Not experienced in a sense that I've owned and worn it, but these tech fabrics surely do their job - I'd say proceed with confidence.
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Undercover / Undercoverism
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This is a sticky topic.
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Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde
StyleZeitgeist Magazine
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I would like to put this up for discussion. I saw the label earlier, and wanted to take a picture of it - happy that A Blog did the job for me - in order to discuss this manifesto. What do you guys think? I will reserve my opinion to see what others have to say.
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde
StyleZeitgeist Magazine
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It is what it is. I like the "DUN DUN DUN" ring of the last line and the way it's positioned and phrased. Ultimately, it can't escape the fact it's a pitch. I dunno about manifestos, less is better, also applies to anything peripheral from the work itself. But I can relate to the need to get things off one's chest, particularly as a creative. I don't know Jun Takahashi, but going off that text box itself it looks genuine. UC has always been more grounded as an entity than its darker counterpart often mentioned in the same breath - NN/Takahiro Miyashita.
However, I've always found Undercover a bit blah for a reason I can't quite pinpoint. It may be the construction of the clothes, the fabrics - stiff and restrictive, to me at least. It's streetwear with a more discerning cut and tag. I like the styling of the current season menswear - it's very approachable and happens to integrate the elements that I would and do personally wear on a regular basis, hence it speaks to me more than most of the collections I've seen in the past few years from him.
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^ Nice rant, but nowhere in the manifesto does he say that he'd like to do away with PR and marketing altogether. He's just expressing dissatifaction with the outsized slice they've claimed of the fashion industry pie.
As you've said, he's not exactly expressing anything new here, and there's also not a whole lot to disagree with. The only real problem I have with it, is that Undercover's price point alone keeps it aimed squarely and pretty much exclusively at "celebrities or fashion insiders." I'd been nurturing some small hope that the pragmatic nature of the current collection would result in lower prices, but if anything, they're even higher than before...
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Originally posted by droogist View Post^ Nice rant, but nowhere in the manifesto does he say that he'd like to do away with PR and marketing altogether. He's just expressing dissatifaction with the outsized slice they've claimed of the fashion industry pie.
As you've said, he's not exactly expressing anything new here, and there's also not a whole lot to disagree with. The only real problem I have with it, is that Undercover's price point alone keeps it aimed squarely and pretty much exclusively at "celebrities or fashion insiders." I'd been nurturing some small hope that the pragmatic nature of the current collection would result in lower prices, but if anything, they're even higher than before...Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde
StyleZeitgeist Magazine
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Whenever an artist/ designer tries to "justify" what they do, I find it reeks of desperation.
Your product should speak for itself. Sometimes overt explanation weakens the aesthetic.
Reminds me of the story when Beckett was at a cafe with friends and his work was brought up in discussion. His response - to literally turn his back on the conversation.
Just my 2 cents.
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Originally posted by Faust View PostBingo, exactly how I feel. At this point it's becoming very hard to justify what exactly it is you are paying for when purchasing Undercover. I like Jun's work in general, and has expressed that in no less than 3,500 words elsewhere, but I think he's simply running out of steam. I saw the collection at IF and it left me cold.
The more the years tick by the more I feel as though he is relying on exclusivity via price point to push his wares, due to a lack of ingenuity. I am by no means stating the clothing isnt well made, just not what it used to be in terms of creativity. Considering how I feel towards the brand in its current state, I had a laugh at this one
"Money has become the new authority, this is the new trend"Originally posted by marco-vonthis all hurts my brain more than child birth hurts vagina's.
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I think undercover is a bit more reasonably priced out in japan. I wouldn't call it a bargain, but it is pretty comparable to most of the other streetwear brands and people seem to be willing to pay for it. I see Jun moving away from some of the crazier techniques he used with scab or guru guru and relying more on unique or "hi tech" materials. There's nothing wrong with this in principle, but as many other people have said, there are abundant alternatives and this does not particularly set undercover apart.
I personally like a lot of undercover, although some of the more recent seasons (especially summer madness) have left me cold. The whole manifesto idea is an interesting one for undercover, and perhaps something a somewhat unique statement for a japanese designer to make. On the other hand, very few people in japan would probably understand the manifesto in the first place.
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The manifesto idea sounds a bit to me like he is trying to push the whole "underground" ideal while still trying to make his label more mainstream with his current rate of expansion in the last few years
And the prices seem to have increased with the rate of expansion. I am all for high tech fabrics, undercover has been making many detailed ones for years. But when I think undercover my mind springs back to all the old collections and "crazier" detailing if you will.
I dont mind the current collections that much, I am neither here nor there, but I absolutley adore the old collections. Maybe this nostalgia is tainting my current view a bit, but I dont feel that love/lust for the current collections as I did with many of the older ones, it just doesnt do it for meOriginally posted by marco-vonthis all hurts my brain more than child birth hurts vagina's.
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^agree with you on that. used to really like the brand, and what brought me there were the older collections like you mentioned. but looking at the current stuff, and on my recent tokyo trip to UC, everything just looks very technical. very unlike what it used to be in the past.
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one good thing to say about the current state is that apart from design and creativity, pieces from UC's old collections were usually of lower quality compared to that of now, based on my own experience.
One needs to understand UC is not quite a minimal brand in asia like poell or julius and the company makes a major part of $ from streetwear lines and easy-to-wear clothes. Many people including myself like the functionality of their hi-tech garments very much and are willing to pay for it. That being said, I completely agree that design-wise there are less eye-catching elements compared to the old days when UC showed more creativity or craziness if you prefer than their peers such as N(n), again IMHO. Instead of saying "running out of steam", I tend to believe maybe they are just playing it safe with the market. The industry has been very tough in the past few years, and if they are doing well in the current direction they might not want to risk it. But still, I dont think Jun's newer collections are even near the level of julius in the sense of being boring and lack of creativity. Still julius is gaining more and more attention and oversea success.Last edited by random; 09-03-2010, 02:40 AM.I don't exist.
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