FEATURE 01 23 / Tokyo

As a brand that was born on one end
of a subculture
we would like where we stand
to be the same place without changing
even now 23 years later.

While spending this time of 23 years
different forms of expression were found
along with means to broaden our output
and the base layer of the brand was formed.
It has been something built
from a direct sense of the things close to us
such as influences from various cultures
or the interpretations that derived from them.
In 1996, the place in Tokyo
that was given the name Ura-Harajuku
was truly a fusion of youth culture of that time.
WTAPS was born out of this phenomenon
influenced by the people or events or the place
through each era
and the various experiences gained
from the craze back then
are still the foundation
of our methods of expression.
And this phenomenon that was not only for us
will become the fertile ground
for the next generation
that lives and breathes there
and may lead to the creation
of another new culture.

What is WTAPS?
The answer is always simple.
What shows the brand’s true essence
has not changed from 23 years ago.
We feel that the Harajuku-born WTAPS
would like to take root in the place we have lived
inside that culture.