Something Like a Phenomenon

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>> I consider it a day to be a good one if I can somehow work LL Cool J into it.  But Japanese label Phenomenon handed it to me on a plate.  When I was *ahem* shopping for the other half in Paris, in the store Pigalle, I found the aforementioned black tassel trim denim shirt.  The real object of affection though was of course the grey jersey perfecto biker jacket that was hanging in the window.  Buying that as piece masquerading as a gift for Steve would have been embarrassingly blatant so I checked myself and opted for the shirt.  Established in 2004 by Takeshi Osumi (who goes by BIG-O), Phenomenon is strictly speaking probably classified as a cult streetwear brand that supposedly fuses elements of American hip hop with that of Japanese mens street style.  That said, you say cult streetwear brand and all I can think of are mindless queues outside Bathing Ape shops waiting for *gasp* the drop of a t-shirt in a new colourway.  I mined through the offerings of Phenomenon in their very useful product drop blog (other stores/brands should definitely do the same!) and the bulk of the pieces are definitely far more evolved than the tee/trainer/jean boundaries.  I mean… there's an apron short in the mix… in brown suede and purple velvet with gold cord trim!  Hows about a hooded brown suede with metal plating and fringing.  I can name perhaps only a handful of men that I know in my head that could pull these items off but looking at the press Phenomenon has got, me thinks the label has some unisex elements to it which therefore makes all of this stuff ripe for the picking.  If they were stocked in London, I might be one of those feverish streetwear aficionados too queuing up for hours on end…    

They also had their first show at Japan Fashion Week (A/W 10-11 in video above) which, coupled with styling seems to push these standalone pieces together to another level.  I'm loving the tricksy balance between the dramatics and the wearables in the collection which when hyper styled makes it an interesting prospect, menswear or not. 

Phenomenon

P.S. You'll notice that there are now some quasi-related posts tacked onto the bottom here, by the mystical powers of LinkWithin… I'm not sure how accurate this widgety fidgety thing is but it is quite good to see old posts floating around…

25 comments

  2. I mean… there’s an apron short in the mix… in brown suede and purple velvet with gold cord trim!
    Waaaaaaant–
    And all that crochet. Nice.

  4. Seriously scanning these items again and again. That denim vest – I want that denim vest. And the fringed hoodie. And the grey moto. And. And. And.
    ps – lovin’ the LL Cool J throw back!

  5. i love the product drop blog. i’m a bit overwhelmed. i want to wear/ make my own version of pretty much everything.

  23. Oh man. That hat is just too fucking perfect. And that vest…and that jacket with the scrolly things on it…and the “apron short” (?!) I am just imagining (oldskool) LL Cool J in all of these, especially the hat. Now I have “Mama Said Knock You Out” stuck in my head. That totally should have been the title of your post 😛

  24. I just had to leave a comment on this post!
    This is such a great collection, I really think that Japan has it made in terms of men’s fashion right now.
    We’ve just applied to attend Japan Fashion week, so fingers are well and truly crossed!
    http://tokyotelephone.com

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