Fashions Harajuku Girls |
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| Written by Nicola Hyland | |
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Ever wanted your own personal posse of Harajuku girls? Would you be fruity enough to take on the Harajuku look? Ask Bronny seeks out the freaks.
Fashionistas worldwide have gone plum crazy for the zany colourful style of these infamous Japanese fashion icons. What started with a few teenagers dressing up in crazy costumes and hanging outside their local mall has turned into a cultish pop phenomenon. A fusion of cute, creepy, traditional, uber-feminine and repressive influences, Harajuku style is a prime example of cutting-edge youth fashion. While critics rejected the diverse styles as culturally-misappropriated and ridiculous, Japanese designers continue to be hugely influential in Paris and Milan, thanks to the exposure of fashion emphasising playful, bright and tailored designs. While some may see the Harajuku girls as epitomising the whole idea of 'pop' culture, the movement is itself fundamentally subversive. These teens are actually acting out against Japanese conservatism and conformity, as well as western stereotypes of consumer culture in Japan. The most significant aspect of this phenomenon is that this is a movement where teenagers are actually dictating what the shops will sell and not the other way around. During the 1980s, a popular shopping strip near the Harajuku railway station in Tokyo Takeshita-dori - became a bustling meeting place for street artists, musicians and punk-inspired teenagers on pedestrian-only Sundays. A popular tourist route to the local Meiji Jingu shrine, the area soon became a hub for groups of teenagers predominantly girls who adopted fun, cute, shocking and often plain crazy costumes. In 1997, photographer Shoichi Aoki began a magazine FRUiTs, celebrating the distinct culture of these outrageous teen fashionistas. His amazing images were later complied into two books, FRUiTS (2001) and FRESH FRUiTS (2005), bringing these eccentric trendsetters to a wider western audience. When Gwen Stefani introduced the world to her manufactured quirky quartet of Japanese dancers with bizarre hotchpotch fashion sense 'Love', 'Angel', 'Music' and 'Baby' - culture vultures worldwide began to question what this Harajuku style was all about. The area is now a tourist attraction in itself, with the Harajuku girls going all-out to compete for photographers, fashion scouts and tourists alike. Many of these young girls wear what can only be described as nightmarish hybrids of western fads. Influences include cowboys, cheerleaders, hip-hop artists, British punks, cyber/futurist visions, military wear, toddler gear and even Amish chic! While to outsiders it might seem that the only running theme is chaos, there are several distinctive trends dominant amongst the Harajuku: such as the Kawaii, Decora, Waimona and Gothic-Lolita styles. The Kawaii style celebrates the culture of cuteness stereotypical of and perpetuated by a cross-section of young Japanese girls. Western perceptions of Japanese teens often play on a cutesy cartoon ideal epitomised by Hello Kitty and the influence of Japanese Anime. Films such as Austin Powers play on the idealised Japanese girl as having pig-tails, pink dresses and ruffles. The Kawaii girls are the hallucinogenic exaggeration of these sugar-plum sweethearts. They generally wear clothes marketed to children in western culture bright cartoon t-shirts, party dresses and exaggerated plastic accessories. The "Decora", or Decora-san, accessorise with large toys and random accessories that make clicking noises. These can include anything from wearing a fried plastic egg, to an outfit composed of stuffed monkey toys. The Waimona fuse some of the other Harajuku influences with traditional Japanese costumes such as wearing bright kimono-style dresses with knee-high socks and anime earrings. The Gothic-Lolita style became influential amongst the Harajuku around 2002. The 'Lolita' tag is actually a bit of a misnomer the Lolitas are in fact noticeably de-sexualised, modelling themselves on prim Victorian porcelain dolls. The 'Goth-Loli' were influenced by the Visual-Kei Japanese rock bands who market themselves with elaborate costumes. The group fuse the repressed styles of Victorian fashion high necks, dark colours, severe lines as well as the modern 'Goth' preference for pale foundation and dramatic make-up. A strong theme has been taking traditional depictions of Alice in Wonderland with her poker-straight hair and full skirt. Gwen Stefani herself adopted this theme in her first video clip off the L.A.M.B album. Other Lolita styles include the French Maid as well as the British Punk inspiration - a fantasy fusion of tartan and leather. A group determined to separate themselves from the Harajuku are those who regularly gather for organised meets dressed as their Manga anime idols: the "cosplayers". Many in the Cosplay community believe that their pursuits are far more serious and committed then that of the Harajuku. Go figure. As the popularity of Japanese designers continues to spread, the Harajuku style is gradually making it into the mainstream. While many stores already boast solely Japanese-designed attire and accessories, other western chain outlets have already caught on to the cartoon prints and zany costume pieces that define the colourful movement. The pervasive Eighties flavour of contemporary fashion has allowed fads such as those adopted by the Harajuku to be embraced in the everyday. While many in the Harajuku district might thank Gwen Stefani for bringing their unique style to international attention, the irony is that another subversive culture has become something essentially 'pop' or normal. No-rules fashion has re-branded what was originally 'alternative' into something decidedly mainstream. The irony is that something which started as a revolutionary teen-driven statement may someday become dictated to those consumer-passive western teens. |
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