7Stars remains unknown from most unless you have deeply studied the Harajuku streetwear movement coming out of Japan in the 90’s. It’s not a brand or a fashion company, it’s a graphic design and creative consultancy. Their style of graphics was heavily influenced by skateboarding, motorcycle, and lowrider subcultures. Some may recognize their iconic “Tamiya GP” logo ripoff often seen in the upper corners of the 4Lom, Last Orgy 2, and 3 magazine series but many don’t recognize the influence and impact the group had on the scene at the time.
Starting in 1993, 7Stars was started by Toshiya Horiuchi who was tasked with creative direction for the legendary Nowhere store which was run by none other than Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nigo, and Jun Takahashi. It was in this time that 7Stars helped produce the Nowhere anniversary packages which included a book, t-shirt, and other memorabilia. Additionally, 7Stars produced cover art for Hiroshi Fujiwara and East End Yuri as well as numberous logos and graphics for Last Orgy, Bathing Ape, Stüssy, and AFFA.
The 7Stars team grew in 1995 with the opening of their own office space and addition of two new members; Keiichiwata and Mankey. It was at this time that 7Stars was tasked with creating a special package for Undercover’s S/S96 “Under The Cover” collection by Jun Takahashi. Included in the limited edition package was of course a book, a t-shirt, VHS tape, and a packet of fake blood, quite fitting for the horror themed collection of clothing.
7Stars began working with Thrasher’s music label as well as created early graphics for BountyxHunter from Hikaru Iwanaga, Regular from Yoshi Egawa (Yoppi), Devilock from Noriaki Endo, and Revolver by Kiri Arata. The continued to grow and frequently do graphic design for the infamous London Nite events as well as made cover art for numerous musicians and bands.
7Stars frequently takes a backseat driver role with many of the brands it works with. They’re not holding the wheel but they’re right behind you giving critiques and direction on how things should be done. While 7Stars remains unknown to many, the consultancy was an imperative key element to the success of many brands in Harajuku. Thats not to say that brands like BountyxHunter or Devilock wouldn’t have been able to make it on their own but 7Stars deserves their flowers. This book, sarcastically named, “This Is Not An Art Book”, was released in 2002 for the 7 year anniversary of 7Stars and came in a unique special package in the shape of a halfpipe that included two fingerboards, this book, and a t-shirt. I had never seen one of these packages show up for sale and don’t know how many were produced, so I knew when I saw it I had to get it, unfortunately mine didn’t come with the t-shirts.
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