UNDERCOVER and nonnative Unveil “OZISM” Collection Inspired by Japanese Monk Workwear
Jun Takahashi Top 10
Fashion Designer and Founder of UNDERCOVER
Profile
Description
Jun Takahashi is a pioneering Japanese fashion designer and the founder of UNDERCOVER. Born in the city of Kiryu in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Takahashi studied fashion design at the prestigious Bunka Academy of Fashion in Tokyo. While there, Takahashi met NIGO with whom he would found the UNDERCOVER label, with Takahashi continuing to develop the label after graduating in 1991.
With the opening of the influential NOWHERE boutique with NIGO in Harajuku in 1993, UNDERCOVER was placed at the epicenter of the Ura-Harajuku movement, thus establishing Takahashi as one of the most prominent designers in the Japanese fashion scene. In 1994, Takahashi also began a brand called A.F.F.A. with Hiroshi Fujiwara although releases were intermittent, eventually being shelved completely. Heavily influenced by punk music, particularly by The Sex Pistols (he played in a cover band during university called The Tokyo Sex Pistols, and he is nicknamed “Johnio” for his resemblance to frontman Johnny Rotten), Takahashi’s initial collections consisted of ripped up, deconstructed, shredded and patched leather jackets and T-shirts, with his style being described as conceptual and challenging.
Other references range from flower bouquets, A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick, taxidermy and manga. Debuting at Tokyo and Paris Fashion Weeks in 1994 and 2002 respectively, Takahashi won critical acclaim from the likes of Miuccia Prada, Rei Kawakubo and Suzy Menkes, as well as two prestigious prizes awarded by the major Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
Although Takahashi describes his own aesthetic as “strange, but beautiful,” his designs have also proved commercially successful, netting him coveted relationships with the likes of Uniqlo via the UU label, with Nike under the Gyakusou performance running collection, a limited edition digital camera with Canon, and a stall at Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market. Takahashi is married and has one son, and creates his designs from his studio in Tokyo called Undercoverlab.
Read More
Latest Collections
Paying homage to the country’s aesthetics, culture, and history.
Featuring pieces Jun Takahashi and Hiroshi Fujiwara would want to wear now.
Including an additional release featuring the PSYCHO sweatshirts.
Featuring a collaboration centered around the film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’.
In celebration of his limited edition apparel collaboration with Hypebeast for our 20th anniversary, Jun Takashi of Undercover talks about trusting his design instincts.
Revisiting his beloved “But Beautiful” collection from FW04, Jun Takahashi brought together a variety of collaborators, from Welsh artist Emma Bennett to workwear brand Dickies.
An elegant fusion of lightweight tailoring, bohemian ease, and Takahashi’s signature streetwear edge.
Including collaborative items with Gramicci and Rig.
Led by Jun Takahashi, the collaborative label injects GU staples with UNDERCOVER’s classic patterns and shapes.
Presenting a line that echoes the 90s “Mod Revival” and flavors of Jun Takahashi’s punk rock roots.
Jun Takahashi dresses his saintly models in monstrous illustrations by Josep Baqué and references to 1970s bands Faust and Moebius.
Arriving in celebration of the Japanese label’s 35th anniversary, the new range draws influence from collections past.
Load More
