RIP NUMBER (N)INE

It was announced today by Hint Magazine that the Japanese label Number (N)ine will be closing up shop. This comes as shocking news, especially after Miyashita's recent F/W 09' showing which was very well received by the fashion community. No real reason was given, asides from the rather ambiguous statement "when you’re finished changing, you’re finished." Whether this has anything to do with flaky investors (à la Obedient Sons) is yet to be known, either way, the line will surely be missed.

Number (N)ine was first established in 1996 along with KOOKS Ltd. by designer Takahiro Miyashita (1973). His debut collection was an instant hit with the Japanese public and within a year, Miyashita opened his first flagship store in Omotesando, Tokyo. It didn't take long for Miyashita to gain international acclaim with his de-constructionist, punk rock aesthetics and in 2003, the label opened it's first overseas boutique in New York. The following years saw Number (N)ine become a major contender on the runways of both Paris and Tokyo.

Via Hypebeast