The Origin of Japanese Fashion: Harajuku | Online Clothing in Japan

The Origin of Japanese Fashion: Harajuku | Online Clothing in Japan

 

 

 

 

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Born and raised in Tokyo, "Harajuku" is a special and memorable city. When I was a kid, there was a dance performance group called "Takenoko-zoku" in Harajuku, so I asked my father to take me there. It was in Harajuku that the shining entertainers at that time opened all the shops, and I remember seeing "goods" and "clothes" while eating crepes with my family and friends since I was a kid. After that, as time went by, Japan's leading street fashion and designers and creators advanced to Harajuku, and it changed to a place where "Japan's leading culture" was transmitted. In a word, it is called "Harajuku - Kei". Now I am introducing in the "Harajuku - Kei" that is loved all over the world.

 

Q1. What is “Harajuku – Kei”?

A1. It refers to "subculture" and "fashion" that originate in the town of Harajuku in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. Also, recently, it is said that people who love the "subculture" and "fashion" are also included.

 

Q2. Where exactly is the "Harajuku" area?

A2. It seems that the area from Harajuku Station to Omotesando on the JR Yamanote Line (Tokyo's public circular railway) is considered to be the "Harajuku-Kei" area.

 

 

 

 

Q3. Are there various types of "Harajuku"?

A3. Yes. There are about 8 types.

• Urahara type / Uraharajuku type: Ura-Harajuku is the town where the world-famous brand "A BATHING APE" was born. Mr. NIGO (former founder and designer of A BATHING APE) and Mr. Hiroshi Fujiwara are famous people who represent "Ura-Harajuku - Kei". It is referred as the area from Harajuku Street in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo to the Shibuya River Promenade. As for fashion, "T-shirts" and "hoodies" are casual styles, but each has its own particularity. There are many expensive "T-shirts" and "hoodies", but they all shop well and incorporate them into their daily fashion. Japanese DJ culture was actually born from this area. I think people from late 30s to 40s may feel nostalgy. (I am still in love with it…)

• Gothic type: Fashion that suppresses the exposure of the skin, puts it all together in black, and wears metallic and leather accessories with a profound feeling. Japanese visual type of band fashion is a typical example. Since the hair is dyed with a pop color such as pink, black fashion show in vivid sensationally. As a recent trend, there is a tendency to make lipstick bright red without dyeing hair, or to put on shoes to make black look beautiful.

• Lolita fashion type: As you may know, it is a Lolita style to wear frills, girlishness, and dresses with petticoats such as pink and white, which are pursuing "cuteness". A representative brand is "MILK". It seems that there has been a flood of foreign purchases lately, and I sometimes see foreigners wearing Lolita fashion all over the city. It's cute, isn't it?

• Gothic Lolita type: The fashion is a well-balanced mix of both "Lolita" and "Gothic" styles. The cute colors such as "pink" are suppressed, and "white" and "black" are used to express the cuteness. It is a popular style for adults who are a little older.

• Fairy type: Came, Fairy type! This is the fashion worn by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who appeared as so-called symbol of "POP culture" in Harajuku, Tokyo. Anyway, it's colorful clothes, and it's cute like a fairy. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu made the word "KAWAII" popular all over the world. It is still a popular culture and fashion for younger generations in Japan.
• Cyber type: This is also more "flashy with Neon Color" than the fairy style. In a style that expresses the world view that assumes the near future shown on fashion to be wearing clothes such as "vinyl" and "chemical fiber" instead of "100% cotton". Anyway, the colors are expressed with awakening colors such as "fluorescent color" and "glossy color". Recently, some young people are dying their hair in a "fluorescent color".
• Beauty Salon type: As known as "Choki Choki (Sounds alike cutting hair by Scissors） type" fashion. Japanese male hair designers and stylists are very fashionable and are still at the forefront of Japanese fashion. I mix high-brand and second-hand clothes well, and use small items to dress well. Anyway, it's a fashion that is very popular with Japanese women. When you come to Japan, it may be fun to try it once.

• Used clothing type: I've been waiting so long, old clothes style. Recently, it has become a style that has received a lot of attention, and many used style EC sites are open in Japan. We have a wide range of items, from fairly expensive items to reasonably priced items, and we are considering special features on this site as well. Literally, the style is particular about "used clothes" and expresses your own unique style that is not trendy. Currently, the number of "Harajuku - Kei" people who wear "used clothes" is increasing, from young people to middle-aged people.

 

Q4. In short, what is "Harajuku"?

A4. Represents people who express a great deal of insistence and individuality as "self-assertion" in fashion and culture.

 

 

 

 

As my conclusion, many people who created "Harajuku - Kei" are already aging in middle, but they still have stayed at the same "taste as a person" and "attractiveness". “Isn't Harajuku not just a place to create "fashion", but a place to pioneer the flow of the times in Japan?", I can't stop thinking.

 

 In commemoration of the special feature on Harajuku, we have a lineup of "NEO JAPANESE" goods that are popular with "Harajuku - Kei" young Japanese people these days. In addition, we will continue to develop "stylish" and "fun" clothing with the "NEO JAPANESE" style as our own brand, so please look forward to the monthly update.