UNDERCOVER's Spring/Summer 2019 men's collection was unveiled at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France, on June 20th.

The brand's decision to forgo its September women's Paris Fashion Week show and instead present its collections at the Paris Men's show in June attracted attention. The men's runway show was held in January in Florence, Italy, as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo. It was a joint show with Takahiro Miyashita of Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist. This marked Jun Takahashi's second collection at Pitti, further enhancing his global reputation as a men's designer.

Like his women's collection, the collection consistently follows a clear storyline for each season's concept. While the previous season's show at Pitti Uomo paid homage to the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," this season's theme is "The New Warriors." The show is based on the American film "The Warriors," which was released in 1979, about 10 years after the release of "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Flags with the New Warriors logo were displayed outside the venue, along with flags featuring large graphics of a total of eight teams. The show consisted of eight groups of six delinquents each carrying a flag and appearing one after another on the runway. Model UTA, the eldest son of Masahiro Motoki and Yayako Uchida, made his Paris Fashion Week debut at the show. Each team has elements hidden throughout that make it fun to imagine the background of the team. For example, "VLADS" uses black and white graphics to evoke the worldview of Bauhaus, a band that can be considered pioneers of gothic music and debuted on London's 4AD label in the early '80s; "Bootleg Truth" combines British traditional styles such as argyle and tartan with top hats and riders jackets reminiscent of "A Clockwork Orange" in a pop style; "Bloody Greekers" evokes images of otaku culture, wearing anime sweatshirts and center-creased denim pants with a hammer in hand; "Zenmondooo" appears wearing a full-face helmet and mask, and a blouson and riders pants with the word "Zen" printed on the front.

While your heart and eyes will likely be captivated by each team's concept work and outstanding graphics, the 48 looks are based on Undercover's specialties of workwear, outdoor wear, and sportswear, mixing in elements of British trad and punk to create market-conscious items that are mainstream in today's men's fashion.

In particular, items such as "X SHADOW HOPPERS" that mix tailored techniques with military and outdoor functionality, and "THE LARMS" that gives a punk twist to athleisure, fully convey the brand's appeal, which lies in its forward-thinking and rebellious spirit in its use of materials.

After the show, veteran reporters from overseas media were seen in the dressing room, their eyes shining as they asked the designer questions like, "I think the inspiration for this scene was ____?" and "I like this team, but which one is your favorite, Jun?" This convinced me that the boom known as "streetwear" has a subculture as its backdrop, and that this brand is undoubtedly one of its epicenters. And when you see the happy face of Takahashi Jun as he happily answers the questions, it goes without saying why they changed the stage from women's to men's.


Text: Tatsuya Noda