INFO

TAKESHI OSUMI / BIG-O

Takeshi Osumi, also known as BIG-O, was a Japanese designer, musician, and one of the key creative figures to emerge from Tokyo’s street culture.

Beginning his career as a member of the hip-hop group SHAKKAZOMBIE, Osumi developed a creative identity shaped by music, fashion, and the evolving youth culture of Tokyo. After co-founding SWAGGER in 1999, he launched PHENOMENON in 2004 as a more personal expression of his own ideas, influences, and aesthetic.

For Osumi, music and fashion were never separate worlds. Hip-hop, rock, punk, electronic music, and various subcultures became part of the visual language of PHENOMENON, translated through bold silhouettes, unexpected combinations, graphic expression, and an approach that moved freely between streetwear and high fashion.

The name PHENOMENON itself reflects this musical foundation, inspired by “Rap Phenomenon” by The Notorious B.I.G.

Under Osumi’s direction, PHENOMENON evolved beyond the conventional definition of a streetwear label. The brand became a platform where music, culture, design, and personal expression could exist together without being restricted by genre.

His work also led to collaborations with MCM through MCM by PHENOMENON, bringing together MCM’s luxury heritage and PHENOMENON’s distinctive Tokyo street sensibility.

Although Osumi passed away in 2021, the creative language he established continues to define PHENOMENON — a brand rooted in music, shaped by culture, and driven by the freedom to create beyond convention.