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Keywords such as “deconstruction,” “subversion,” or “avant-garde” often lean more towards the ready-made analysis of Rei Kawakubo’s designs, rather than reflecting genuine paradigms of creation. This may call for a more rigorous reading of the issues she mobilizes with each collection, while still acknowledging the persistence of practical and technical articulations that, for their part, remain intact.

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*Comme des Garçons A/W 2025 Womenswear Collection. Photography by Nikita Laganovskis (@nikitalaganovskis).*

The subtext of A/W 2025 offers an entry point that the garment itself clarifies: “Recently we feel that big business, big culture, global systems, world structures maybe are not so great after all. There is also strong value in small. Small can be mighty.” 

This idea is conveyed through an exacerbation of volume and a geometry rendered relentless, imposed upon the various models. Fabrics such as Prince of Wales checks, tartan, and blue striped suits — characteristics of institutional or bureaucratic wardrobes — are here made supple, distended, and almost dreamlike, offering an easy analogy with the Möbius strip. Indeed, through twisting and hypertrophy, these garments carry both the monumental nature they evoke while simultaneously signifying a critique of that very monumentalism. The theatrical figures with velvet pleats, characters with oversized and asymmetrical skirts and drapings, are so many illustrations of a symbolic power increase that, once overwhelming, reveals its sometimes burlesque nature. The discourse on 'small' finds an echo in the meticulousness and skill evident in each papier-mâché headpiece, each assemblage of tulle with draping, where nothing seems left to chance.

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*Junya Watanabe A/W 2025 Womenswear Collection. Photography by Thian Benton Fieulaine (@tbfieulaine).*

The filiation of Watanabe’s work is unequivocal. His A/W 2025 collection stands as an homage and an explicit love letter to Jimi Hendrix, the collection emulating rock archetypes with a flourish of zippered denim or leather jackets, long-haired textures and sunglasses. The show’s music also anchors the collection within the framework of a reminiscence, from which the designer’s earliest memories of fashion took place. The music corresponds to the 2024 release of a series of previously unreleased Hendrix studio sessions, which propelled Watanabe several years into the past through this vivid Madeleine de Proust.

But opting for cosplay or a faithful reproduction of the archetype in question would be far too simple. Watanabe, in turn, seeks out another framework, another standard for reinscribing clothing as material of distortion and alteration: Cubism. Perfectos, trench coats, or bombers (pillars of the contemporary wardrobe) feature oversized pyramidal protrusions, immense rectangular structures enveloping shoulders or hips. Frames and visible armatures are incorporated, converting the daily wardrobe into a terrain for spectacle, deformity, or play. (Still on the idea of paradoxes existing in the same space : underneath the extreme jackets were a lot of really wearable clothes.) The mode of fragmentation, the process of accentuation, is noticeably similar to Kawakubo’s; let’s just say the focal point is placed on different emblems. The pinnacle of this exercise in deformation perhaps finds form in the jacket composed of two inverted Dr. Martens boots replacing the sleeves, a radicalization of the perfecto’s distortion that borders on the absurd. As a structural matrix, the piece suspends functionality in favor of a deliberate interrogation of its formal and symbolic dimensions.

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*Noir Kei Ninomiya A/W 2025 Womenswear Collection. Photography by Puck Cato Verheul (@puck_verheul).*

The positioning of the Noir show is different, and attempting to outline a thematic triptych would amount to excessive generalization. Almost the entire show unfolds to a dissonant piano procession by Yasuaki Itakura. It is upon this absence of melody that figures emerge, their lexicon rooted in biomorphism, the imitation of natural forms through technical materials. This is made explicit through glossy resins and plasticized fringes reminiscent of scales or feathers, while the towering 3D-printed headpieces recall antlers. Ultimately, this combination of craftsmanship and complex material expression allows, as Ninomiya has demonstrated for over a decade, for clothing to be treated as an organic growth around the body, where symbiosis always operates on a sensitive plane. 

