To fully understand the genius of Julius, let's take a look back at the brand’s origins. Tatsuro Horikawa was knee-deep in the Tokyo underground scene, where he first began producing visuals for DJs. Immersing himself in the audiovisual landscape of the city’s post-industrial nightlife. This environment became the foundation upon which Julius would later be built: a convergence of sound, movement, and shadow.
In 1996, Horikawa launched his first fashion venture, NUKE. A short-lived but influential label that ran for five years. NUKE laid the structural groundwork for what would become the visual language of Julius, introducing silhouettes that would later define the brand: drop-crotch trousers, elongated tailoring, and a sharp, sculptural attitude toward layering. These early experiments would resurface more maturely in Julius’ later collections.
Julius was officially founded in Tokyo in 2001, originally as a multidisciplinary art project. It was not merely a fashion label, but a platform that intersected clothing with film, graphic design, and music. Each medium acting as a limb of the same creature. Horikawa used the brand to elevate local subcultural voices, integrating art and technology to reflect the visceral emotions of the city’s youth culture. The shift toward fashion as the label’s primary output came in 2004, and within just a year, Julius was already showing at Tokyo Fashion Week, bringing its apocalyptic elegance to the runway.
Horikawa has repeatedly likened his approach to designing garments to composing techno music. “For me, music is the most important... the collection always starts with music. When I am interested in something, I think about how I can make it reflect me.” This philosophy is evident in how Julius pieces function almost like wearable architecture. The wearer becomes a vessel rather than an individual; the clothing consumes the body in a manner that mirrors the immersive, ego-dissolving experience of the dancefloor.
The SS07 “Underworld” jacket is made from oiled calf leather and features a front zip, rounded neck, and darting throughout.
Tagged Size 1
Measurements:
Chest: 42cm
Length: 65cm
Shoulders: 45cm
Sleeves: 59cm
Hem: 45cm
