Venture Into The World Of Streetwear In This Monograph

In a world where streetwear and high fashion constantly collide, Ambush has carved a space of its own. Founded in Tokyo in 2008 by Yoon Ahn, a Korean-American fashion designer and the label’s creative director, and Verbal, aka Young Kee Yu, a Korean-Japanese rapper and music producer and Ambush’s chief executive, the brand has evolved from an experimental jewelry line—its Pow! knuckle-duster ring and Cat Ear headphones being particular standouts—into a full-fledge fashion powerhouse that’s done collabs with the likes of Bulgari, Nike, and Louis Vuitton, all a fusion of pop art and hip-hop aesthetics with an Asian sensibility. “The world is a museum of passion projects,” the married couple says in the monograph’s introduction, “and this has been one of ours.”

The 288-page volume published with Rizzoli offers a deep dive into the Ambush universe. The first half is broken down by collection, recapping past seasons of jewelry and clothing through lookbooks and runway shows. The second is an extensive photographic archive that catalogs each piece individually. It also includes interviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses, capturing the duo’s relentless curiosity and refusal to be boxed in. Whether it’s turning everyday objects into wearable art, exploring “digital jewelry” via NFTs, or continuing to expand its presence in Japan through department store shop-in-shops, Ambush remains a concept in motion, always delivering, as its name indicates, the unexpected.