JohnUndercover has found it’s niche with it’s spring/summer 2016 season. I was a bit skeptical of the diffusion line (if you can call it that) when it first launched. The price point being almost as high as mainline Undercover, the labels seemed to lack distinction in the crowded crop of current Japanese labels. That being said, it’s come on strong in more recent collections offering more pared down versions of Undercover concepts. It’s nice that the line is even more minimal on branding and graphics and more emphasis layering, color and materials.

The fall collection is strong on neutrals like tan, white and grey and uses them together to great effect. In this way, it’s achieving what every diffusion line should – creating something both familiar and different. JohnUndercover isn’t Undercover but it runs parallel to it the same way Gyakusou has embodied the running / technical side of UC. Looking back at the SS15 collection, there is a lot here that can be worked together with those pieces. While there’s no release date on any of this gear just yet, look for products from the fall collection to trickle into stores like SSENSE and Haven soon.