UPSETTERS® is a Tokyo-born street-luxury and Product Art brand that began with premium Made-in-Japan 45RPM record accessories.

What is the philosophy of UPSETTERS®?

The founding brand message is “the Product First.” The object and its reason to exist come before promotion, trend or category.

What product did UPSETTERS® begin with?

The brand began with the Crown 45RPM record adapter, approached as a crafted art object rather than a generic record accessory.

What culture is UPSETTERS® rooted in?

UPSETTERS® is rooted in sound system culture, dub, reggae, vinyl and 45RPM culture.

Is every UPSETTERS® product limited to 45 pieces?

No. Earlier Crown editions included individually numbered 45-piece editions, but future rarity is defined by each work, material and production process rather than a fixed edition size.

What Is UPSETTERS®? Product Art, Craftwork & Vinyl Culture from Tokyo

Japan Upsetters

Sep 12

2 min read

UPSETTERS® is a Tokyo-born Product Art brand founded on “the Product First.” It began with the Crown 45RPM record adapter, conceived as a crafted art object, and expands from vinyl culture into dub, reggae, sound system culture, SlipRugs and streetwear.

The Product First

Since the beginning, UPSETTERS® has worked under one message: “the Product First.” The product itself comes before promotion, category or trend. The object must have a reason to exist on its own.

The Crown 45RPM record adapter

UPSETTERS® began with the Crown 45RPM record adapter. Rather than treating a record adapter as a disposable accessory, the brand approached it as craftwork and Product Art: a functional object designed to carry the presence of an art piece.

Product Art and craftwork

The core of UPSETTERS® is not conventional streetwear. It is the creation of physical objects with a strong material, sculptural and cultural identity. Craft, detail and the object itself are central to the brand’s premium direction.

Vinyl, dub, reggae and sound system culture

Vinyl culture provides the physical foundation. Dub, reggae and sound system culture provide the musical and cultural context. These influences shape the objects, graphics, music and future collections around UPSETTERS®.

SlipRugs

SlipRugs extend the same Product Art philosophy to the turntable. They are functional DJ slipmats, but are designed as visual objects within a record player, DJ booth and sound system.

Record adapters and streetwear

From winter onward, UPSETTERS® expands again through record adapters and streetwear. Streetwear is an extension of the brand’s world, not its origin. The origin remains Product Art, craftwork and “the Product First.”