The final two minutes of the show form a last, colorful act: the erratically played piano notes vanish, giving way to a techno-infused 'Ode to Joy' by Hakushi Hasegawa, a longtime collaborator of Ninomiya. Models adorned with ribbons, rainbows, and pompoms contrast with the rest of the collection. It marks a return to a stance evoking childhood, carefreeness, or at the very least, a less frictional position — an almost escapist shift, far less imbued with apprehension or vertigo than the opening. One will recall that similar thematic concerns were already at work in earlier collections by Ninomiya, the closest being A/W ’24. The presence of a childhood grammar (hula hoops, scoubidous, rainbow tutus) was then rendered diffuse across the entire set of looks. This time, it is reaffirmed as a final tour de force in A/W 2025, tending toward an understanding of the “small” as the visual discourse of an age carried by playfulness, bliss, and a sense of calm.

Felix Ramirez

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The yearly lookbooks that are released are most pertinent to understanding the unique way Kapital approaches the world - acting as a visual language of the philosophy of Kapital. They produce these with full creative control with often little change to the core team, adhering to guidelines set only by themselves with seemingly no limitation. This in itself seems to defy the way we collectively approach the fashion process, to remain true and unique at all costs. They have and continue to participate in eccentric defiance. 

Aloha Brigade Lookbook

The Legend of Harajuku is the perfect title to describe Goro Takahashi, who himself is an enigma in Japanese and American society. Broken up into 3 volumes, the first volume provides an introductory outlook on Goro Takahashi’s life journey. The book utilizes various styles of photography to narrate his life experiences and interactions, all while building the foundation to display Takahashi’s fascination with Native American society and culture. The grainy images of a young Goro Takashashi is juxtaposed with detailed images of his craftsmanship and products. The sections of the book have a focus on the various products that Takahashi has masterfully crafted throughout his lifetime, such as belts, leather goods, and rings.

Legend of Harajuku Goros, Volume 1

Kapital has consistently approached fashion from multiple perspectives since its birth in 1984. Though the clothes themselves are held in high regard for their visual details and construction, it can be argued that the brand's editorial lookbooks shift its clothing into an unbelievable context. Photographed by Eric Kvatek and directed together with Kapital’s Kiro Hirata, the Kapital lookbooks serve to bring its readers into worlds unbeknownst to the everyman, its content ranging from the spiritual beings of faraway islands to the desolate lifestyles of the countryside and misfits of city alleyways, to name a few. It’s no wonder that so many individuals from all walks of life gravitate to such a culturally diverse brand 

Fukkin Kountry Lookbook

Legend of Harajuku Goros, Volume 2


For almost 5 decades, Issey Miyake has been pioneering the concept of modern Japanese heritage in fashion. As a survivor of post World War II trauma, Issey Miyake was born into the destruction of his country and participated in its rise and redemption. After his studies, Miyake would travel to Paris then New York to accumulate experiences and ideas to build his fashion empire. His Western travels would land him back in Tokyo, where he established his namesake brand that would ultimately revolutionize Japanese fashion and global fashion as a whole. Miyake has spent the past 5 decades reinforcing his design motifs: texture, shape, fabric, proportions, and technology. He blends these motifs with his equilibrium balance of Eastern and Western heritage. Miyake often references his Western experiences but never forgets his Eastern roots, creating a different world for his garments to exist in.

Making Things

When form and proportion allow each designer to reflect on grotesque power, distorted archetypes and the organic.

Beyond Monumentalism: Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, & Noir Kei Ninomiya A/W 2025

Angela Ricciardi

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ARCHIVE.pdf, in collaboration with photographer Angela Ricciardi, presents our exclusive backstage coverage of Ann Demeulemeester’s Spring/Summer 2025 show.

Ann Demulemeester S/S 2025 Backstage

Samy Cheurfa

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The school takes the stance of fashion archives made accessible and touchable, creating the conditions for discourse on memory, craftsmanship, and the symbolic inscription of artifacts through time.

