However, the season was so much more than the 68 Denim, as it showed that Undercover could create an impactful and lauded collection without relying on shock value or political messaging, and could simply rely on the clothes themselves. The most long lasting and treasured garments from this season is without question the 68 Denim, a pair of aged and distressed jeans in cuts similar to the Levis worn by Patti Smith herself, and are embroidered with a lightning bolt mirroring her knee tattoo. Shirts featured graphics as worn by Patti Smith, the clothing had a wide variety of androgynous cuts, and the jeans looked like they had been through hell and back. While Undercover most definitely took inspiration from Patti Smith's wardrobe and updated parts of it for the 21st century, it also added its own unique touches and takes to these proto-punk-inspired outfits. For Undercover’s But Beautiful collection, Takahashi channeled Patti Smith’s androgynous and rebellious spirit into a stunningly simple and elegant season this seemed to have been his way of taking a break from the noise and everyday outrages occurring with the war in Iraq. SCAB was truly an unabashed statement in favor of an Anarchist way of living, and was against the current capitalist systems of oppression.īeyond merely relying on shock value as a brand, Undercover would quickly go on to show that it was so much more than merely a topical, political brand. These themes have remained extremely relevant, with war, consumerism, and climate crisis only getting worse in the years since the SCAB show in 2002. The show's political statements were much more than simply showing models in burkas, however, with many of the tee shirts having anarchist imagery and the season itself being centered around radical anarchist politics - in particular anti-colonialist, anti-capitalist, and anti-environmental exploitation. Instead of shying away from current events and popular opinion, Undercover feasted on the forbidden fruit, and had their most political and timely season as a result, with even models in burkas ending the extremely political show.
Following the 9/11 attacks, there was a feeling of unease in terms of how the fashion world and designers would address these events during Paris Fashion Week. Without SCAB, Undercover would have still remained an important streetwear staple, but it may not have broken into the high fashion scene with such force if not for it. Combined with these wide array of topics were the clothes themselves, which were spectacularly detailed, cut, and constructed to express Takahashi’s own personal political views. During this period, Undercover embraced many different styles and ideas, ranging from technical fabrics to punk rockers and even anarchist politics. Following SS2003 SCAB, Undercover would continue to show collections in Paris. By fully displaying his political punk nature, along with creating immaculate designs Jun Takahashi would set the tone for the next era of Undercover, spanning from 2002-2010, and win himself critical acclaim the world over.
UNDERCOVER CLOTHING FULL
With this opportunity of Paris Fashion Week presented to him, Jun Takahashi dared to be bold with the presentation of SS2003 SCAB, which was a chock full of staunchly anti-war, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist messages. In the wake of 9/11 and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan, along with the buildup to the Iraq war, Jun Takahashi stayed true to his punk ethos and decided to spit in the face of warmongering. In 2002, Undercover got its big break onto the international scene in the form of a Paris Fashion Week show slot.
Undercover was not content to limit itself to just being a mere political brand, however. Fast forward to today, Undercover’s SS2000 season remains timeless in its nature, with even Supreme using the ‘Generation Fuck You’ graphic and slogan on their collaborative pieces in 2016. This fostered feelings of resentment towards the older generations who had a much easier time economically. In comparison, however, those growing up in the 80’s and 90’s were afforded with no such luxury and were pressured to compete for less and less, creating a whole lost generation of workers in the process. This was in stark contrast to the generation that came before them, who, in the wake of World War 2 and during Japan's economic boom, were afforded with a degree of stability and a relatively high quality of life. This is due to the fact that Japan was dealing with the end of the first ‘ Lost Decade(s)’, where young people were given less and less economic opportunity and stability in their lives.
While still relevant in terms of how the youth tend to view older generations, these phrases and graphics were even more pointed during that time.
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