Kosmische Musik

The Ethereality of Undercover’s Spring/Summer 2006

In late 2002, the Paris runway was shaken by the presence of a Japanese designer named Jun Takahashi. Largely unknown in the West at the time, Takahashi followed in the footsteps of Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto to become a member of the second generation of great Japanese designers. A graduate of Japan’s Bunka Fashion School, Takahashi had started making clothing as a teenager when he could neither find nor afford clothes that spoke to his taste. This resulted in a signature runway style that incorporated the intricacy and detail one might associate with haute couture alongside an air of rebellion. Making his Paris Fashion Week debut with Undercover’s spring/summer 2003 collection entitled “SCAB,” Takahashi brought an image alien to the traditional sensibilities of the runway: models adorned with bells, long, loose threads, and elaborate beading marched down a plain black runway accompanied by the roar of rock ‘n’ roll. Their clothes, almost entirely black, were a delicate yet shocking patchwork of tattered squares of fabric, ripped skinny jeans, and high boots— all detailed with a complex mixture of tribal prints and crust-punk inspired hand stitching. In a backstage interview, Takahashi stated his simple intention, which would ring true throughout his many shows to come: “I want to shock the establishment, to break the rules.”

Since then, Takahashi and Undercover have been mainstays of Paris Fashion Week and continue to impress with an expert marriage of elegance and counterculture. Takahashi’s inspiration has always been drawn from the cultural references that have inspired him, from the crust punk styling of “SCAB” to the filmography of Stanley Kubrick in recent collections. His deepest foray into combining counterculture and obscurity with the traditions of the runway may have been the spring/summer 2006 collection, known simply as “T.” Drawing on styles from German progressive rock of the 1960s and 1970s, now known as Krautrock, the collection was the brainchild of Takahashi and designer Nobuhiko Kitamura of streetwear label Hysteric Glamour. In an interview with Cream Magazine, Takahashi described his inspiration for the collection:

It explores the potential of the most uncomplicated shape/design of T-shirt. I take the shape of the T-shirt as the simplest element and a starting point, and see how I can make it bloom… To me, it is the most important item of clothing.

At the time, Takahashi had been listening to predominantly the aforementioned Krautrock and turned to band tees for inspiration. The collection inevitably focused on the design of graphic t-shirts for five fictitious Krautrock artists: Chuuut!, Thee Crouh Klaus Wahnfrieden, The SSSSS, and Theo Burp. The collection was mainly based upon the deconstruction and the reconstruction of said t-shirts in the creation of new garments, a return to Takahashi’s teenage DIY mindset.

The room is dark, lit only by dozens of white candles of varying size and intricacy. In stride five women, presumably representing the five bands. They are all clothed alike — Topless but for white body paint in the shape of a t-shirt. On their legs they wear plain white skirts made of tendrils of white fabric along with thigh-high zip-up white leather chaps which attach to open-toed spike heels, both of which are adorned with short, silver spikes across the foot and up the back of the leg. Upon their heads sit conical headdresses of a medieval design, likewise wrapped in the same white cotton as the skirts. The room echoes with the dull synths and interspersed piano notes characteristic of Krautrock.

The five figures vacate the stage and are replaced by the first of the looks. She wears a baby blue tight, longline shirt. On the lower left corner is a narrow print of a spiraling headphone cord, a reference to the technologically complex instrumentation of Krautrock. From the back, the viewer can see the seams high on the back and a print on the right shoulder, revealing that the garment had been constructed from scraps of multiple tees. In the center of the back is an upside-down black and purple graphic of a screaming woman bearing the name of the first of the artists: “Klaus.” The name “Klaus” is most likely a reference to musician Klaus Schulze, one of the founding members of band Tangerine Dream, who also worked under the alias Richard Wahnfried, a fact seemingly confirmed by later pieces bearing the name “Wahnfrieden.” On her legs, the model wears the same chaps and heels as earlier over white skinny trousers.

The next look features a simple white vest clasped only at one point, high on the chest. What sets the look apart is black rectangular studs, covered with chipped white paint, arranged up and down the placket. The same studs are also arranged in curves on the left and right sides of the model’s face. The studs hint at the contribution of Kitamura, one of his brands: Hysteric Glamour’s notable design elements is the use of studs, most famously to accentuate the pockets on jeans. Additionally, the model wears around her waist a chain, a reference to the industrial influence of krautrock, some groups having been known to use hardware and tools, such as chainsaws, in the production of music.

