Exhibition
UNDERCOVER 25 Year Retrospective
Takahashi Jun launched UNDERCOVER in 1990 when he was still studying apparel design at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. His distinctive designs channelled the spirit of the Tokyo streets and rapidly gained a passionate fan base, generating a vibe that made UNDERCOVER the leading brand of the Urahara movement in the back alleys of Harajuku. UNDERCOVER’s 2003 SS collection marked its Paris debut, and it has shown in Paris ever since, following a trajectory that made it the global brand we know today.
This exhibition looks back at UNDERCOVER’s first twenty-five years, presenting a broad variety of items, including a hundred or so pieces from the brand’s collection archives, ranging from the first to the latest collection. Condensing a quarter century of ceaseless, full tilt evolution into a single show, this is an exhibition that will delight fans and enthral newcomers.
2005-2006 A/W “Arts and Crafts”
photo by Mamoru Miyazawa
2006-2007 A/W “GURUGURU”
photo by Mamoru Miyazawa
2013-2014 A/W ”Anatomicouture”
photo by Junichi Akahira
Unique, multifaceted world
Fashion, or making clothes, is only a part of UNDERCOVER’s creation. Each collection show is staged with its own conceptual presentation to express the unique perspective behind the designs. UNDERCOVER’s creation has branched in many directions—such as the richly storied photographic works featuring the doll GRACE, and the brand’s own new hero character UNDERMAN—but each incorporates the same coherent aesthetic. Every facet of the world of UNDERCOVER, including fashion, photography, film, and paintings, creates new value through a completely harmonious merger of culture and fashion that is a mark of the brand.
GRACE “Gems” 2008
photo: Katsuhide Morimoto
2011 S/S "UNDERMAN"
photo by Katsuhide Morimoto
Into the labyrinth
This exhibition celebrates UNDERCOVER’s twenty-fifth anniversary, and is the brand’s first exhibition in an art museum. The title, LABYRINTH OF UNDERCOVER: 25 Year Retrospective, is derived from the manner in which the labyrinthine intermingling of many facets of creation produces a distinctive world that is a feature of the brand.
This exhibition takes advantage of Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery’s expansive exhibition space to plot a winding path through a series of presentations that explore the brand’s diverse creative aspects, such as fashion, video, dolls, and paintings. In fact, “LABYRINTH OF UNDERCOVER” also describes the exhibition venue. Visitors have the sense of walking through a labyrinth with a complex intermingling of creations and stories that are part of UNDERCOVER’s chaotic but rich world. Through that experience, they can discover or reaffirm the attraction and the delight of UNDERCOVER.
