UNDERCOVER

At heart, Jun Takahashi – founder of UNDERCOVER – is a punk. 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. 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. Interestingly enough, Takahashi only started to pay attention to Kawakubo after being dragged by a friend to a Comme des Garçons show.

 In 1988, Takahashi graduated from Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, and just two years later, he founded UNDERCOVER. (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. 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.

 Initially, Takahashi’s collections largely consisted of customized pieces created from vintage finds; before he knew it, prominent Japanese stores such as Billy’s in Tokyo began to stock his collections. This led to the designer dreaming of his own retail space and subsequently setting up a store, circa 1993. 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). 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.

 A year after setting up Nowhere, Takahashi put on his first womenswear runway show at The Garage in Daikanyama for Tokyo Fashion Week. 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. 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.

 After 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. 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. This moment marked the beginning of luxury fashion streetwear.