In the whirlwind of Paris Fashion Week, Jun Takahashi brought equilibrium with his showcase of UNDERCOVER FW24 “WONDERFUL AND STRANGE.” Drawing inspiration from Twin Peaks, he adorned classic UC silhouettes with various graphics, further expanding his repertoire of media-driven collections. While this marks the fourth consecutive season without new collaborative Nike footwear, Takahashi chose to reignite a previous partnership once more — collaborating with Vans to unveil four fresh designs.
First up is a reimagined version of the Era, a silhouette featured in their recent SS17 project. This iteration boasts Vans’ iconic checkerboard pattern in off-white/black and red/black, with a twist on UC’s D-Hand motif. The ghoulish hand, known from the brand’s FW15 collection and reappearing in FW23, adopts a new pose adorned with red and blue fingernails across the respective colorways. Additionally, the standard UNDERCOVER JUN TAKAHASHI logo adorns the lateral midsole in black, while red co-branding embellishes the heel.
The second design, the Sk8-Hi, previously reworked by UC in SS02, arrives in two striking colorways. UC’s “ANARCHY IS THE KEY” motif, a recurring theme since the early ’90s and featured in the UC x Supreme SS15 capsule, takes center stage. In the first colorway, black envelops the upper, contrasted by white accents on the tongue and midfoot to heel base panel, which showcase the red motif. The second colorway features an all-black upper with a white jazz stripe and matching “ANARCHY IS THE KEY” text against blue backdrops. The sole unit mirrors the Era’s design, with a white base and Vans’ characteristic black line, along with red co-branding at the heel.
As of yet, neither UNDERCOVER nor Vans have disclosed release details for their latest collaboration. However, given its debut at UC’s FW24 show, it’s likely that pairs will hit shelves later in the year. Stay tuned for further updates as we anticipate an official announcement from the dynamic duo.
