Pitti Uomo 93: Undercover and The Soloist guests of honour
Pitti Uomo promises to deliver a highly creative upcoming edition. For its 93rd edition, which will be held in Florence from January 9 to 12, 2018, the men’s fashion trade show has decided to shine the spotlight on two of the most interesting Japanese designers of the moment by choosing Jun Takahashi, who founded and runs Undercover, and Takahiro Miyashita, who has the brand Takahiromiyashita the Soloist, as guests of honour.
The two designers, who are long-time friends, will show their menswear autumn/winter 2018/2019 collections in two successive shows on Thursday January 11. This will be a return to Florence for Jun Takahashi who, usually showing his menswear and womenswear collections in Paris, showed a menswear collection in the city in 2009.
Jun Takahashi was born in 1969 in Kiryu, Japan, and has been active in the fashion industry for over 25 years where he is considered to be one of the coolest designers. After studying in Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, he joined forces with his friend Nigo, the founder of the luxury urban clothing brand A Bathing Ape, and opened the boutique Nowhere, which houses experimental fashion in Tokyo’s bustling Harajuku neighbourhood.
It was in this world that Takahashi’s brand Undercover came alive as a mix of streetwear, urban style, and technological innovation, inspired by the rebellious spirit of youth. The brand debuted on runways in Tokyo in 1994 and made its first appearance in the Paris womenswear schedule in 2002. Takahashi was also one of the first designers to work with Nike in 2010, releasing a line of sportswear for running called Gyakusou.
For Takahiro Miyashita, the event will be a first as the Japanese designer has never participated in Pitti Uomo before. The show will also be Takahiromiyashita the Soloist’s first for the rest of Europe as Miyashita is usually content to keep showing in Paris. The brand made its debut in Japan as part of Tokyo Amazon Fashion Week. Miyashita has also shown at Paris Men’s Fashion week in the past with his previous brand Number (N)ine which he founded in 1996 and ceased operations in 2009.
Takahiro Miyashita was born in Tokyo in 1973 and, as an autodidact, he was passionate about clothing since his youth and liked to deconstruct garments and put them back together. After collaborating with the Tokyo store Nepenthes, also located in Harajuku, Miyashita launched Number (N)ine, an Avant Gard label which he showed in Paris for the first time in 2003 and soon gained a cult following and experienced success.
Obsessed with Anglo-Saxon culture, especially rock music, from the Beatles to Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, and from David Bowie to Oasis, the Japanese creator draws on this universe to create his urban and often monochrome aesthetic. One year after ceasing operations for his Number (N)ine brand, Miyashita launched his new project, Takahiromiyashita the Soloist in 2010 and took the same experimental spirit from his previous work but gave it a more functional execution.
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