Polimoda, AN/ARCHIVE EVENT TWO and the 'Anti-Museum' Horizon

Thian Benton Fieulaine

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ARCHIVE.pdf visited the Dries Van Noten showroom for a closer look at Julian Klausner’s debut collection. 

Behind the Curtain: Dries Van Noten A/W '25 Showroom

ARCHIVE.pdf had the opportunity this men’s fashion season to go backstage for two of the most eclectic shows on the calendar and capture the behind the scenes of what it takes to make a spectacle.

Welcoming the Weird: Walter van Beirendonck meets Kidill

The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation's exhibition shows the strength, complexity, and beauty shared between these designers.

Mugler & Alaïa: Two Decades of Artistic Affinities 

In a season of full of Margiela references, two contrasting auctions offer insights into two different sides of the designer’s language.

The Two Faces of Martin Margiela

Nikita Laganovskis

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Puck Cato Verheul

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Spotlight

The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, housed at 18 rue de la Verrerie – where Alaïa lived and worked – is devoted to preserving his collections and life’s work. Its exhibitions offer viewers the chance to witness the precision of Alaïa’s cuts up close, where details and craftsmanship often lost in photographs and videos come alive in person. The way fabric hugs the body, the sculptural quality of a perfectly tailored suit, the seamless blend of structure and sensuality: these elements are best experienced in the physical presence of the garment.


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In the current exhibition, Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler: 1980/1990—Two Decades of Artistic Affinities, curated by Olivier Saillard, that experience takes on a new dimension. Once great friends, with Mugler even playing a pivotal role in encouraging Alaïa to establish his own brand, the exhibition positions the two designers in a joint retrospective lens. By placing their work in direct conversation, the show reveals not only their shared era, but a nuanced creative dialogue. What emerges is a portrait of two designers with radically different aesthetics, yet a deeply similar mission. Both used clothing to empower women, crafting a vision of femininity that resisted the patriarchal archetype of the submissive, stay-at-home ideal. Their approach to fashion was not merely decorative; it was political. Alaïa enhanced the body’s natural lines with subtle mastery, while Mugler exaggerated and reimagined them, offering a fantasy of hyper-femininity.


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But if Mugler is often remembered as the architect of the power suit—of sharp shoulders and high glamour—this exhibition also uncovers a softer, more everyday side of his work. It reframes Mugler not only as a theatrical futurist, but also as someone engaged with real women’s lives and bodies. His designs were not always about spectacle; many pieces reveal ergonomic tailoring and unexpected intimacy. Seen next to Alaïa’s meticulous construction, Mugler’s work takes on new warmth. The exhibition delves into their mutual influences, the synchronicities in their work, and their shared creative spirit. Yet, they never merged into one another; instead, they maintained their individuality while deeply appreciating each other’s artistry. Mugler once reflected on their differences, saying, “My clothes are less abstract, more in touch with reality. The body feels more at ease in them, and his are something more striking… I think that with me, Azzedine Alaïa has been able to free himself—to move towards suits with more ergonomic, sinuous lines.” This was not merely professional admiration but a rare and sincere friendship in an industry often driven by ego and competition. Mugler confided in Alaïa, previewing collections before they were shown—a gesture of trust and creative kinship. He even allowed his lifelong muse and collaborator, Zuleika, to join the Alaïa family, further intertwining their artistic worlds.


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Walking through the exhibition, visitors witness how both designers constructed entire universes around their work. The staging of the garments, the interplay of light and shadow, and the careful juxtaposition of silhouettes show how their visions coexist. While Mugler projected outward, creating women who looked like chrome-plated goddesses from the future, Alaïa turned inward—carving quiet elegance from restraint. Two different expressions of power, two sculptors of the female body, both believing in her agency. At a time when fashion is often dictated by algorithms and fast trends, this exhibition offers something else entirely: a return to intimacy, to storytelling, to substance. And at its core, it is about women—not just as muses or consumers, but as collaborators, protagonists, and icons. Mugler and Alaïa didn’t just design for women. They listened to them. They admired them. And they built legacies that honored their strength, complexity, and beauty.



