement. The rest is history: Undercover has proven itself as a force to be reckoned with, influencing both people in the fashion industry and creatives who dream for greatness.At heart, Jun Takahashi – founder of UNDERCOVER – is a punk. This strategy of incorporating high quality clothing with youth and streetwear sensibilities would build up Undercover’s notoriety over the years, eventually taking the spotlight on the world stage from its debut Paris collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2002 and beyond. Takahashi, together the Japanese fashion figures Hiroshi Fujiwara and Nigo, created the ‘limited streetwear’ formula before the likes of Supreme ever did, creating a mysterious aura around his brand as a result. The beginnings of Undercover consisted of clothing inspired by the work of Vivienne Westwood, but soon began to find its own voice and soon enough its own cult following.
This fascination with clothing led him to enroll in Japan’s prestigious Bunka Fashion College, where he would create Undercover together with his friend Hironori Ichinose. Its impact on both fashion and culture as a whole is simply incomprehensible, but perhaps we can gain a clearer understanding of it through it’s founder Jun Takahashi.īorn in 1969 in the countryside of Japan, Jun Takahashi radiated rebellious energy from the very beginning, becoming infatuated with English punk band Sex Pistols and punk-esque designer Vivienne Westwood from a young age. From its highly acclaimed collections capturing the essence of the times, to collaborations with a wide range of brands including Supreme and Nike, the Japanese cult brand is a pioneer in combining youth and countercultures with high fashion over the course of decades.
Believe it or not, all of these words and more come to mind when people hear the name ‘Undercover’.
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