Tatsuro Horikawa: NUANCES of JULIUS | Hypebeast

Last month, Japanese avant-garde label JULIUS and founder Tatsuro Horikawa opened its first flagship store outside of its native Japan in Hong Kong. Known for its unorthodox approach to silhouettes, a focus on the use of leather and above all else the color black has made for a brand that has many layers of meaning.

Beyond the superficial, the brand has embraced and manipulated gracefully the relationship between entirely different entities and inspirations. Punk and techno are able to mesh cohesively with Zen through the eyes of Horikawa. Much like Kazimir Malevich’s piece of artwork known as Black Square which symbolized perfection, Horikawa has shared a similar opinion on black’s representation of the absolute perfect notion. Going further, the natural degradation of Malevich’s Black Square can further be paralleled with Horikawa’s own desire to see his apparel worn down and destructed through wear to reflect a natural beauty.

In this interview, we speak wtih Horikawa about several aspects of his brand including some in-depth thoughts on color selection and the design of his Hong Kong store.

Interview: Edward Chiu
Text: Eugene Kan
Photography: Louis Lau