Miyashita moved to the U.S at 16, but was soon kicked out of college for smoking weed. He was drawn to the stylized American life, which is often shown in his collections. He founded Number (N)ine in Ebisu, Tokyo in 1997, with the name derived from a chaotic song by The Beatles from The White Album titled Revolution 9. When Miyashita founded Number (N)ine, Tokyo was seeing a new fashion revolution. Jun Takashi had 5 years prior started Undercover – another big gun of Japanese fashion – and he was very inspired by Punk music. The new focus was youth culture. As opposed to the founding fathers of the Japanese Avant-Garde Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto, the streetwear designers’ aesthetic mostly revolved around music (Miyashita drew inspiration from Kurt Cobain and Ozzy Osbourne). Jun Takashi confirmed this in an interview with T Magazine. Takahiro Miyashita and Jun Takashi have often collaborated and have been close friends since the 90s. L4D2 Download offers a wide range of firearms and melee weapons that players can use to fend off the infected. Melee weapons include items like baseball bats, machetes, and frying pans.
When looking at Number (N)ine’s collections, there is a sense of sorrow and darkness, both in the atmosphere of the shows, the visual campaigning and in the garments. I find this aspect of Japanese fashion in general to be quite interesting. We see it in Yohji Yamamoto’s nightmarish dark silhouettes, and here, where Takahiro Miyashita portrays the grunge and the punk.
Number (N)ine ceased to exist in 2009 with the collection “Last Songs”.
Junya Watanabe is by far Rei Kawakubo’s most successful prodigy under COMME des GARÇONS. In many ways, he is also one of the reasons for the brand’s great success and massive influence. Shortly after his graduation from Bunka Fashion College, Junya Watanabe was hired as pattern maker for COMME des GARÇONS. In 1987 he was promoted to chief designer of COMME des GARÇONS Homme, becoming the first designer besides Rei Kawakubo to head clothing lines – later among Tao Kurihara, Fumito Ganryu and Kei Ninomiya. Junya Watanabe has managed to spread the word about COMME des GARÇONS in the West, especially in his work with CDG Junya Watanabe, Junya Watanabe MAN, eYe and his famous collaboration with Levi’s.
L.G.B or “Le Grand Bleu” is a Japanese clothing brand with similar inspirations as 14th Addiction. It is founded by Nobuhiko Satoh who is also behind the rather well known If Six Was Nine. Together, the three brands are part of a group of alternative niche brands that emerged as a counterculture to the cheerful Harajuku fashion of the late 90s and first half of the 00s. It can be hard to place exactly what this specific style is, or what it’s all about, but we can call it gypsy-rockstar-pirate-wild west-bohemian-Jimi Hendrix-core which together pretty accurately describes Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler’s style. In fact, Nobuhiko Satoh has tailored clothes for Steven Tyler many times.
A-POC is short for “A Piece Of Cloth” and is a collaborative project between Issey Miyake and his longtime design associate and former creative director Dai Fujiwara. Together they added A-POC to the Issey Miyake repertoire in 1998, as an attempt to involve the consumer in the artistic process. A-POC is an interactive project that invites us to create our own art, from pre-determined effects, and practically cut and sew clothes from one piece of fabric. I was surprised and touched by this very innovative way of thinking, similar to something people would create today.
One of Comme des Garçons’ earliest diffusion lines is TRICOT Comme des Garçons, which is nowadays led by Tao Kurihara – a very talented, yet overlooked designer. Before Kurihara’s arrival, the TRICOT collections were designed by Rei Kawakubo herself, and Junya Watanabe. Kawakubo saw a lot of potential in the young Central Saint Martins graduate, so she made her the head designer of TRICOT Comme des Garçons. Kurihara has designed so many beautiful, innovative, and truly historical collections for both TRICOT and Tao Comme des Garçons – another diffusion line given to Tao Kurihara by Rei Kawakubo. To me, Tao is special for her experimental approach to material and fabric. A good example is her last collection for Tao Comme des Garçons where all looks were made of handkerchiefs. Another example is actually our own Decomposing Jacket from 2005, where the fabric is meant to dissolve over time, thus changing the look and character of the jacket in a linear progression. I’ve said before, in the Comme des Garçons section, that Rei Kawakubo’s artistic universe is very much one of impermanence, and the above is clearly in keeping with this. In general, I think that the Japanese stylists’ avant-garde asks us a key question time and again: in the modern world, can we expect clothes to be immutable? Perhaps the sustainable transition of fashion is that we get used to the fact that the lifespan of clothes is longer than we think.
