SUE UNDERCOVER

Jun Takahashi's label Undercover is a rare beast. Equally revered as a cult name in streetwear and as a fixture on Paris’ high fashion calendar, it is as if Supreme and Chanel were a single entity, injected with a dose of Tokyo underground. Complicating matters, ambiguity has defined the Undercover aesthetic from the start. Perhaps because Takahashi founded his label right as Japan's economic bubble began to burst, his creations have always evinced, along with strength and ingenuity, an inescapable notion of precarious instability. In today's uncertain climate, the designer's beautiful mix of chaos, resolve, fragility, peace, and humor is more relevant and necessary than ever. This unique and fertile creative ground is amply illustrated in a new book from Rizzoli marking the label's first 25 years.

Undercover’s collections became increasingly sophisticated, trading the Sex-Pistols-by-way-of-Harajuku artifice of early seasons for increasingly canny and imaginative explorations of concepts centered around femininity and tailoring. As with other Japanese mavericks including Rei Kawakubo (an early champion of Takahashi's work) and Junya Watanabe, in Takahashi’s hands classic dressmaking is taken apart, turned upside down, and reassembled to stunning, modern effect. His knack for sartorial mash-ups results in lingerie that looks like utility gear and princely garments crafted out of simple shirt collars and cuffs.