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Ligia Ponce

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Fashion is defined by change. From early couturiers who dictated the season’s silhouette through to today's spinning carousel of creative directors, this industry has been defined by its rapid pace. In the face of such movement, obstinate designers who insist upon a uniform creative vision offer a refreshing change of pace from the frenetic dynamism of the industry at large. Such is the case for Jan-Jan Van Essche, who is the subject of a retrospective exhibition at MoMu that is currently on display.

Jan-Jan Van Essche graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2003, waiting until 2010 to launch his eponymous label. The brand is based out of Atelier Solarshop, which he runs with his partner Pietro Celestina. Since then, Jan-Jan has been developing a distinctive design language rooted in geometric pattern-making, traditional fabrics, and natural dyes. Jan-Jan’s consistency of voice, with a quiet insistence on his core concepts, has enabled him to co-curate an exhibition at MoMu which is almost contradictory: a retrospective exhibition presented through a current collection.


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Spring/Summer 2025’s collection is entitled “Khayal,” named after an improvisational Indian music style. Like most of Jan-Jan’s collections, it contains all of the key aspects from the design vocabulary he has developed over the past 15 years. The collection is dynamic and genderless, with voluminous silhouettes that offer unrestricted movement, rich tactility, and ease: true luxury. Displaying Jan-Jan’s clothes in static form does not do them justice; his garments have a fluidity that must be felt as much as seen. To remedy this, custom mannequins were produced by Rune Tuerlinckx out of reclaimed wood, positioned askew to provide a suggestion of movement that animates the clothes. The “models” stand atop a film of golden yellow sand, contrasting the muted tones of the clothes. 

The 10 looks that compose the exhibition are broken down into 5 focal points, beginning with a focus on silhouette, and the role of layering in constructing the volumes that make Jan-Jan’s shapes so distinctive. It proceeds into a segment on the brand’s focus on hand-weaving, done in through two collaborations. The first is with Senegalese artist Lamine Diouf, who also wove the curtains through which the mannequins are viewed, and the second with Rituraj Dewan’s company 7Weaves, which works with indigenous weavers in the forests of Northeast India. The subsequent section focuses on Jan-Jan’s pattern-making, with key shapes presented alongside a deconstructed pair of garment-dyed denim pants that was previously used for an exhibition at Tokyo’s Lift. The final two sections focus on Jan-Jan’s obsession with natural dyeing processes and knitwear production.

Jan-Jan Van Essche has spent 15 years cultivating a language of expression rooted in consistent principles – a consistency which rewards Jan-Jan with the capacity for this novel form of retrospection. His body of work reminds us of the importance of commitment, self-assuredness, and conviction in one’s own perspective.

Khayal is on display at MoMu until June 8, 2025.

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Riviere Fougy

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Letting Alan and Bê tell their amazing stories. It’s time to give them their flowers.

From Boston to the World: A Conversation With Alan & Bê Bilzerian

An exhibition at MoMu displays a retrospective of Jan-Jan Van Essche's work through a presentation of his S/S '25 collection. 

A Retrospective Present: Jan-Jan Van Essche's "Khayal"

When people hear the name ‘Comme des Garcons’, a wide variety of images and feelings pop up, proving that the Japanese brand has created an aesthetic universe of its own. This masterful execution of fashion world building couldn't have been fully expanded upon without the catalyst that was the SIX Magazine. Created in 1988, SIX served as a breeding ground for experimental branding with a small twist: the branding rarely (if ever) involved Comme des Garcons’ own clothing. Instead of falling back on conventional methods of fashion advertising, the bi-annual publication incorporated non fashion related artwork and photography to convey the Japanese brand’s collections. SIX also tapped into a wide array of creatives who sometimes weren’t even involved in the industry, and yet this is exactly what gave fashion a breath of fresh air. Not only did SIX solidify Comme des Garcons as an entire entity of its own, it also changed our own perception of fashion to this very day.