Ever heard of the Antwerp Six? They’re not a group of supervillains. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium is one of the most prestigious art’s academies in the world, partly because of its long history of legendary graduates such as Vincent Van Gogh, Henry Van de Velde, Martin Margiela, Kris Van Assche, Demna Gvasalia, Haider Ackermann, and many others. Between 1980-81 the six aspiring fashion designers Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Walther Van Beirendonck , Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and, of course, Dries Van Noten gratuated from the academy in Antwerp. All of which gained an elevated status as new, highly talented Belgian contemporaries who had put Antwerp on the map as a hotspot for high fashion. Dries Van Noten is one of the most successful members of the Antwerp Six, and is known for his experimental mix of fabrics, patterns, and colors, resulting in a maximalist approach to both avant-garde and lately more consumable Prêt-à-Porter.
Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu was born in 1993 as an unconventional twist on the main line of Prada. Miu Miu seeks to dispel a dogma about women and their dressing, where women must dress to satisfy the male gaze. The clothes embrace rebelliousness and independence while being a playful – often ironic – take on classic femininity. Miu Miu is inspired by Miuccia’s personal wardrobe and has experimented with many aspects of what she believes femininity to be.
Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud are the founders of multiple clothing lines, often revolving around durable fabrics such as denim and canvas. Their brand was very successful in the 70s and 80s because they developed the industrialized denim stone-washing. Bachellerie and Girbaud have proclaimed that their brand identity is inspired by the french provocative youth scene of the last quarter of the 20th century. To me, M+FG is worth recognizing as an important cornerstone in modern RTW for its figurative, rebellious, and yet very aesthetically pleasing rework of classic materials and shapes. Marithé+François Girbaud is, therefore, an interesting hybrid between classy and provocative wear. The combination of the two opposites holds a certain youthful stubbornness which I find quite charming.
When he first started as a fashion designer, Nozomi Ishiguro worked for Comme des Garçons for 17 years. I think, however, that Comme des Garçons might not have been enough to contain Ishiguro’s massive talent and incredible creativity, so in 1998 he proceeded to launch his own brand bearing his own name. It’s interesting to me how Nozomi Ishiguro has managed to touch and experiment with so many different approaches within avant-garde design, and still keep a very high standard of beauty in every single project. I’ve seen everything from distressed knitwear, and layered cowhide compositions to lolita and gothic-inspired haute couture. Nozomi Ishiguro has lately become a very sought-after brand, but as to be expected, it’s very rare.
