Kenzo Takada briefly attended the University of Kobe for foreign studies before he withdrew and reenrolled in Bunka, which had just opened their doors to male students. Takada was no stranger to women’s fashion as he grew up reading his sister’s magazines. At an early age, he had already developed an interest in design.

After earning his diploma for design in 1964, he moved to Paris in hopes of gaining a place in the fashion industry. At the time, Japan was far from the fashion mecca that it is considered today. Many designers found it advantageous to bring their work elsewhere. Once in France, however, Takada found that he was unable to afford fabrics. He took his work to top firms and designers and even attempted freelancing, all to no avail. He found himself buying scraps of fabric and combining his efforts into a single garment, which were the earliest signs of his penchant for reconstruction and pattern making.

In 1970, Takada opened his first show at the Vivienne Gallery and then his first store, Jungle Jap, a suitable name that reflected the outlandish nature of his designs. Thereafter, his sense of dramatic appearance was exemplified in other projects like his 1978 and 1979. These shows were held in a circus tent, featuring horsewomen wearing transparent uniforms and Takada himself riding an elephant. While Takada is no longer the creative director at Kenzo, his work and tenure at Bunka paved the way for both male and avant-garde designers alike.

Yohji Yamamoto’s infamous avant-garde manner is the consequence of his life's greatest tragedy, his father’s death during World War II. The loss forced Yamamoto’s mother, Fumi, to attend Bunka in order to become the sole provider for her family, becoming a dressmaker. At the time, Yamamoto was enrolled in French catholic school, feeling ostracized by the affluent children and cookie-cutter careers they sought. For many years Yamamoto pursued a track into law. However, after graduating from Keio University in 1966, he decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps and enrolled in Bunka Fashion College to become a dressmaker himself.

Alongside the legendary Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Yamamoto took his designs to Paris where he experienced a fairly uneventful reception. Shortly after, Yamamoto returned to Tokyo where he saw a true opportunity to design his own line. The first person he looked to for inspiration was his own mother, having stated: “I love women and I love the way clothes are both functional and beautiful on their bodies. This is what inspires me."

To this day, Yamamoto utilizes his knowledge of form and function and incorporates it with his passion for women and undying love for his mother. His own personal hardships continue to inspire his designs with both his mainline and many sub-lines exuding the conflict and darkness of his own psyche.

By the late 1970s, Japan had tapped into its post-war economic potential, allowing for a period of growth and stability in consumerism. This was the perfect opportunity for the great Issey Miyake to bring his new sub-line to the forefront of youth culture. The idea was to produce more casual, relaxed-fitting garments that fit the brand's detail-oriented designs, but at a cheaper pricepoint. The result brought Chisato Tsumori, a young designer straight from the distinguished Bunka Fashion School, to the Issey Sport team.

Due to Bunka’s growing male population and Japan’s growing interest in sportswear, Tsumori found herself inspired and was able to refine her tomboy aesthetic before taking her genius to I.S. She was an ideal pick for the design team considering her focus on prints and her self-described, "healthy dose of manga [and] bohemian cuteness.” Tsumori’s aesthetic was the perfect mixture of not only Japan’s burgeoning westernization, but it’s growing cultural exchange with the rest of the world.

Ironically, Tsumori’s ideals contrasted drastically with those of Bunka in that much of her own work was inspired by phenomena outside of her home country. Nonetheless, her work would eventually grant her the position of head designer at Issey Sport and the inclusion of her name in the now iconic trademark: “I.S. Chisato Tsumori.”

Junya Watanabe credits cult figure, Issey Miyake, as his greatest influence. He was fascinated with Miyake’s formfitting designs that consistently showcased a balance of uncompromising shapes and geometric forms. This infatuation drew Watanabe to Bunka where he would refine his skills in patternmaking and an understanding in the importance of fabric selection.

After graduating, Watanabe took a position at Comme des Garçons in 1984 as a patternmaker and, later, as an apprentice under Rei Kawakubo. At the time, most Bunka graduates were taking jobs under Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake. Watanabe’s decision to work for CdG was monumental as he saw it as an opportunity to add his own flare to the fashion house’s less contemporary nature. Watanabe’s eagerness and keen eye for construction later earned him the title of chief designer for CdG’s Tricot line and CdG Homme thereafter.

Thanks to much critical acclaim, Watanabe was finally able to release his own namesake menswear line, Junya Watanabe MAN, under the CdG umbrella. Staying true to his passion for structure and unique fabrics, while also embracing the house's traditional nature, Watanabe is known for his use a wide array of technical fabrics, perplexing patterns and odd cuts that all put a fresh spin on classic menswear wardrobe staples.

By the 1980s, Japan was fully enveloped in western culture. Punk Rock became a staple in the lives of Japan’s youth, further pushing youth culture to adopt a more rebellious attitude. Simultaneously, Japan’s economic bubble burst, resulting in the widespread of adoption of less global brands and more independent labels. The intersection of both phenomena led Jun Takahashi to create Undercover.

Takahashi enrolled in Bunka in 1988, however, he was unsure about what he wanted to accomplish. He questioned why he was learning about design from teachers who were much older than he was. Eventually, he decided that he would only learn techniques in school and nothing more. In the meantime, Takahashi moonlighted as the lead singer and guitarist for the Tokyo Sex Pistols as an homage to his love for the classic English band and punk rock in general. But everything changed once he was dragged to his first Comme des Garçons show.

The construction and quality of each garment, and the ambiance of the show inspired Takahashi to launch Undercover with his classmate, Hinori Ichinose. The brand initially began as a series of customized vintage pieces with studs, patches and distressing, but quickly evolved to into a ready-to-wear intersection of avant-garde and street fashion.

From the beginning, Takahashi knew that he wanted to distinguish himself from the likes of more established contemporaries like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. When it was all said and done, his rebellious, punk attitude translated into a cult following that helped push fashion in a new direction and usher in a new age of Japanese streetwear.

Nigo, born Tomoaki Nagao, was a devout Hip-Hop addict, which eventually served as his introduction into a scene he would later go on to dominate. Following suit in Takahashi’s decision to separate himself from his studies, Nigo’s real education didn’t come from Bunka, but more from Tokyo’s nightclubs. At the age of 16, he would routinely go to a record store called Cisco, where he was able to curate an impressive vinyl collection and also purchased his first set of turntables. He began DJing at clubs and even went on to the be the producer for the Tokyo-based group, Teriyaki Boyz.

As Nigo’s presence in Tokyo’s nightlife scene become more prevalent, he found himself making connections that would further not only his music, but fashion career as well, figuring this was the best way to advance rather than taking lessons. He later remarked that he learned “zero” from Bunka and that the most important thing he took away from the experience was meeting Jun Takahashi. Around the same time, Nigo also developed a relationship with the infamous “Godfather of Harajuku,” Fragment Design's Hiroshi Fuijiwara. The uncanny similarities between the two earned Nagao his nickname, “Nigo,” literally meaning “number two.”

With Fuijiwara’s help, Nigo and Takahashi went on to open NOWHERE, a small boutique in Harajuku that housed a selection of international streetwear brands, sneakers and their own respective brands, A Bathing Ape and Undercover.