JohnUNDERCOVER / SueUNDERCOVER a/w 2013

[bryanayrb]

wall of text

 

ok the fact is, the older collections were more innovative and impressive design wise than the recent collections.  if you believe that's jun "focusing more on the clothes than grandiose runway" then i don't know what to say to you.  u keep bringing up this point in your mini essay that he's focusing on the clothes when it's quite obvious the design is incredibly underwhelming.

 

everyone knows his new stuff is more wearable but that should be UU (or johnundercover) territory.. this diffusion isn't even that far off from mainline.

[bill]

I started to write my reply before having read Archaics' post, which sums everything up.

 

UC started as a high streetwear brand then Jun did collections about punk and rock. He has grown up, so did his brand and his designs.

 

You can't compare the womenswear and menswear sides of a company, nor should not compare designers that fall in the "streetwear" category with houses who do tailoring and couture.

 

His clothes have always been wearable (what is and is not wearable anyway?) and people have always been blinded by the styling and the more theatrical aspect of collections like GuruGuru...

Many pieces from it were mere lame basics (like polar fleece cut-open jumpers) but styled in a way that made it look out of this world (not saying it wasn't a beautiful collection. it's my favourite and i've seen many beautiful pieces from it too)... Clothes were awesome but weren't made by tailors neither. Jun has also been someone who jumps from one theme to another.

 

To say it once more, I really hope that his Mad Market tour and this diffusion line thing generate enough money so that he can keep doing great collections and runway shows like Anatomicouture.

[tarr]

 

 

[okonomi]

It all basically a lie for you fuckbois.

 

 

I'm just saying people hold undercover in high esteem for its quality.

 

But its not that good.

You're making this shit up to try and sound cool. I have never read anyone on this forum describe UC as high quality, quite the opposite in fact.

[min2max]

As for the East vs. West thing, I don't know, maybe Japan is slipping but I still feel it's like thinking the grass is greener in your case. Would you really rather produce out of Europe if it was financially viable? Japan has the centralization, everything from the atelier to the factory to the store is an hour away and all in one language and one currency with one set of laws. Those are the reasons I've always chalked up to Japanese quality (maybe even more so than the obsessiveness on the part of the designers). Europe is a total shit show in comparison and the fact that anything gets made to any real quality standard is amazing. Most of it is getting outsourced now anyway, I find it hard to believe that the factories in Japan that have been making the same stuff for the same brands for 10+ years now or whatever have deteriorated more in quality than European brands that in the same time frame have gone from producing in their own country to producing in Italy to producing in Portugal / Turkey / Poland / wherever.

 

interesting convo.. as a European, i can chime in and confirm it does sound like a grass is greener case... MIJ goods are generally considered the ultimate in quality here.. it is true that the European high standards have fallen from grace.. France, UK & Italy are historically the countries with the most savoir-faire but that sadly doesn't mean much anymore... you need to check labels in obsessive manner for country of origin.. even made in Italy doesn't mean much these days as sweatshops have invaded the Milan suburbs. UK heritage brands have also started to outsource to China (fred perry, barbour, baracuta..) and even my beloved French lux houses, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Margiela etc now have a good chunk of their goods made in Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Portugal etc ( this is an unfortunate trend i hope will change as the economy picks up... ironically i've heard it is the (nouveau riche) Chinese customers that are keeping European lux brands afloat these days.. 

 

All that being said, i don't think UC is representative of the best Japanese quality can offer, especially at it's price point. I'd have to agree it's cult status here has more to do with design & hype. We aren't at the fabrication level of CdG, Junya or repro brands..

[pompadork]

http://www.honeyee.com/feature/2013/johnundercover/contents.html

 

Now with prices for some pieces. 

 

 

â”(´ー｀)┌ 

Edited August 19, 2013 by pompadork

[jdemotion]

in the context of his prices for Undercoverism, it's pretty reasonable all around. $700-ish for the leather pants is cheaper than I was excepting and the knits are a good price. I really love the fishtail, looks like it has a removable liner from that photo. Still debating if I want to throw down 800+ on basically his UU parka with (hopefully) better fabrics.

 

Can't remember if this was posted above, but any US stockists?

[Nai]

in the context of his prices for Undercoverism, it's pretty reasonable all around. $700-ish for the leather pants is cheaper than I was excepting and the knits are a good price. I really love the fishtail, looks like it has a removable liner from that photo. Still debating if I want to throw down 800+ on basically his UU parka with (hopefully) better fabrics.

 

Can't remember if this was posted above, but any US stockists?

Prices are there but the rest are in japanese, how do you know which is which? 

[jdemotion]

^ It's pretty easy to piece together what price belongs to what...

 

To answer my own question the Hypebeast Store will be a US stockist.

[Fuuma]

interesting convo.. as a European, i can chime in and confirm it does sound like a grass is greener case... MIJ goods are generally considered the ultimate in quality here.. it is true that the European high standards have fallen from grace.. France, UK & Italy are historically the countries with the most savoir-faire but that sadly doesn't mean much anymore... you need to check labels in obsessive manner for country of origin.. even made in Italy doesn't mean much these days as sweatshops have invaded the Milan suburbs. UK heritage brands have also started to outsource to China (fred perry, barbour, baracuta..) and even my beloved French lux houses, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Margiela etc now have a good chunk of their goods made in Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Portugal etc ( this is an unfortunate trend i hope will change as the economy picks up... ironically i've heard it is the (nouveau riche) Chinese customers that are keeping European lux brands afloat these days.. 

 

All that being said, i don't think UC is representative of the best Japanese quality can offer, especially at it's price point. I'd have to agree it's cult status here has more to do with design & hype. We aren't at the fabrication level of CdG, Junya or repro brands..

That attitude is, at best, marginal. I mean..

 

Bespoke shoes, shirts and suits: France, UK, Italy

Designer goods: Italy and some in France and Belgium are also top notch

Traditional hunting, whatever brands: Italy, UK

Couture: France

etc.

[ProfMonnitoff]

Anyone who thinks Undercover is high quality is delusional. I love the UC stuff that I have, but none of it is made from high quality materials or particularly well constructed. For example the two tone mohair sweater that the JohnUNDERCOVER one is based on is both extremely scratchy/uncomfortable and one of the most fragile things I've ever seen. I've also handled a lot of the womens stuff at Dover Street Market and elsewhere, and again I like it, but it's not high quality for something of that price/status.

 

I agree with Will, this is boring but if it pays the bills for Jun's runway shows then I don't mind it.

[Nai]

Anyone know if the delivery is split up or in 1 go?

[trafficjam]

as a "fuckboi" who has bought into the lie and purchased some of this stuff, I can recommend the shoes. the shirt with the velvet detailing is unremarkable fabric and the details are pretty undercover standard, but if you like the velvet there's nothing that should hold you back. shoulders are a little narrower than normal.

[narutofan]