SIX Number 3


Although his first collection was released in Japan in 1977, it wasn’t until the mid 80’s and 90’s that Yohji Yamamoto became an influential name in the world of fashion. Photographer David Sims shot these impressive images for Yamamoto’s Autumn/Winter 1995 lookbook, one of the designer’s more symbolic collections from the 90’s. The use of flat color of the simple backdrops really allows the sparse color and details of the pieces to stand out. These bright images are mixed with black and white photos and still lifes that contribute to the overall artistic style of the book. This is an impressive selection of images that shows us one of Yohji’s collections from the height of his career and influence in the 1990’s.

AW1995 Lookbook

Though many passionate followers of Undercover would say that its greatest collection to date is SS2003 ‘SCAB,’ a select few would state otherwise. During the winter of 2005 Undercover presented ‘T,’ an esoteric collection that incorporated the concept of deconstruction and reconstruction. From the religious symbology on the runway to the designs of fictional German bands under the equally fictional record label ‘Undercover Records,’ many found 'T' to rival the likes Undercover’s earlier collections by a long shot. Many found it to be reminiscent of Maison Martin Margiela’s work; this is not a surprise given that Jun Takahashi was influenced by Martin himself as well as Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. In commemoration of this collection, the Cream Spring Edition book was released solely through Undercover’s Hong Kong store. It features backstage photography of the construction of the collection, sketches of the various clothes and designs by Jun Takahashi, photos of the runway, various interviews from both Jun and Undercover staff, and more. This combination of aesthetics and valuable information only brings its reader deeper into the world of Undercover and 'T'.

Cream Spring Edition Issue 04

Japanese cultural icon Hiroshi Fujiwara and Jun Takahashi of Undercover have created this publication as an ode to Seditionaries. With Fujiwara working under Westwood and McLaren during the 80s and Takahashi being the lead singer of the Tokyo Sex Pistols, it comes as no surprise that Seditionaries would impact both individuals’ achievements at a profound level. The clothing featured were collected by both individuals since the mid 80s to early 90s, each carefully preserved and cherished over the course of decades. With the publication amassing over 350 items, this Seditionaires collection stands the test of time, giving birth to both new fashion enthusiasts and designers around the world.

Jun Takahashi and Hiroshi Fujiwara Seditionaries Collection Book

Designer Issey Miyake and photographer Irving Penn first met in New York City in the 80’s. Penn and Miyake kicked it off and eventually Irving Penn flew to Japan to photograph the early days of Miyake’s Design Studio. Penn was able to view the behind the scenes of Miyake’s experimenting with his process of creating the pleats for “Pleats Please!”. The book shows some of Miyake’s most famous pieces in beautiful detail photographed on clean white backdrops with bright light to capture the pleat pattern. The models all were draped in garments of bright colors and intricate patterns and pose in an almost theatrical manner. During this time in the 80’s Miyake had been working with several ballets and theatre plays doing costume design. As a child he also had always wanted to be a dancer so we continue to see these performance arts inspiring Miyake with further collections. The photos were used as advertisements for Issey Miyake, they also made this limited run book of the stunning photographs the two artists collaborated on in the 80’s.

Issey Miyake Photographs by Irving Penn

In the midst of the 1990s, the world bore witness to a force to be reckoned with: Japan’s Urahara Streetwear Movement. The movement was a positive feedback loop between all of Tokyo’s underground creatives - look no further than the likes of Tetsu Nishiyama of WTAPS, legendary graphic designer Sk8thing, and Hikaru of Bounty Hunter, all of whom began their respective journeys in the same cultural melting pot. But of course, the Urahara Movement can’t be discussed without mentioning the impact of magazine segment ‘Last Orgy.’

