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SS2003 Undercover "Scab" collection look 47  

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In 2002 Paris Fashion Week Jun Takashi showcased his debut collection entitled ‘Scab’, Takashi placed himself directly within the crossfire of the growing tensions between the West and the Middle East due to the dire after-effects of 9/11. Jun made a statement that could have only been made within the medium of fashion, especially regarding its effectiveness. This is a good example of how contemporary these looks were as Takashi had not cemented himself in the global market by not attending Paris until 2002 thus this is something that could have easily got him blacklisted from the industry. Therefore proving his authenticity in portraying this political stance not as a gimmick but as a genuine message which would carry out throughout his career, and as a seal of approval Rei Kawakubo stated he was “The only one with courage." The reason I choose to talk about this particular look in Scab is due to the escalation of initially subtle references to its subject matter to the escalation of the final look this being dressing models in an array of multi-coloured burqas, and with the inclusion of Crust Punk as another inspiration it made his statement come full circle by using a specific style known for its political activism.

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Vivienne Westwood - Seditionaries Gauze Top

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Academic concepts and Contextual information 

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Academic concepts and Contextual information 

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Before delving further into the final look we must understand the foundation of Takashi's influences this most clearly being Vivienne Westwood. With her early collection entitled ‘Seditionaries’ she channelled her political messages predominantly in graphics which included religious symbols. Paul Tillich explains the strength of religious symbols as he argued that they exist separate from other symbols due to pointing to something more than themselves as they are the only symbols which can point towards the “ultimate reality” in some capacity. With this playing such an important role it could be argued that regardless of what religion, it proves the significance of the manipulation of the swastika which was stolen by the Germans from Hinduism.  Westwood then reconstructed this in her infamous gauze top stating to “DESTROY” Nazis featuring this symbol with an upside-down crucified Christ. Whether intentionally or not this still proves Tillich's point of showing how universal religious symbols are between humans thus Westwood chose these symbols to catch the eye of the viewer. In the same vein, Takashi took on this mindset subverting the mute presence of burqas into something which now catches the eye with its bright array of colours proposing a conflict in views.

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Guests waiting outside for the "Scab" show

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Takashi said that he “felt my work in Tokyo had reached its limit” concluding that he had wanted to “present my work to more people”. Takashi stated that there was this ambiguity as he did not know how European critics would react to his work, thus he went all out by fully displaying his political punk nature through careful detail of an army of patches sown in a combination with intricately constructed garments, Takashi had to make this political statement due to no one daring to even hint to 9/11, on top of this it would have left Undercover as just a streetwear brand. Takashi knew that this message could have only been communicated on a runway in Paris, as due to the Eurocentric mindset it pushes it would have been too taboo, however, this has not prevented other Japanese artists from not being successful in the West, especially with heavy anti-war messaging for example with Hideo Kojima, Takashi Murakami, and arguably Yohji Yamamoto, all shaping the meanings of their artworks utilising them to convey these unique views on the subject matter. However, these artists did not have the same circumstances as Takashi, as he was the only one who could have talked about the subject matter in these circumstances as an upcoming artist (globally wise) with the backing of an industry-defying artist Rei Kawakubo. With the Parisian critics eager to see why Kawkubo put this much faith into an “unknown” designer in the West, they were surely not disappointed by the harsh yet intricate looks and as such were well-received by both consumers and critics, however, when viewers thought the show had ended the venue was then lighten to reveal the models in the same outfits covered in these colourful burqas. Replacing the mood that 9/11 set, one filled with mourning, violence, and fear, Takashi replaced this with a sense of hope and diversity together with the Crust Punk influence stating that even with the ongoing horrors within the world we are what we are, in order we will not be categorised into these stereotypes and as such to move on into a better world we must march on forward with our heads held high. I believe that this was a general message but most importantly a message to the youth not to give up even when everything seems bleak as a community no matter whether it's the subculture, religion, culture, etc we can all be united by each other.

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Takashi has continued to remain a vital designer within the landscape due to his willingness to take risks as long as they contribute meaningfully to the scene, as such with his punk influence I believe he has translated the ethos of punk well into the modern-day. As the Western perceptions of the Middle East post 9/11 were almost alienated, thus Takashi noticing this wanted to provide a bridge and send a message to anyone who was in similar circumstances no matter the period. Subverting the norms by not alone addressing the subject matter but having his Western models wear burqas in this situation should have not been shocking but only was due to the tensions and inherent racism, as it is a clear display of protest just due to people having different cultures should not be prosecuted just by existing instead Takashi is promoting for us to rise above this harmful rhetoric and for us to be united within our groups to embrace our differences, a message which will be universal no matter what period we live in.

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Akaibu (2021) SS2003 Scab Runway Looks. Available at: https://www.archivepdf.net/undercover-ss2003-scab-runway-looks  (Accessed: 8/10/2024)

Talashi, Jun. (2003) 'Printemps/été 2003', Undercover, Page reference 47

Archive PDF (Archive.pdf) (2018) Undercover SS03 'SCAB' Runway Show. Date uploaded 14/09/2018 Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuZDr69tCa4&ab_channel=ArchivePDF%28Archive.pdf%29 (Accessed: 08/10/2024)

Casino Riv (2018) RE:CAP - Understanding Undercover's Legendary Scab Collection. Date uploaded 08/09/2018 Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6LxpzJm-EY&ab_channel=CasinoRiv (Accessed: 08/10/2024).

My Clothing Archive (2020) Reconstruct, Relax Magazine. Available at: https://www.archivepdf.net/undercover-ss2003-scab-reconstruct-relax-magazine (Accessed: 09/10/2024).

Tominaga, Yoshie. (2002) 'SCAB', Relax, Issue information, Page reference. 33-51

Tillich, Paul. (1958) Daedalus. Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Extract pp. 3-4

Seditionaries Collection Book  2021) Available at: https://www.archivepdf.net/hiroshi-fujiwara-jun-takahashi-seditionaries-collection-book-2005  (Accessed: 11/10/2024).

Hernández, Natalia Andrea Pérez. (2024) Title of website. Available at: https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/who-is-jun-takahashi (14/10/2024).

Jones, Kim. (2018) T ‘Since I was little, ‘‘beautiful wasn’t enough.’’’. Available at: https://system-magazine.com/issues/issue-11/undercover (Accessed: 11/10/2024).

Davis, Issac. (2021) archivepdf Available at: https://www.archivepdf.net/post/eras-of-undercover-deep-dive (Accessed: 11/102024).