The Undercover TV tape from Undercover's Spring/Summer 1996 collection, titled Under the Cover, is a rare artifact from Jun Takahashi's early career. This VHS tape was part of the limited-edition kit for that season, capturing a moment when Takahashi was defining the rebellious, subversive edge that Undercover would come to embody.
The content of the tape feels almost like a dream sequence, with layers of distorted visuals and sounds that echo the raw energy of the mid-90s. Fashion is presented not as mere clothing but as a provocative, unsettling narrative, wrapped in mystery and rebellion. The models, more like characters from some underground film, move through shadowy, surreal spaces, blurring the lines between fashion, art, and performance. This was not simply a runway collection but an artistic statement.
Under the Cover distills the essence of Takahashi's vision: a blend of punk, dystopia, and high fashion, with a strong narrative undercurrent that pulls you into a world that is both familiar and strange. It captured the gritty, rebellious spirit of youth in that era, while also hinting at the more conceptual directions the brand would later explore. The tape feels less like a documentation of a fashion show and more like a piece of guerrilla cinema, channeling a sense of urgency and dissonance that has become integral to Undercover's DNA.
