Hiroshi Fujiwara: The Shadow Of the Official Artworks
1/999 copies scanned in full!
As many of you can tell, and already know, I’m a big fan of Hiroshi Fujiwara. There is so much lore and information regarding him and Seditionaries, opening Nowhere with Nigo and Jun Takahashi, being a DJ, and his early brands before Fragment Design. Hiroshi Fujiwara is a pioneer in music, fashion, design and was one of the main figures in the 90’s Ura-Harajuku scene. Today I have a very special book of scans that I will be sharing with you, originally published in 2003 by Mo Design and was one of the first full books dedicated to his early work. Limited to just 999 copies, I knew as soon as I saw this book that I had to have it. To my knowledge, my Substack will be the only place on the internet to view the book in its entirety. Let’s get it to it!
Hiroshi Fujiwara is most commonly known for his influential brand Fragment Design, but many are not aware of the brands he started before Fragment and the countless graphics he has done for other brands, toys, shoes, and posters. He can be credited by starting what was one of the first streetwear labels based in Japan, GoodEnough, which was first started in 1990. Displayed in the photo above, we see one a handful of original screens that he used to print some of his most iconic graphics including the highly sought after G logo End Racism tee which has since be rereleased in multiple iterations. Electric Cottage, created in 1994 and named by none other than his personal friend Shawn Stüssy, was his next label followed by MoreAboutLess, Finesse, HeadPorter, and A.F.F.A. alongside Jonio from Undercover. All of these brands often collaborated in a number of ways with each other, some even had sub-lines, sharing graphics and ideologies.
As I had mentioned earlier, before Hiroshi Fujiwara was a fashion designer he was a popular DJ in Japan. He is known to have introduced some of the first hip hop and rap records to Japan in the 80’s from artists like Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Fujiwara soon also began writing and producing a number of original songs and albums. “Nothing Much Better To Do” was his first studio album released in 1994, the “Flowers” EP was released in 1998 with graphics done by MANKEY, and “Marchin’ Round The World” was his project with Japanese singer Ellie released in 1999. A major theme of Fujiwara’s career is his collaborations, in 1998 Kyôko Koizumi released her 89-99 Collection of music which featured a mix and graphics from Hiroshi Fujiwara.
Hiroshi Fujiwara has been sought after many times for footwear collaborations by brands both large and small including Gravis, Visvim, and of course, Nike. The HTM line, an acronym for the names of Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, and Nike CEO Mark Parker. While the HTM line technically started in 2002, Fujiwara was already working with the other two on a handful of projects for Nike. Under the HTM line, the three collaborated on many of the most elaborate and collectible Nike sneakers including the Air Moc, Air Woven, and HTM Air Force 1’s.
Most people know about the HTM Nike line but one of the least talked about Hiroshi Fujiwara brands is one of the most important in my opinion. A.F.F.A., Anarchy Forever Forever Anarchy, was a collaborative line started by longtime friends Jun Takahashi and Hiroshi Fujiwara in 1994. Both Jonio and Hiroshi were longtime collectors and fans of Seditionaries, Vivienne Westwood’s punk rock fashion line started with Malcolm McLaren in the 1970’s. A.F.F.A. was a line punk inspired line directly inspired and referenced by Seditionaires. This is one of my personal favorite lines from both of Jonio and Hiroshi as their mixture of punk rock iconography, techwear features, and streetwear silhouettes makes for extremely unique clothing. The two stopped working on the A.F.F.A. project in the early 2010’s and has become a fan favorite for both of the designers. One of the rarest items from A.F.F.A. is easily the customized bomber jackets done by the duo in the early 90’s. Each bomber is uniquely different from the last with a very limited amount being produced and sold out nearly instantly when first released.
This is honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hiroshi Fujiwara’s work but I’m not trying to write a novel for you guys. The full book will be attached below for those that are interested in learning more about his collaboration with Visvim, relationship with Eric Clapton, and view countless other graphics you will not be able to find anywhere on the internet… but here
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