Created by legendary Japanese Hip-Hop duo Tiny Panx, Last Orgy gained the reputation for being a taste-making phenomenon. Tiny Panx eventually distanced themselves from their creation, passing the torch to two newcomers to the scene: Jun Takahashi of Undercover and NIGO of A Bathing Ape. Both in their mid-20s, the infamous streetwear tag team continued Last Orgy’s legacy of curation and taste making through ‘Last Orgy 2’, from showcasing covetable items to news from the underground scene and more. Last Orgy 2 was a source that, to all involved, was the pinnacle of creative hope for years to come.

Made possible by donations from several fashion enthusiasts in the community, this issue of Last Orgy 2 has now been fully translated. Those who have a curiosity for pre-internet streetwear memorabilia now have the chance to delve even deeper.

Last Orgy 2, Issue 10 with Translation

SIX Number 4


Jun Takahashi has always been known as an innovative designer who loves referencing history, culture, and his own personal life in his works. This particular 2011 season is yet another example of this endeavor, as depicted in the 2011 'UNDERMAN' Photo Book. The SS2011 Undercover collection titled 'UNDERMAN' features a fictional hero in the year 20XX who restores lost souls incapacitated by the forces of evil. With the story and costume design by Takahashi and photography by Katsuhide Morimoto, Underman was Takahashi's portrayal of Japanese superheroes through fashion. Besides the extensive clothing collection, Takahashi also created a lookbook using a booklet binder of trading cards and a set of miniature figurines in collaboration with Medicom Toy.

Underman Photo Book

From interviews with Martin Margiela himself to photos of avant-garde creations made of recycled objects, the designer's pandora box of creativity flows freely in Cream Issue 09, with his uninhibited creativity being on full display.

Cream Issue 09

Last Orgy 2, Issue 17 with Translation

Last Orgy 2, Issue 11 with Translation

Last Orgy 2, Issue 14 with Translation

Last Orgy 2, Issue 13 with Translation

The Number (N)ine Smart Magazine special, published by Takarajimasha on September 15, 2005, is the quintessential guide for Number (N)ine’s AW2005 collection, 'The High Streets.' It includes photoshoots, interviews, an item catalog, and a retrospective of the brand from SS2001 to AW2005. When most people think of this collection, an image of the infamous hybrid cargo pants conjures up in their minds, and while it is definitely a hallmark of the season, there is more to it that often gets overlooked.

The season as a whole is a hybridization of Native American and grunge culture. There are some items that have an obvious influence, such as the furs, feathers, and fringe that decorate many of the outfits. The grunge garments are flannels, jeans, and Cobain style sunglasses. It may sound all over the place, but the photoshoots present in the magazine show how well these themes work together. The catalog gives a glimpse at the retail prices for the season, ranging from around $400 to $4000.

A fun fact about this book is that it also came with an appendix that included two pins and a rubber ring, each bearing The High Streets insignia.

SMART Magazine Special

Last Orgy 2, Issue 12 with Translation

In 2014, QUOTATION Magazine celebrated Undercover with a special edition showcasing the brand’s legacy. The issue features an exclusive interview with Jun Takahashi, a comprehensive retrospective of Undercover’s collections from 1994 to 2014, a compilation of insights from the brand’s friends and collaborators, and more.

25th Anniversary Under Cover Special Edition, Quotation Magazine

Last Orgy 2, Special Edition with Translation

This Spring/Summer 1996 collection from Undercover, easily named 'Under The Cover', welcomes us into the young creative mind of budding designer Jun Takahashi. The book was created along with the collection and gives us a brief look at drawings Takahashi had made in order to design and produce the garments. He used monster-type figures you would see in horror movies as models for the collection. The book shows us behind the scenes photos as well as detailing how the masks and characters were created. The cenobyte-type figures seem as if they are trapped in some colorful prison or hospital and all wore clothing that matched the design of their complex features. The color blocking walls surrounded the figures, sometimes posed with objects and small environments, as if each were in their own cell. 