The UK in the 70s was notoriously shitty. Massive unemployment and working-class poverty were just a few of the problems that Britain could thank Margaret Thatcher for. From the socio-economic problems emerged various counter-cultures to the ruling Conservative class. Not just an important trend in music history, with highly influential bands like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Damned, punk was an attitude against the system, the establishment, the conservatives, and the conformists. A key form of expression for punks was clothing. And since the UK is the birthplace of conservative bourgeois attire, historically foisted on children in the form of school uniforms, it’s the perfect place to rebel against suits, ties, and skirts. The punks reclaimed their personal clothing choices and, as fuel on the fire, the conservative class reacted very harshly to this. As Paula Reed described in her book “Fashion Revolution”, punk was not born on the shop floors, but rather on the streets where children and young delinquents would tear their shirts, wear bondage pants and platform shoes, and sometimes flip off the police or set fire to a garbage can. Vivienne Westwood became part of the punk scene when she met the Sex Pistols’ infamous manager Malcolm McLaren in the late 60s. Together they ran the punk hotspot, a clothing store called “SEX” on King’s Road in London from ’74. In the shop, Westwood and McLaren sold their own designs as well as fetish- and bondage wear from local and international designers. In ’76, “SEX” was renamed for the fourth or fifth time as “Seditionaries” and, with the backing of another King’s Road store called “BOY”, expanded their brand. This is, in our opinion, the most interesting time in Vivienne Westwood’s career which has given her the status of one of the most prominent European designers. Seditionaries’ designs included heavily distressed tops with provocative punk prints – such as the one where Mickey Mouse is seen doing heroin, or having missionary sex with Minnie Mouse and his ear is carved into an anarchist ‘A’. Other designs included the iconic gauze bondage ‘DESTROY’ tops that expressed rather important political statements. Later on in her career, Vivienne Westwood has moved to higher fashion, designing beautiful haute couture collections while always maintaining a focus on the statement and new perspectives on orthodox dogma.
Robe de Chambre is French for ‘dressing gown’, and the name of one of Comme des Garçons’ delicate Prêt-A-Porter lines. Since its addition to Rei Kawakubo’s impressive gallery of legendary diffusion lines in 1981, Robe de Chambre has been synonymous with a very unique trope, that often appears in Japanese avant-garde fashion: Designing casual, yet highly expressive clothing, to go for a Sunday stroll in. Robe de Chambre garments are often loose-fitted and always high-quality.
In the second half of the 20th century, a new individualism began to flourish in Japanese youth. Subcultures emerged daily as young people began to demand their right to personal identity. After World War II, U.S. military bases had been set up from Okinawa to Aomori, bridging the gap between American and Japanese fashion. Many young people were eagerly interested in American design, music, and lifestyle. Although Hysteric Glamour came into being long after the rise of Japanese U.S.-inspired subcultures, it is a clothing brand of the same mold. Hysteric Glamour is in fact a counter-culture to the anti-fashion of Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto, which were in every way characterized by far darker avant-garde appearances than those of Hysteric Glamour. In many ways, the emergence of Hysteric Glamour is very similar to that of Number (N)ine, which is also a clothing brand in the spirit of Americana. Both clothing brands are rather strange imitations of American clichés, but while Number (N)ine draws parallels to punk and grunge culture, Hysteric Glamour is inspired by slightly less sophisticated references: such as cars, porn, baseball caps, comics, and psychedelia, but ironically, punk finds its way in there, and in that way Hysteric Glamour is a father figure to punk-inspired Japanese brands such as UNDERCOVER and Number (N)ine, and the Japanese punk scene in general. Hysteric Glamour was founded in 1984 by Nobuhiko Kitamura.
Gomme is the kind of brand that you discover and quickly realise has made all the beautiful clothes you dare to dream of. The brand encapsulates a more sophisticated Harajuku style as opposed to the colourful and fun clothing brands often associated with Harajuku, such as Hysteric Glamour. Designer Hiroshige Maki left Yohji Yamamoto’s Y’s in August 1989 and set up his own design studio just a month later. Gomme’s designs deal with deconstruction and reconstruction of fabrics often reminiscent of 19th century traditional Japanese drapery. But Gomme has also often taken inspiration from utility clothing and sportswear. Gomme’s strongest point is their detail-oriented and quality-conscious design process, which is very much on par with major fashion houses. This is probably what you can expect from a former Yohji Yamamoto designer. Hiroshige Maki describes his atelier as “old-fashioned” in terms of design approach and handcraft. We think Gomme is beautiful Japanese avant-garde asymmetry in its essence.
Although few people realize it, Roberto Cavalli has actually invented and patented several textile processing methods, making him something of a legend. Cavalli’s universe is Milano-kitsch at its best, and the rowdy prints and sand-blasted jeans are hard not to love. As is usually the case in the Italian fashion industry, Cavalli is a businessman, and he has since the brand’s inception in 1975 opened many diffusion lines and a nightclub in Milan. He also makes perfumes that don’t smell very good.
