Raf Simons SS2018 181-723 Oversized Denim Jacket, Joy Division Unknown Pleasures & Substance, Black, Size S

The Joy Division version of Raf Simons’s spring-summer 2018 oversized denim: Unknown Pleasures on the chest pocket and the Substance logotype across the back, in size S.

The Piece

Spring-summer 2018 was the season Raf Simons took his runway to New York’s Chinatown and opened the archive of Peter Saville, the graphic designer behind the record sleeves of Factory Records. Saville’s artwork for Joy Division and New Order was cut into patches, panels and woven labels and set onto oversized tailoring, parkas and denim, a meeting of two bodies of work that had shaped each other for decades. The boxy black trucker, model 181-723, became one of the defining pieces of that collection and remains among the most sought-after Raf Simons garments of the New York years.

This is the Joy Division side of the story. On the front, a panel of Peter Saville’s 1979 Unknown Pleasures sleeve, the stacked waveform of a pulsar, hangs from the flap pocket beside an RS patch. Across the shoulders, JOY DIVISION 1977–1980 is printed in white above the green Substance logotype from the band’s 1988 compilation. The denim is a stretch blend of 96% cotton and 4% polyurethane, labelled 181-723-10033.

Size S measures 67 cm at the shoulder and 89 cm pit to pit, an oversized fit on almost any frame. The Unknown Pleasures panel has cracked and lifted in places, the kind of wear that suits a record by Joy Division, and the black has softened to a lived-in charcoal.

Unknown Pleasures is perhaps the best-known record sleeve of its era, and this jacket places it alongside the Substance logotype in a way that ties together the band’s whole short history. It is the more graphic of the two Saville denim versions, and the one most often requested by music-minded collectors.

Details

• Designer: Raf Simons, with artwork by Peter Saville
• Season: Spring-summer 2018
• Model / ref: 181-723-10033, Denim Jacket
• Material: 96% cotton, 4% polyurethane denim
• Colour: Black, white and green prints
• Made in: Italy
• Tagged size: S
• Measurements: Shoulder 67 cm · Chest (pit to pit) 89 cm · Sleeve 63 cm · Length 85 cm
• Included: Jacket only

Condition

• Pre-owned with visible wear; overall fading to the black denim.
• Cracking and lifting on the Unknown Pleasures panel.
• Fading and rubbing near both cuffs; fraying at the right cuff buttonhole.
• Back print, RS patch and snaps intact.

Condition grade B on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Wash rarely, inside out and cold, or have it cleaned by a specialist; never tumble dry, and do not iron over the print.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.

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