Uniqlo x Undercover Men's FW12

Uniqlo's recent collaboration with Japanese uber street label, Undercover, may not have been met with the fanfare from the public and blockbuster sales that their previous collections with Jil Sander did but from elsewhere there was measured appreciation. At first, I was unable to understand the concept Jun Takahashi and growing fast-retail giant, Uniqlo, were going for when they wanted to 'dress the family', because it's not something I'd expect them to do. Admittedly, as a fan of Undercover, I was underwhelmed by the offerings - a feeling along the lines of what I got with the Versace x H&M collab but that's a different story. I still very much enjoyed the offerings but at the same time I thought more of the essence of Undercover could've been brought over. Additionally, many of the offerings for women were more attractive, at least for me, than what I would get buying the menswear.

Perhaps after regrouping and re-strategising Jun and Uniqlo decided to throw out the rule book and throw us Westerners in at the deep end. Whilst still accessible, the new looks for the upcoming FW12 collection definitely take things to a new level. The collection carries nuances of an urbanite, attempting to block out the cold whilst remaining stylish. Subtle interplay with fabrics and texture - something I've identified as decidedly Japanese - is present in the outerwear. Military influences in the colour pallet with navys, maroons and olives creating cohesive looks.

UU Utility coat (Warm lite liner) with corduroy accents and faux fur trim 

The looks were styled by the man himself, Jun Takahashi, and give some inspiration as to how to put these clothes together (should you go head to toe). I'm really liking the Utility coat, the wool blend cargos and the sweat pants but I'm not sure how they'll fit into a West Coast wardrobe. I guess I'll have to find a way. Something that wasn't in the first collection was footwear so it's nice to see a nice basic pair of sneakers with a slight edge to them being introduced.

The collection drops in stores in August, in the meantime more photos (including the women’s and kids looks) are on the UU Collection Site as well as on Pinterest.