2019 marked a banner year for Jun Takahashi who turned 50 while his cult brand and avant-garde runway fixture UNDERCOVER celebrated its 30th anniversary in operation. This year alone saw Takahashi elevating his Tokyo-based label to more tailored and sophisticated sartorialism, while keeping true to his beautiful ugliness aesthetics. Takahashi’s beautiful ugliness signature was spotlighted throughout UNDERCOVER’s various runway shows: FW19 featuring the ultraviolent Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange and SS20 paying ode to Nosferatu. Additionally the womenswear collection featured graphics from Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria.

Between it all, Takahashi still found time to collaborate with Pierpaolo Piccioli on Valentino‘s menswear line, Dover Street Market, Converse, MEDICOM Toy, Dr. Martens, and Off-White™ with a special "UNDEROFFWHITECOVERS” capsule. Additionally UNDERCOVER, along with Takahashi’s diffusion line GYAKUSOU, and its various team ups with Nike throughout the year lead to an abundance of coveted sneaker silhouettes ranging from the Daybreak, SFB Mountain, Air Max 720, and Pegasus 36 Trails.

“The expression of ugliness inside beauty is one of the most important concepts in my work,” Takahashi tells HYPEBEAST Magazine during his recent cover story for Issue 27. As Takahashi continues to create, showing no signs of slowing down, it is no wonder he is considered one of the godfathers of streetwear.