First shown off in March, Undercover’s new line of Evangelion-inspired outfits are now available for sale. Or should I say were available for sale, until they almost instantly sold out, leaving us to either pay apocalyptic resale prices or, more sensibly, simply look at pictures of them on the internet instead.
The range features a ton of different pieces, from sweaters to hoodies to shirts, some of them modelled after Evangelion characters, others emblazoned with Evangelion illustrations and logos.
Some of the simpler pieces, like the shirts (above, which I quite like), could be had for around USD$200 before they sold out, which considering we’re talking high-end streetwear in 2021 isn’t too bad. But I’m not here to talk about Evangelion shirts.
I’m here to talk about the centrepiece of the collection, which is a range of outerwear that goes beyond “inspired by Evangelion” to “Evangelion cosplay”. Like these $US5600 (A$7,503) puffer jackets:
Or these $US1200 (A$1,608) turtlenecks modelled after the kid’s plugsuits:
But the real star were these jackets, which with the hoods down look like regular, maybe slightly technical trenches, with seam taping and practical zips. With hoods up, though, they’re Eva tributes that don’t just model their head designs, but even have remote controls you can use to control the LED eyes.
Here’s an example:
See? With the hood off, it’s a normal jacket. Zip the hood on, though, and:
Dim the lights, whip out the branded remote control you get with it, and suddenly:
Incredible. There are two more available, each doing the same thing, with the fancy hoods and the light-up eyes.
These last two were the most expensive pieces in the collection, coming in at ¥816,750 each, which works out to be around USD$7200 (A$9,379). Which is absurd, I know, but remember that this isn’t a range designed to be sold in GameStop. It debuted on the catwalk during Tokyo Fashion Week, so adjust your expectations accordingly!