Under the Cover

Last Orgy 2, Issue 23 with Translation

Last Orgy 2, Issue 16 with Translation

Number (N)ine still exists today, however the soul and spark of the brand is long gone, with Takahiro Miyashita having left Number (N)ine following the presentation of “A CLOSED FEELING” in 2009. This leaving of Number (N)ine marked for many the end of Takahiro Miyashita’s brainchild. In this rare feature, translated with the help of the ARCHIVE.pdf community, the designer talks about his life, his early youth, hooliganism, and even his deeply held feelings of sadness. This feature also contain interviews with those close to Miyashita, as well as and quotes from designers, along with the design team. This booklet seems to act as a swan song, marking the end of this period of Miyashita’s life, and allowing closure while still providing comfort and reflection towards the beautiful legacy he left at Number (N)ine. While quite somber and at times saddening, the feature ends on a rather mixed note, with the writer encouraging Miyashita to “KEEP BURNING” rather than too merely fade away.

Truth of Number (N)ine

Last Orgy 2, Issue 15 with Translation

In 2015, Undercover designer Jun Takahashi launched a retrospective exhibition in commemoration of his brand’s 25th anniversary. The exhibition went into great detail on the cult brand’s history and designs, from the early days being stocked in Ura-Harajuku’s NOWHERE store, to an expansive selection of runway looks and designs surrounding the brand’s unique vision. Labyrinth of Undercover was released alongside this exhibition, featuring select looks from all of Undercover’s runway shows, from 1994 to 2015. In addition to the runway looks is also a full list of collections with descriptions of the corresponding themes and meanings. The book eloquently serves as a time capsule through which readers can grasp a substantial understanding of the cult brand's legacy from the 90s to the modern day.

Labyrinth of Undercover

This Universe of Fashion book was released in 1998 under Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garcons label and features iconic advertisements and photographs used in CDG's Direct Mail ads. As described in the short article from Universe of Fashion, Rei Kawakubo is an honest and sincere designer, and enjoys working and collaborating with creatives and artists of all types. She loves experimenting with other artists including photographers, graphic designers, architects, and even floral artists. After looking through some of the Direct Mail ads, it is clear that Kawakubo really enjoys the process of working alongside other people and how she can trust other artists with her vision. Universe of Fashion also explains her interest in photography and color, both of which have directly impacted the clothing she makes and the imagery she puts out to represent her brand Comme Des Garçcons.

Universe of Fashion: Comme des Garcons

The setting of the lookbook is desolate yet refreshing, reminiscent of the countryside farm, yet is juxtaposed with modern architectural objects. Combined with masterful styling and flamboyant modeling, the lookbook in its entirety practically mirrors the aesthetics of the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

AW1998 Lookbook

NEO TOKYO IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE. This instantly recognizable phrase is from one of the anime industry’s most iconic films, Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo. From the movie’s explosion in popularity to its dedicated cult following, Otomo became increasingly known for his range of enigmatic creations. As such, it came as no surprise that Rei Kawakubo would collaborate with him for Comme des Garcons’ Spring/Summer 2013 Campaign. The artwork from the campaign features characters, scenes and manga pages from Akira, and are seamlessly combined with Otomo’s more standalone art pieces. This collage of imagery results in the form of familiar yet alien pieces of works, drawing parallels with CDG’s deconstructed and raw clothing of the 80’s. The collaboration has proven to stand the test of time, with the collaboration’s prints and items still being sought after to this very day.

Katsuhiro Otomo for Comme des Garcons DM 1

Katsuhiro Otomo for Comme des Garcons DM 5

Released in very limited amounts in 1997, Comme des Garcons Visionnaire 20 was a rare peek back into the archives of Rei Kawakubo and Comme des Garcons. The book itself was highly limited, with only 2,800 copies being produced, and each one being hand numbered. What's contained within the pages of this book is more interesting than its limited nature.

