is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

fashion designer who created the brand Undercover.

Early life and education

Takahashi was born in

Kiryū, Gunma is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,991 in 49,745 households, and a population density of 400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kiryū is in the southeast part of G ...

. He attended Gunma Kiryu Nishi High School. In 1988, he enrolled in Fashion Education at

Bunka Fashion College is a Japanese vocational school specializing in fashion design and related disciplines. It is headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and has more than 70 branches throughout Japan. History The college was founded in 1919 by Isaburō Namiki as a sma ...

. In his free time, he was the vocal lead for the cover band " Tokyo Sex Pistols", where his role model was

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...

Career

In 1993, he launched Undercover, a high-end streetwear label for men, women and children. Also in 1993, he launched Nowhere, a retail venture in

Ura-Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Ura-Harajuku, or Ura-Hara, is the common name given to the network of smaller Harajuku backstreets spreading perpendicular to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 3 chō ...

with his friend Nigo, the founder of

BAPE A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993.David FischerNIGO Announces His Definitive Departure from BAPE''highsnobiety'', May 25, 2013

. In 1994–1995 he participated in Tokyo Fashion Week. In 1995 the Nowhere Ltd. company store opened in

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...

. Japanese designer

Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942) is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. She is the founder of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market. In recognition of the notable design contributions of Kawakubo, an exhibition of her designs entitled '' Rei ...

who created the brand Comme des Garcons, became Jun's mentor and persuaded him to come to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The Paris store Colette liked his clothes so much that they asked Takahashi to present his 1998 collection "Exchange" in their store. Undercover made its debut at Paris Fashion Week in October 2002, for Spring/Summer 2003. Takahashi also creates activewear lines for men and women under the label Nike x Undercover Gyakusou, with the sportswear giant. Additionally, Takahashi has collaborated with Uniqlo to create Uniqlo Undercover, since 2011. In 2021, Takahashi created artwork and an animated music video for "Creep (Very 2021 Rmx)", a remixed version of the 1992 Radiohead song " Creep". Radiohead singer

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

contributed the remix to one of Takashi's fashion shows.

Personal life

Takahashi has a son, Rin, and daughter,

Lala Takahashi Lala may refer to: Geography * Lala language (disambiguation) Places * Lala (Naples Metro), an underground metro station in Naples, Italy * Lala, Assam, a town in Assam, India * Lala, Ilam, a village in Ilam Province, Iran * Lala, Lanao del No ...

, and is married to Morishita Riko, with whom he worked for the Uniqlo collaboration.

Awards and achievements

In 1997, he received the New Face Prize in Mainichi fashion grand prize sponsored by the Mainichi national daily newspaper. In 2001, he received the Grand Prize in Mainichi fashion grand prize sponsored by the Mainichi national daily newspaper. In 2013, he received the Grand Prize in Mainichi fashion grand prize for the second time.

References

External links

Jun Takahashi Blog

Undercoverism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Jun 1969 births Living people Japanese fashion designers People from Gunma Prefecture