UNDERCOVER

Brand name

UNDERCOVER

 

Designer

Jun TAKAHASHI (born September 21, 1969 in Kiryu, Gunma JAPAN)

Takahashi began “UNDERCOVER” with Hironori ICHINOSE who was the present designer of VANDALIZE while at is Bunka-Fashion school that is Japanese famous special school of fashion, apparel design department in 1989. He formed “Tokyo Sex Pistols” that was the copy band of Sex Pistols with Hikaru IWANAGA of Bounty Hunter and Tomoaki “NIGO” Nagao of “A Bathing APE” while attending school and Takahashi was taking charge of vocal. Takahashi came to be called “JUNIO” from looking like Johnny Rotten that was the lead vocal of Sex Pistols. Moreover, it is occasionally said by that Takahashi looks like Vivienne Westwood.

He begins to sell the dress wholesale to Billy in the Shibuya Quattro at the same time as graduating in 1991.

He opened select shop “NOWHERE” in Takeshita Street that the focal point of Harajuku’s teenage culture with NIGO of A Bathing APE in 1993.

In 1994, he established “UNDERCOVER Ltd.”, and he started “A.F.F.A” that is fashion brand with Hiroshi FUJIWARA who is Japanese famous DJ. “A.F.F.A” is abbreviation of “Anarchy Forever Forever Anarchy”, and T-shirt of the print by hand became popular.

In 1995, he opened “NOWHERE LTD” that handles only “UNDERCOVER”, and started both ladies’ and men’s lines in full scale.

He opened present flagship shop in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo in March, 2002.

He began to participate in the Tokyo collection in 1994-1995A/W season, and Paris Collection in 2003S/S season. He participate Paris collection every year after 2003S/S season.

He won rookie of the year award in 1997 and the grand prize in 2001 the Mainichi fashion award that a famous newspaper in Japan sponsored.

Takahashi has received the influence of Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo who is the designer and sole owner of Comme des Garcons is a fashion label.

 

About Brand

Undercover is a fashion brand established by designer Jun TAKAHASHI and Hironori ICHINOSE who was the present designer of VANDALIZE in 1989.

The reason why the UNDERCOVER obtains the overwhelming popularity in the young person in Japan is high-quality, exact, variegated detail that takes various materials and the designs according to the theme that Takahashi decided. Moreover, because the produced amounts are little, the commodity is hard-to- find and it has formed a line before the shop is opened.

Takahashi has been greatly influenced from Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood and “Seditionaries” that handles Sex Pistols fashion as understood from the band activity in he’s school days. Therefore the design of UNDERCOVER is glimpse into thought of Punk music, but it is not a design of a so-called punk fashion.

The brand name of the ladies line is “UNDERCOVER”, and men’s line is “UNDERCOVERISM”.

“UNDERCOVER” has been chosen to be No.1 of the brand that girls want the boyfriend to put it on because not only a men’s line but also the ladies line is high popularity.

Takahashi thinks, “It is only myself that knows a real street” and “UNDERCOVER is designed in the middle of the street and the mode”.

 

Comment

It may be no exaggeration to say that UNDERCOVER forms the street fashion in JAPAN.

The fashion of Harajuku, Tokyo of today did not exist, and a lot of shops might not have been concentrated in Harajuku as today even if “NOWHERE” doesn’t exist. UNDERCOVER is one of the brands that become keys in talking about the fashion of Japan.

And, when forgetting another existence of NIGO who is the designer and sole owner of “A Bathing APE” Two people (Takahashi and NIGO) are kingpin in shop “NOWHERE” though it might be off-the-beaten- path. At that time, clothes of two people were sold in the same shop of course.

Takahashi chose to dash out from Tokyo and challenge to Paris collection, and other NIGO chose the street scene in the world as the place of the challenge.

At that time, “NOWHERE” was in the back street that came off from the Main Street in Harajuku.

“NOWHERE” became the sending source of the fashion that but though conditions of location was bad, customers waited in line before the stores opened. Someday, the back street in Harajuku in which the “NOWHERE” was located came to be called “URA-Harajuku”(URA is a meaning of back street), and a lot of street brand shop retailers in which it had centered on “NOWHERE” were built.

I think that I was interested in the fashion in this age and got in line before the stores opened, I want to write many or more of “UNDERCOVER”, and I can write the article again.

In The feature of UNDERCOVER is the centered commodity is Riders jacket and denim, and to become a clothes making that sticks to the life that Takahashi who is the designer wants to put on. However, it might be still ladies’ that want to pay attention UNDERCOVER. The feature of ladies’ is a poison put in a beautiful handle after all. They pursue in beauty of the style of UNDERCOVER by put the patterns such as spider and skull in the floral print, similar to the thorn in the rose. The theme of 2008S/S season collection is “Frenzy in summer”.

Rough price range, about US150 dollars for T-shirt, from about US600 dollars to US750 dollars for pants, and from about US1,000 dollars to US1,500 dollars for jacket in ladies’. About US150 dollars for T-shirt, about US500 dollars for pants, and from about US800 dollars to US1,300 dollars for jacket in men’s Especially men’s T-shirt is in one of the article in great demands because it graphics has been well-established .

 

Shop Information

UNDERCOVER Tokyo

 

Blue Thank Point 5-3-18 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo.