Currently viewing the tag: "Undercover"
A Bathing Ape celebrates the 20th anniversary of the legendary streetwear shop NOWHERE with a series of commemorative t-shirts and a limited canvas print. Included in the range are collaborations with heavyweights such as Jun Takahashi of Undercover, SK8THING, Kanye West, Pharrell, Futura , VERBAL and Stash.
The shirts will first be sold at the 20th anniversary exhibition at T-SITE Garden Gallery TSUTAYA in Daikanyama and then online at Zozotown and in-shop at BAPE flagships worldwide.
See the entire range of shirts and list of collaborators after the jump
Simon wears vintage Valentino and Patrik Ervell
Alyssa wears Undercover
Jimmy wears A Bathing Ape, Supreme and Nike
Jamie wears Whyred , Opening Ceremony, Acne and a Philip Lim handbag
Sofia wears Chloe, Thierry Colson and Anndra Neen for Opening Ceremony
Rhamier wears Raf Simons, Comme des Garcons Homme and Komakino
While many of my friends own designer goods, their everyday lives are far removed from the images of luxury that brands flaunt in magazine advertisements or perfume commercials. I know many who have hustled to own the clothes they love, whether through using friend’s discounts, buying at consignment shops or lining up for sample sales. This photo series celebrates anyone who’s saved or sacrifice to live everyday in New York a bit more stylishly.
Photos by Rocky Li
Undercover has a couple new jackets to help you transition into spring weather. The top selection is a nylon/cotton blend blouson The lightweight jacket is detailed with artwork from the Talking Heads on the arms and fisherman vest style chest pockets.
The second is a Gore-Tex trenchcoat which comes in three colors. A simple straight cut and collar but the design is accentuated by contrast button closures. Both jackets are adorned with an embroidered middle-finger design that makes a return from the Fall/Winter 2012 collection.
Browse the entire Spring/Summer 2013 Undercoverism collection at Zozotown
More photos after the jump
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Fred Perry x visvim
COMME des GARCONS Junya Watanabe MAN
Fred Perry x Undercover
Fred Perry is turning 60 years old this year. Best known for it’s classic take on the polo shirt, the brand is collaborating with the likes of visvim, Undercover, and sacai, COMME des GARCONS Junya Watanabe MAN and Kolor. Look for these polos limited quantities at 60 YEARS GALLERY located at Tokyo’s Dover Street Market Ginza from April 2nd to April 25th. If you ask me the visvim one is my favorite , followed by the Junya design as a close runner-up. See more after the jump
The idea of hunting for grails or something you covet has been mentioned on this site before. However, my own take on it is that instead of a hunt, I do not have a precise target for what I want as I just have a design element which I look for and I wait patiently until appears before me that matches all those requisites. I would compare it to fishing where you’re never quite sure what will turn up.
In this case, this Undercover jacket has never really appeared in any photoshoots or runways and I was actually looking out for an Undercover down jacket with leather sleeves instead. The one detail which caught my eye straight away was the distressed leather on the sleeves which is amazingly soft in reality. When I received this jacket I was astounded by the construction as the leather sleeves are attached to the lining and the blazer body is actually deconstructed from a whole jacket as you can see the shoulder seams are not sealed.
The details on this jacket speaks to me of Jun Takahashi’s fondness for deconstructing and reconstructing clothing as the front blazer pockets have been modified with zips to reference motorcycle jackets.
As this jacket illustrates, the reward of a patience and an open mind-set, is a treasure that exceeds all expectations.
Photos and words by Jacob Hui. For many more grail pieces be sure to check out his blog Indiana Jawnz.
Undercover Fall/Winter 2011 backpack on the left and Carhartt WIP Spring/Summer 2013 Bag on the right
I was browsing Hypebeast today and saw their post on the new Carhartt WIP Spring/Summer 2013 bag collection. At first glance I thought, hm that orange backpack looks just like the backpacks Undercover has been doing since 2009.
Here are the details I spotted that are strikingly similar
1. Logo placement on the bottom right.
2. Use of leather pulls and double zips on all closures.
3. The pouches/pockets have the exact same placement.
4. The leather detail is moved on the Carhartt piece to the middle instead of off-center to the left.
5. The bottom of the backpack is fabricated in leather.
6. On other models of the Undercover backpack, there’s the same hanger attachment at the top of the bag.
To me this seems like too many similarities to ignore. Undercover is a brand I personally love and I feel it was necessary to point out my personal observations.
Please feel free to chime in if you feel I am off here and jumping the gun. If you know the original design this Carhartt WIP bag may be referencing please feel free to post about it in the DISQUS comments below.
I’ve also posted some other iterations of this UC design below
Fall/Winter 2009 Undercover Backpacks
Undercover Spring/Summer 2009 ‘Camo backpack’
Undercover Spring/Summer 2011 Backpack
Our post ‘History of the MA-1′ focused more on it’s utility and history as an Air Force garment, in this follow-up post the focus is on the best executed MA-1s in men’s fashion. The selections below fall into two main categories: authentic reproductions that emphasize the craftsmanship and detailing of the originals, and re-designed MA-1′s which alter the defining details of the MA-1. Take a look at the full list below
Helmut Lang ‘Bondage MA-1″
Helmut Lang designed these iconic MA-1s with bondage strap details at his peak as a designer. They come in a variety of colors and materials but they all show his ability to blend countercultural staples with a slimme down minimalist design aesthetic.
Raf Simons ‘Pyramid’ MA-1 from Spring/Summer 2000
Raf Simons’ early work was subversive, youthful and raw. This MA-1 looks like it’s straight out of a cyberpunk flick but was part of the collection SUMMA CUM LAUDE, which was inspired both by Mensa students and the gabba subculture. The cut is oversized, puffy and imposing but in a way that I could only describe as ‘near-perfect’. This is definetly a grail for the ages.
Rick Owens MA-1 (Various Models)
Rick is notorious for elevating menswear staples into items worth coveting. Rick’s take on the MA-1 is slim and sleek with clean lines. The clunky Rick metal zips and the modified wind guard put Rick’s signature on the bomber. These jackets come in a variety of styles but my favorites are the ones which are down filled and the ones with metal zippers on the sleeves. I’ve also seen a silk version that is incredibly to the touch but decidedly a little more delicate.
WTAPS MA-1 Fall/Winter 2011
No one should be surprised that WTAPS made this list. WTAPS specializes in modern takes on military garments, and their execution on the MA-1 is impeccable. What I love about WTAPS is that they apply their branding very tastefully and always put a signature on men’s staples without over doing it. They didn’t change adapt the standard Alpha Industries style MA-1 too much from the original, but they did add a few little touches that make it a more interesting/better-fitting piece. Also kudos to them on getting the sage green color and zipper pulls on this one ‘just right’.
Buzz Rickson “William Gibson MA-1″
It’s one thing when brands make faithful reproductions of vintage items, but Buzz Rickson goes further than that. This is the definitive repro MA-1, the legend is that Buzz Rickson spent over a million dollars to prepare production of key elements of this MA-1 (the re-made crown zippers for example). Also stuff of legend was that the MA-1 was never produced in black by Buzz Rickson until the company began getting requests from loyal readers of Pattern Recognition a modern sci-fi novel by William Gibson. In it the protagonist Cayce Pollard wears a Black Buzz Rickson MA-1.
“While Rickson’s had never made a black one, countless black jackets in the MA-1 pattern have been made over the years. It’s been a very popular, indeed classic pattern. These are not made to the specifications of the US military, but for sale to civilians. I gave Cayce one because I thought it worked for her, and I made it a Buzz, because that worked for me. I never stopped to think that Rickson’s didn’t actually make a black one, but if I had, that wouldn’t have stopped me. Hubertus Bigend doesn’t exist either, and I have my poetic license right here, laminated, in my wallet.
To my surprise, Cayce’s jacket immediately felt to me like a *character*, rather than merely a garment, and I liked that.”
