VOGUE



 

In Tokyo, there’s a group of anonymous creatives who’ve been disrupting the Japanese fashion landscape for three years and counting. They’ve never released their identities, nor have they revealed how many of them are part of the design collective. They call themselves Perverze, and they only sell their collections online, but your typical direct-to-consumer brand they’re not.

For starters, there’s not a floral print, ruffle, or pouf sleeve in sight; the vibe is more minimal, streamlined, even a little grunge-y. With 100,000 Instagram followers and upwards of $2 million in sales, Perverze is officially launching stateside; the label now offers shipping to the U.S.
and opened a pop-up space at Assembly in lower Manhattan this week.

 

Prices start at $200 for a pair of ribbed cotton pants or a raw-edge knit and go up to $500 for an oversized shearling-lined aviator jacket, with leather outerwear going for $1,350 and up.

“Perverze represents real Tokyo streetwear,” a team member who shall remain nameless told me. “We are mainly inspired by the pre-mass-production and fast fashion era.” The collective considers Perverze both “a fashion brand and a project.” Perverze Photography is an initiative in which the collective collaborates with photographers and artists. “It’s important for us to not to just be a fashion brand, but a platform for young people to create inspiring works.”

 

When Perverze’s first collection launched online only in 2016 it was radical by Tokyo’s standards. “All Japanese brands partner with retailers, but we wanted to be disruptive,” said the brand rep. “Everyone told us it wouldn’t work in Japan, but we didn’t care. We had a vision.”
Below, here’s a look at Perverze’s latest lineup.