Japanese street fashion
Japanese street fashion refers to a number of styles of contemporary modern clothing in Japan. Created from a mix of both local and international fashion brands, Japanese street fashions tend to have their own distinctive style, with some considered to be extreme and imaginative, with similarities to the haute couture styles seen on European catwalks.
History
As early as the 1950s, there were a few brands specially catered to street fashion, such as Onitsuka Tiger.In addition, the emergence of strong youth culture in the 1960s and 1970s that continues today drives much of the development of new styles, looks, and fashion subcultures. The rise of consumerism, which played an important part in Japan's "national character" during its economic boom in the 1980s, continues to influence fashion purchases, even after this economic bubble burst in the 1990s. These factors result in the swift turnover and variability in styles popular at any one time.
In 2003, Japanese hip-hop, which had long been present among underground Tokyo's club scene, influenced the mainstream fashion industry. The popularity of the music was so influential that Tokyo's youth imitated their favorite hip hop stars from the way they dress with oversized clothes to tanned skin.
Though extremely popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, many trends experienced a levelling off in the later 2000s and onwards; the rise and fall of many of these trends had been chronicled by Shoichi Aoki since 1997 in the fashion magazine Fruits, which was a notable magazine for the promotion of street fashion in Japan.
Fashion industry and popular brands
Although Japanese street fashion is known for its mix-match of different styles and genres, and there is no single sought-after brand that can consistently appeal to all fashion groups, the huge demand created by the fashion-conscious population is fed and supported by Japan's vibrant fashion industry. Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons are often said to be the three cornerstone brands of Japanese fashion. Together they were particularly recognized as a Japanese fashion force in the early 1980s for their intensive use of monochrome color and cutting-edge design.The social motives driving interaction with and involvement in personal fashion choices and wider fashion movements within Japan are complex. Firstly, the comparatively large quantity of disposable income available to Japanese youth is significant; many argue this has been, historically, made possible through a greater degree of Japanese youth living at home with their parents for much longer than in other countries, reducing living expenses and thus making larger spending on clothing possible.
Japan is also known for its significant consumption of foreign luxury brands. According to data from 2006, Japan consumed 41 percent of the entire world's luxury goods. The blue line of Burberry is among the most successful in this arena.
Japanese street fashion influences the West Coast of the United States. High-end fashion brands like Comme des Garçons have played a big role in the global industry since the 1980s, especially through frequent cross-over guest design with other brands. In 2008, Rei Kawakubo designed for Louis Vuitton and H&M. Harajuku Fashion was ranked 5th in the fashion field of Google Search of the Year in 2019.
Modern Japanese street fashion
Though the styles have changed over the years, street fashion is still prominent in Tokyo today. Young adults can often be found wearing subculture attire in large urban fashion districts such as Harajuku, Aoyama, Ginza, Odaiba, Shinjuku and Shibuya.Lolita
Containing many different themes within its boundaries, Lolita has become one of the larger, more recognizable styles in Japanese street fashion and has gained a following worldwide. Skirts or dresses are usually worn at or below knee length with petticoats beneath for volume. Blouses or tops are lace-trimmed or ruffled in the Victorian or Rococo style. The length of the socks or stockings can go from ankle to thigh level and may be topped with lace. Wearers of this fashion style often put on Mary Janes, tea party shoes, or boots. The more well-known sub-styles within Lolita fashion are as follows:- Gothic Lolita - Lolita with a heavy influence from the Eastern and Victorian Goth style. Often characterized by dark colors and accessories adorned with motifs such as skeletons, bats, spiders, and other popular gothic 'icons', such as characters from Tim Burton films. Victorian iron gates and architectural designs are also often seen in dress prints. Bonnets, rectangle headdresses, and brooches are popular accessories for Gothic Lolita.
- Sweet Lolita - the most childlike style, mostly characterized by baby animals, fairy tale themes, and innocent, childlike attire. It was originally inspired by Victorian children's clothing and the culture that is very prevalent in Japan. Pastel colors are often used, although some dresses or skirts may feature darker or muted colors as well. Large head bows, cute purses, and stuffed animals are popular accessories for Sweet Lolita.
- Classic Lolita - a sub-style more closely resembling the historical fashion of the Rococo or Victorian eras. The colors that are used in this look are usually muted, thus giving this sub-style a more mature feel. Floral prints and solid colors are common, although fancier prints are not unheard of as well. Small head bows, bonnets, rectangle headdresses, and hair corsages are popular accessories for Classic Lolita.
- Punk Lolita - an experimental style, mixing the influences of Punk with Lolita. It can sometimes look deconstructed or crazy while keeping most of the 'Lolita silhouette'.
- Ouji - also known as 'boy style', are the more masculine counterparts of lolita, influenced by Victorian boys' clothing. 'Prince pants', which are short capri-style pants that are cut off the knee, usually with some sort of detail are commonly worn with masculine blouses, top hats, knee socks, and other accessories.
Many people consider Namie Amuro to have been the leading figure of style. Exactly after her public appearances with tanned skin and dyed hair, a lot of Japanese girls started to follow her example. The terms and refer to the extreme ends of the style. However, enthusiasts of both the and styles consider ganguro as an "easy version" of their style. Nowadays, the name has shortened to.The look is based on a high school uniform, but with a shorter skirt, loose socks, and often dyed hair and scarf as well. Members of the style sometimes refer to themselves as . This style was prominent in the 1990s, and it started gaining popularity again at the end of 2020, however it is an age category specifically for gals in high school.While fashion has not been widely popular since the 1990s, the stereotypical look is often portrayed, and even caricatured, in many forms of Japanese media such as anime, manga, and films. The typical member is often depicted in a uniform consisting of a jumpsuit like those worn by manual laborers or a, a type of military issued over-coat with kanji slogans. These are usually worn open, with no shirt underneath, showing off bandaged torsos and matching baggy pants tucked inside tall boots.Amekaji is a style based on American casual, often narrowly defined as Western/Native American/Biker-based. Amekaji was introduced to the public in the early 1990s by a group of delinquents in Shibuya known as "Teamer". Later, it was popularized by Takuya Kimura who wore it in his TV dramas.