Rather than merely having Kawakubo and her label's staff put together outfits, she decided to let other visionaries such as Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, and Nick Knight each put together looks for the book. By digging through CDG archives stretching back as far as 1982, each creator had a wide array of garments to choose from. What resulted from this meeting of creative minds is nothing short of genius, with each participant producing radically different images. Ranging from metal restraints, to the streets of Hong Kong, the outfits fused the avant-garde works of CDG with a wide variety of fashion philosophies and settings. The looks themselves are marvelous, with some being glitzy and glamorous, while others toyed with darker themes. The book itself is now considered a collectors item, with prices ranging anywhere from 1,000-2,000 USD.

CDG and by extension Kawakubo are best known for their avant-garde works, which range all the way from deconstructed garments to fragrances. The theme that has tied decades of her and CDGs’ work together has been the commitment to being unflinchingly artistic. In this book, she let artists take her work out of this context, and create something new out of her existing ideas, in a quite rare move for Kawakubo. The outfits featured in the book mainly show the stylist’s idea of fashion, but like darkness creeping across the land, Kawakubo's influence shadows and lords over all of it.

Visionaire 20: Comme des Garcons

High fashion is notoriously known for its displays of status and extravagance, so much so that it overshadows the creative genius of those who reside within the industry. But despite its outward projection of affluence and aspiration, many fall victim to its financial burdens, with a countless number designers and brands falling into the wayside as a result. Though many try to hide these struggles behind displays of success, Yohji Yamamoto heads in the opposite direction through his book ‘My Dear Bomb’. A byproduct of Yamamoto’s struggles with the bankruptcy of his company in 2009, the book acts as a canvas through which he expresses his inner thoughts, turmoils and sensibilities. A rare look into the mind of fashion’s most respected designers of our time, the contents of ’My Dear Bomb’ range from his philosophical thoughts to personal design principles, thoughts on the human body, relationships with women, poetic sensibilities, and more.

My Dear Bomb

Throughout Undercover’s two and a half decade run, Jun Takahashi printed and had numerous graphics featured on t-shirts, with graphics ranging widely in purpose and aesthetic. In Undercover's 'TGRAPHICS' book, many of these unique and wide ranging prints are explored and shown off in both textile and original art forms. The art featured in this book stretches from before Undercover was even its own brand entity, to its more recent work from 2015. Some key highlights include work from Takahashi's time in the Tokyo Sex Pistols, prints from SS2003 'SCAB', AW2001 'D.A.V.F.', and many other celebrated seasons. From punk inspired works to the more high art minded pieces, Undercover has truly done it all.

FASHION SCANS

Legend of Harajuku Goros, Volume 1

25th Anniversary Under Cover Special Edition, Quotation Magazine

AW1998 Lookbook

Guru of the Fashion World

Guerillazine: No.6 Ideas for Corporate Salvation

FARMY Lookbook

Veronique Branquinho A/W 2004 Menswear

A/W 2002 'Virginia Creeper' Catalog

FASHION SCANS

LEGEND OF HARAJUKU GOROS, VOLUME 1

Goros . 2012 . 2012

25TH ANNIVERSARY UNDER COVER SPECIAL EDITION, QUOTATION MAGAZINE

Undercover . 2014 . 2014

AW1998 LOOKBOOK

Yohji Yamamoto . 1998 . 1998

GURU OF THE FASHION WORLD

Yohji Yamamoto . 1986 . 1986

GUERILLAZINE: NO.6 IDEAS FOR CORPORATE SALVATION

Comme des Garcons . 2009 . 2009

FARMY LOOKBOOK

Kapital . 2011 . 2011

VERONIQUE BRANQUINHO A/W 2004 MENSWEAR

Veronique Branquinho . 2004 . 2004

A/W 2002 'VIRGINIA CREEPER' CATALOG

Raf Simons . 2002 . 2002

MUTILATE

Walter Van Beirendonck . 1997 . 1997