After graduating from the Bunka Fashion school in Tokyo, Chisato joined Issey Miyake in 1977. She was put in charge of the Issey Sports line, which soon after became I.S Chisato Tsumori – known for their iconic I.S prints. Tsumori Chisato worked closely alongside Issey Miyake until she established her own independent brand in 1999. Chisato takes inspiration from the Harajuku kawaii, Italian 90s sportswear, and Issey Miyake chic.
TALKING ABOUT THE ABSTRACTION is one among three brands founded by Naoki Ichihara: MATATABI, Breathed Things and TALKING ABOUT THE ABSTRACTION are perhaps most famous for their very extensive use of transfer print. You’ll see everything from jeans to leather jackets with rowdy prints. The prints are often meant to create an optic illusion, such as a hoodie with a very precise print of a puffer jacket covering the entire thing. Ichihara’s core ideology behind the brand is, that everything has equal value. He makes casual clothing with no regard for traditional norms and stupid gender roles.
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Malko Malka
Malko Malka is one of those Harajuku brands that unfortunately ceased to exist too soon. Their clothing was only made in small quantities but was worn by many loyal street fashionists. Malko Malka was perfect for Harajuku as it experimented with wild colors and weird, expressive styles. The brand was established in 2001 in Tokyo, Japan.
Trippen is a German cult brand that is highly adored by its more than regular customers all around the world. Founded in Berlin in 1991 by Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler, Trippen revolves around a reappearing principle in the avant-garde: Quality and great handcraft above all. Cast in the same mould as minimalist avantgardists such as Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann, and NYC-based trio threeASFOUR, Trippen focuses on surface materials and shape. No unnecessary buckles or conspicuous details are added to the shoes, which most of the time only consist of two parts: a rubber sole and a Tuscan leather top body. But Trippen´s designs never fail to break all the rules of what we expect footwear to be – and the simple formula seems to give room for unlimited creativity.
Ever since Trippen came to exist, they have done a lot of admirable humanitarian work, that would any day surpass the efforts of most European fashion houses. During the 90s the brand offered high-waged work for local refugees of The Balkan Wars, and in 2018 they won the Brandenburg Integration Award for employing refugees in need of work from Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
Trippen makes sure to manufacture their shoes to be very durable so that they won’t need a replacement after a year or two’s use. Trippen doesn’t have a marketing budget and that’s probably how this all of this cuteness is possible. A fun fact about Trippen is that their shoes are fucking dope and we hope to feature at least a pair per curation!
As previously explained, Japanese fashion has seen massive influence from the U.S., and American workwear, in particular, has been re-articulated countless times in Japan – perhaps mainly because it resonates incredibly well with the idea of long-lasting clothing, which is often a high priority for Japanese clothing manufacturers. Fun fact: Evisu is named directly after Levi’s but when they first called it ‘Evis’ they had to change the name to the Japanese pronunciation of the word due to copyright. 45rpm is in many ways the essence of the infamous Japanese quality. All of their clothing is naturally dyed with Japanese plants and of course – made in Japan. Closely associated with Kapital – who followed suit a few years later with a focus on denim and quality-oriented textile processing – 45rpm was founded in 1977 by Yasumi Inoue. Kapital was established by Toshikiyo Hirata after he found an interest in American denim while teaching karate in the U.S. Hirata’s son Kiro, however, worked for the renowned 45rpm. Today, 45rpm still uses its 600-year-old dyeing technique.
Monkey Time is indeed a pretty silly name for a brand. Created under United Arrows Co., Monkey Time seems to be kind of a big deal in Japan, and only rarely shows up in the West. We’ve seen them making workwear, weird jeans designs, and a T-Shirt saying “All Out Of Fucks To Give”. Miaw likes Monkey Time despite the silly name.