What sets Krautrock apart from a number of musical genres, such as Jazz in the 1920s and Punk, is that it has no real aesthetic ethos. Krautrock musicians were German, arguably “proto-nerds,” they wore jeans and t-shirts. Icons like Kraftwerk were stepping out of the norm when they wore matching ties and button-downs. With “T,” Takahashi sought to create an aesthetic image for Krautrock. With no manner of dress to reference, he based it off the music. Krautrock, though technically a form of rock music, sought to distance itself from traditional Western rock. The repetitive, hypnotic, rhythms of the music create an ethereal sound that Takahashi capitalized upon in creating flowy, alien aesthetic of the collection. In describing his imagining of the show and feeling of the imaginary bands, Takahashi said the following:

I visualize the show as one of a commune. Attending my show is like joining a commune. Various people play different parts. Some may be producing music; some may be doing art, or even politics. Within my commune, I decided to create five bands to represent different parts the commune itself. Together with five imaginary bands, the clothing in the “T” collection act as traditional tribal costumes for my commune.

The idea of “tribes” is not an idea unfamiliar to Undercover. From the crust punk mixed with tribal prints style of “SCAB” to the “ethnic rider” jackets of autumn/winter 2009 “Earmuff Maniac” to the more recent spring/summer 2019 “The New Warriors” which was focused on eight “gangs” inspired by John Carpenter’s 1979 film The Warriors. The idea of tribes, however, isn’t an idea invented by Undercover. Japanese street fashion for decades has often been defined by the existence of tribes, especially in metropolitan areas, most importantly Tokyo, biker gangs in the 1960s and ‘70s, Gyaru, Punks, Lolita, and Ganguro.

Despite his love for Western art movements, Takahashi above all values the traditional craftsmanship and eye for detail of Japanese textiles. He was raised in Gunma Prefecture, a Japanese area famous for its textile industry. “In front of my house there was a weaving factory. I could always hear the sound of weaving machines… When I went to school, I would also pass a river. The water in the river was used for the dyeing process of textiles… When I think about my childhood, all of these would become very vivid: the sound of the weaving machines, the smell of the dye, and the visual image of the river.” In Shinto, the predominant religion of Japan, all things, inanimate and animate, have a sacred power, especially nature. This adoration for nature continues into Japanese design, most especially with ideas such as Boro, the patchwork mending of worn garments, tied to the philosophy of wabi-sabi, an acceptance of imperfection and how objects wear with time. This is not only indicated by the basis of reconstruction in “T” but in the details: hems are uneven and wavy, graphic prints are cracked and faded, the thin cotton of the torn apart shirts flows as it moves.

Though the inspiration and overall design of “T” was rooted in western garments and German music, Takahashi balanced it with Japanese philosophy. Few looks demonstrate this cultural fusion as well as 33 and 34. In look 33, an oversized white t-shirt bearing the graphic of another band – Chuuut! is accentuated with long-sleeves and hems of a white lace, bringing to mind European medieval images. The model wears wide harem pants of the flowy t-shirt cotton throughout the collection. Her face is framed again by the white studs and she is barefoot. An elfen image of contrasting fabrics and inspirations, made uniform by color and patchwork.

In look 34 , the model wears a white tunic with geometric embroidery. Draped over the outfit is a light blue cloak which reaches from the head almost down to the floor, made again of t-shirts, which bears the slogan “The Amazing Tale of Zamiang,” a fictitious musical project by one of the artists. If but for the color, the outfit echoes of Little Red Riding Hood, a folklore story written by the German Brothers Grimm. Around her head, she wears a net of thin silver chains, referencing again the industrial nature of Krautrock. The outfit tells a story of two Germanys: the draped artistry of medieval times and the industrial, technologically advanced sounds of Krautrock.

From the high headdresses to the virginal whites to the dark cloaks, Takahashi creates a ceremonial, religious imagery which perfectly summarizes the trancelike sound of Krautrock, known natively as Kosmische Musik. In spring/summer 2006, Jun Takahashi took a luscious genre of music, largely alien to the mainstream fashion community, and gave it a similarly beautiful aesthetic, bringing together functional styles one can wear from the office to a Dark Ages cult gathering in the woods. Takahashi has since continued to establish himself and Undercover within more mainstream, creating successful collaborations with Nike, Uniqlo, and more. And while he has found success in creating styles that appeal to the more conventional apparel consumer, Takahashi continues to impress and surprise with the combinations of themes and images he presents on the runway each season.