Number (N)ine F/W 09.10 Paris

[Br<3nx_L<3ve]

Will the NYC store close?

[l3ootlegs]

hate u 2k9

miss u n(n)

i heard youre blog got hacked lolol

[Leonard Leroy]

Ruach from blackbird got an n(n) death letter too, while in Japan. It said simply "number nine is not"/

[Whodinihimself]

Ruach from blackbird got an n(n) death letter too, while in Japan. It said simply "number nine is not"/

[juliaN.]

You're misreading the situation, he didn't announce his retirement from the creative field but the closing of his brand. In letter too, it's true. Anyway Faust contacted N(N) pr girl (I assume he means Sue) and she confirmed. She handles that shit so she would know

ah ok, my bad...thanks for clarifying

sad day, Taka is one of my favorite designers. The new collection, and what's arrived of it in stores, isn't so hot, but I still loved the last few.

Will be making today an N(N) day, busting out that grandpa flannel everyone didn't like last time

damn do not have any nn bottoms...oh well either way ill do my best to give portland a shout out

[Guest barbarian]

cotton duck, you have a point about raf, but I believe he stated that he was refocusing his design ideals or something along those lines... hinting that he would be back.

oh well, if this is the end, at least it was a great one, and he will probably work on something else in the future...

[ProfMonnitoff]

It makes sense, AW09 is pretty much a perfect last collection for the label. I'm sure Miyashita won't be retiring from fashion. Unfortunately N(N) has had to go semi-diffusion without actually having a diffusion line, presumably to cash in on the hype that label has in HK.

I'm not sure if I want Miyashita to pull a Raf.

[PaperSt.]

This sucks but I am eager to see what he'll do next. I agree that they should end on a high note but my mascara still might run a little

[juliaN.]

I've just written a brief commentary summing up my thoughts on the label's closing and a bit of a retrospective based on my limited knowledge but personal interpretation -

“An Ode to Revolution No. 9â€

Having received news of the official closing of the fashion label Number (N)ine, designed by a true modern conceptual visionary, Takahiro Miyashita, I was at once saddened but also empathic at this sudden coda. There is not too much to say about the collections themselves, everything Taka wanted to say, he had already presented on the runway, which is available for viewing on any number of style-oriented websites.

As a final tribute to this clothing brand, it is worth looking at the somewhat twisted but universal ethos which pervaded Taka’s work, a certain mentality that defined the brand and in turn allowed the designer to both project his own persona and give him a voice to talk to the world. Fortunately for him, many did indeed listen, and relate. Sometimes, if something has already been said much more eloquently, there is no need to put it in your own words.

Perhaps it is cliché to reference the likes of Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Bukowski, and the string of like-minded troubled personalities who have been dissected and quoted an infinite number of times amongst the literati, angst-ridden teenagers, coffeehouse pseudo-intellectuals, and just genuine fans. However, the frequency, the nuance, the mind-bogglingly obsessive attention to detail to which Taka would imbue his references into the very fabric of his creations revealed a man who literally wore his heart on his sleeve in the most fitting display of this adage. There need not be any criticisms or analyses of pretense or irony in these references; there is none. If a young boy growing up finds solace in the words of “Lithium,†then so it is, all other judgmental labels irrelevant and superfluous.

The brand is quite dear to my heart in that I found a kindred soul in the voice of its mastermind, who created a world that was populated by the archetypal tortured loner who wandered through life often misunderstood, unhappy, battered, worn down and weary, as if each of the luminary figures Taka saluted throughout his work did not belong in their respective times, all congregating in somewhat of a h(e)aven of a Japanese curator’s capsule. The most telling of the designer’s intentions could be found in the collection of t-shirts for the Spring/Summer 2008 Collection, which featured a print of many of his, and our heroes, alongside a quotation they might have been known for. They were the words of those who came before us, of those who are amongst us, but also of the man behind the brand. A selection:

“Accept loss forever.†– Jack Kerouac

“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.†– Charles Bukowski

“Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.†– William S Burroughs

“Rock and Roll can never die.†– Neil Young

For the brief period in which Taka offered an honest, unflinching window into his soul via the medium of giving us beautiful clothes to wear, I salute this eternal highwayman. The past twelve years have been a labor of love for an imaginary world, born out of a conflicted hatred but also attempt at reconciliation for the real one. The motel room’s door is closed at last, the final ‘shut’ sound dissipating into the sands of time.

[BostonWardrobe]

does anyone have a good pic of the NYTimes Magazine photo of Taka-san? I need a close-up of that tattoo on his arms.

[juliaN.]

you gonna get that ink?

that's pretty hardcore fandom.

[fallen angels]

[horriblyjollyjinx]

first runway I liked in years! soOoOo good.

[BostonWardrobe]

you gonna get that ink?

that's pretty hardcore fandom.

true, but its also a fucking amazing tattoo.

[joey_formal]

the wings ink is fucking beautiful i remember when i saw that photo how struck i was by it.

ftb your little piece is great dude i dig it.

[lumberjack]

This is sad I love n(n). I love all of the hidden references that Miyashita puts in his clothing.

I have to bring this picture back up

I love the whole line but, I think this will be the only item I purchase from it. It's interesting to see this piece in the last season because, it is similar to the cardigan Kurt Cobain wore during his last performance.

[juliaN.]

yes

miyashita's eye and attention to detail is unparalleled

[Liberation1945]

yoooooooooooooooooo if nn does closeout sales like helmut and cloak omgomgomgomgogmogogmgomgog i will scream and cream and scream.

[jeepster]

yo

lib\we will go

you have to keep me in on this.

no one buys size 4/5

i will tho.

[juliaN.]

i am a 4/5

but thats ok

you got the top left corner covered, i got bottom right.

[lumberjack]

I'm a 4/5 too, hit me up lib.

[Mr Calvin Oscar]

who are you!

[lumberjack]

someone from florida

[Mr Calvin Oscar]

o. sup dino

back to topic

[BostonWardrobe]

fuck a closeout sale would be NUTS!?!!?!?!

I would ask my parents for money for that... like going to the candy store!

[juliaN.]

i find the possibility of that highly unlikely

it'll go on sale

your best bet is the Ebisu flagship in Tokyo. Even the season-to-season lame basics get discounted every time despite the fact the same piece will likely go back up on the racks for the (hypothetical) new season.

[mpcec]

Will the Neil Young picasso shirt in a size 4 be impossible to find now?

[djrajio]

fuck a closeout sale would be NUTS!?!!?!?!

I would ask my parents for money for that... like going to the candy store!

Didn't your style used to be all Ann Dem goth?

Now you riding on N(N) all hard 'n shit?!!??!

[juliaN.]

he has evolved from Ann D to NN in his words.

[ProfMonnitoff]

i've never been particularly attracted to tattoos but this is so good