…
“People who complain about the very high cost don’t understand the degree of sheer lunatic obsession that goes into these things. You are very unlikely to ever wear another piece of clothing this well-made. I know I never have. (They are actually better than the 1950s USAF originals, which were only finished to military contract standards.) They spent a million dollars, when the company started up, on machinery to reproduce 1950s USAF-spec Crown zippers. Nobody outside of Japan is very interested in paying for that, they told me, smiling. They have found their niche-market, bigtime.” – William Gibson
Undercoverism Fall/Winter 2011 Leather Sleeve MA-1
While it seems like it’s a trend to put leather sleeves on things, Jun Takahashi shows you how to do it right. Many past UC pieces have played on this theme of mixing and matches elements from different outerwear pieces. In this less traditional take on the MA-1, leather sleeves replace the usual nylon ones and a zipper details is added to the neck. The MA-1 has been stripped of some of it’s bulk and excess and made into this sleek, futurist design. I really love this piece because it opens up new ways to wear the MA-1.
Junya Watanabe eYe COMMES des GARCONS MA-1
Junya Watanabe has an amazing ability to tweak items in ways most designers wouldn’t have imagined. This jacket is kind of a hybrid of a motorcycle jacket and an MA-1. A perfect match if you ask me, especially considering that it looks just as badass reversed to the orange side. A piece any guy should be proud to own.
Komakino MA-1 (Various models)
Komakino is picking up where Raf left off in terms of new-wave and countercultural design. I’ve tried on a few of their MA-1s and they are all superbly cut. Slim and slightly cropped with all the details you want to see on a MA-1 intact. Some are quite plain but my favorite ones by Komakino have graphics hits on the back , arms or body. The White MA-1 in the the first image is from a collaboration with Opening Ceremony for the London Olympics and it remains one of my favorites to this day.
There you have it, eight of the best MA-1s of all time. Did your favorites make the list? If there’s one you think I omitted sound off in the new DISQUS comments. Also if you enjoyed this piece be sure to check out the feature I did on the Histry of the MA-1 HERE.
Words by Rocky Li
We covered the Spring/Summer 2013 lookbook earlier this year, but this Men’s Non-No editorial really nails the feeling of the collection .Set against a psychedelic forest back-drop , the looks here really capture the eclectic mix of slouchy tailored pieces, streetwear and mountaineering inspired outerwear; all laced with that familar Jun Takahashi punk edge. The second look in particular really stands out to me due to it’s use of proportions and layering.
Gyakusou is back with another solid spring/summer collection. As per usual Jun Takahashi and co deliver technical running garments that feature clean lines and a fresh color palette. I’m sure Knicks fans will also appreciate the nod with the blue/orange pieces for him and her.
If hot weather is something that discorages you from running you’ll be happy to know that Ttis collection was inspired by the tropical climate of Brazil. The collection thus employs ‘unlined, breathable, and lightweight materials’ which help runners keep going in even the most sweltering locales.
Scott is wearing:
Post O’alls houndstooth jacket
W)taps x Undercover BDU
Vintage Chambray
Engineered Garments trousers
Bathing Ape x George Cox creepers
In a new series ‘Fit Profiles’, stylish people worldwide breakdown their outfits key piece by key piece. If you’ve seen Scott’s style profile from last year, you know he’s got a wardrobe worth envying. I spoke with Scott recently about how his style has evolved since then.
Scott: Lately I have been finding myself obsessed with a more muted palette. I’ve been wearing lots of tan, olive and brown. When I put together an outfit, I like to think mostly about how the textures, colors and patterns will play with eachother. I have been finding myself straying away from louder pieces and wearing items that are more understated and simple.
This Post jacket is my most recent purchase, I love how it’s based on a more workwear inspired silhouette, but in a very traditional fabric. Being lined with down is also very crucial this time of year in NY.
Most people assume that Bape is a very juvenile brand and for hypebeasts, but I personally love it. I think the collaboration is brilliant and has a humorous take on a work wear silhouette.
The Taps BDU is probably my most worn garment, aside from the EG pants shown. I wear it over every shirt, with blazers, outerwear or as a jacket. It’s an incredibly versatile piece and a perfect weight for layering.
Photos by Rocky Li
