Harajuku

“Fashion war in Harajuku” written on November 17 is being received well and I reports on the sequel this time because generate many comments that subsequent is anxious.

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This time, I report on the fashion war staying up in Harajuku.

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I introduce Harajuku today.

Harajuku is the most fashionable area in Japan. There are a lot of clothes shops for the young person in Harajuku in which a place likes SOHO in New York, US. A lot of Japanese go to shop in the weekend.

 

 

This photo is an intersection of Meijidouri and Omotesandou. Meijidouri and Omotesandou are big streets.

 

 

This photo is Meijidouri .The big building in right side is H&M that open in the Novenber 18.H&M is very popular, and the Japanese forms a line in the first shop that was able to do
the other day.

 

I will write not only brand introduction but also photograph in Japanese street and shop. Please look forward.

Brand name

N.HOOLYWOOD

 

Designer

Daisuke OBANA (born January 28, 1974 in Kanagawa JAPAN)

Obana slipped through Men’s Fashion special school in three month and he began to work at “VOICE” that is rag shop. After he took charge of shop manager and buyer in the “VOICE”, he participated in the start-up of rag shop “go-getter” in March, 1995. In 1999 he intended original clothes, and started remake that used old clothes. He opens “mister hollywood” that handles old clothes, remake of old clothes and original clothes upstairs of “go-getter” in December, 2000.

He established “Mister Hollywood Ltd.” on May 30, 2003, and moved the flagship shop from Harajuku to Shibuya in September, 2004.  would leave the school in three months, and begin to work.

In 2002S/S season, he changed the brand name from “MISter Hollywood” into “N. HOOLYWOOD”, and participated in Tokyo Collection for the first time. The collection is exhibited from 2002-03A/W by all original clothes. Moreover, he exhibited to the exhibition of Paris first in the compilation line that centers on the jacket, and assumes first step overseas presence in July, 2007.

“Under summit wear” that is the undergarment line is begun in 2006.

 

About Brand

In the origin of company and store name of “Mister Hollywood” is Obana’s nickname that is acquired at that time in the frequent coming and going of Obama in Hollywood, US as the buyer of old clothes. Brand name of “N.HOOLYWOO” named after North Hollywood, US that is base of Obama’s activity. “N.HOOLYWOO” is a change in spelling by play of the word of North Hollywood.

 

Past theme of collection

2002 S/S：RECLAMATION

2002-2003 A/W ：as for the Lucifer

2003 S/S ：MEDICAL

2003-2004 A/W ：DRESS DOOR

2004 S/S ：ACTIVIST

2004-2005 A/W  ：VO 5

2005 S/S：BACK TO DEVICE

2005-2006 A/W ：CAMP DENALI

2006 S/S ：THE SILHOUETTE

2006-2007 A/W ：CDA

2007 S/S：POPING 2

2007-2008 A/W ：THE GAME

2008 S/S：AFTER SPUTNIK

Comment

For the first few years of “N.HOOLYWOOD”, Obana mainly developed the remake of old clothes, and then developed the original clothes gradually.

Because designer is from rag shop, clothes of the “N.HOOLYWOOD” are collections based on the United States old clothes. Therefore, the feature of the “N.HOOLYWOOD” is to appear by many items that collaboration with Levi’s, Lee, and Wrangler.

He receives the inspiration from not old clothes of vintage that age is old and value is high but old clothes without vintage value from the 70’s to the 80’s, and is reflecting it in the collection.

It is his distinguished services that young people are interested in comparatively shallow old clothes, and focus the spotlight on such as old clothes.

 Rough price range is from US550 dollars to US600 dollars for Jacket, from US160 dollars to US250 dollars for pants, and from US100 dollars to US150 dollars for T-shirt.

In the silhouette, there are a lot of tight one, and “BIFURE” that is near flare pants extremely straight.

  

Shop Information

MISTER HOLLYWOOD

4-13-16 JINGUMAE SHIBUYA TOKYO

 

Official Web site

http://www.n-hoolywood.com/

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.