Harajuku - Japanese Street Fashion

Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan.
Harajuku is also a fashion capital of the world, renowned for its unique street fashion. Harajuku street style is promoted in Japanese and international publications such as Kera, Tune, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Fruits.





Many prominent designers and fashion ideas have sprung from Harajuku and incorporated themselves into other fashions throughout the world. Harajuku is also a large shopping district that includes international brands, its own brands, and shops selling clothes young people can afford.



The term "Harajuku Girls" has been used by English-language media to describe teenagers dressed in any fashion style who are in the area of Harajuku. This fashion infuses multiple looks and styles to create a unique form of dress.






Japanese Street Fashion Books:
'Fruits' is a Japanese fashion magazine covering the fashions of the Harajuku district of Tokyo, established in 1997 by photographer Shoichi Aoki. Excerpts from the magazine were compiled to create the Phaidon Press books 'Fruits' (2001) and 'Fresh Fruits'(2005).








'Gothic and Lolita'(2007) by Masayuki Yoshinaga & Katsuhiko Ishikawa.







Gothic & Sweet Lolita Fashion:
Lolita fashion is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period.
Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look.
From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks or stockings and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes, although other types of shoes are incorporated.




Gothic lolita, sometimes shortened to GothLoli, is a combination of the Gothic and Lolita fashion. The fashion originated in the late 1990s in Harajuku and was promoted by Visual Kei bands such as Malice Mizer, which brought it to greater popularity amongst fans of alternative street fashion and followers of the musical style.






As with some Western Gothic styles, cross jewelry and other religious symbols are also used to accessorize the Gothic Lolita look. Other accessories in the Gothic Lolita style include bags and purses which are often in shapes like bats, coffins, and crucifixes.












Sweet Lolita is heavily influenced by Rococo styles as well as Victorian and Edwardian clothing. Focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and childlike motifs in its design.






Outfits consist of pastels, fruit themes (cherries or strawberries, or any type of sugary fruit), flowers (roses, jasmines, lily, cherry blossoms) lace, bows, animal themes (cats, bunnies, puppies) and ribbons to emphasize the cuteness of the design. Popular themes in the sweet Lolita are references to Alice in Wonderland, sweets, and classic fairy tales.






Makeup used in sweet Lolita is common throughout most Lolita styles. Pink, Peach, or Pearl make up styles are highly 'sweet' and used by many Sweet Lolitas. This look, paired with a shade of bright pink, red or sometimes nude-pink lipstick, is commonly used as well.








Jewelry often reflects this fantasy theme. Headdresses, bonnets and bows are a popular hair accessory to the sweet Lolita look. Bags and purses usually have a princess-like design and often take the shape of strawberries, crowns, hearts, and stuffed animals.








The cyber-punk look takes its influence from gothic fashion and incorporates neon and metallic colors. However, it isn't as popular as it was in the 1990s.









Punk style in Harajuku is more of a fashion than a statement. Its fashion mainly consists of dark colors, plaid, chains, and zippers. Punk style is also one of the more gender-neutral fashions in Harajuku.








Ganguro is a style that symbolizes the average American teenager. The term translates to ‘black-faced’. The basic look is what Westerners would call a ‘California girl’, with bleached hair, dark skin, fake eyelashes and nails. It is not clear how Ganguro came to be. Many assume it originated in the early 1990s, when singer and performer Janet Jackson was popular.








Kogal
The Kogal subculture is not to be confused with the Ganguro subculture, because they are very similar. Often you would compare the "look" of the Kogal to be that of a "Californian valley-girl".




Greatly influenced by American fashion, the followers of this style bring out their sex appeal as well as changing their hair and skin tone through cosmetics in order to separate themselves from the image and expectations of normal Japanese society. The Kogal subculture is characterized by young women who display their disposable incomes through tastes in fashion, music and other forms of social activity.






Cosplay is more of a costume-based style. A cosplay enthusiast will usually dress as a fictional or iconic character from a band, game, movie, anime, or manga.








Gwen Stefani's fragrance 'Harajuku Lovers'(2008):





Inspired by the electric street scene of the Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo, the Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection captures the lyrics and iconography from Gwen Stefani's albums. These unique fragrances, in their adorable doll-decanters, will appeal to anyone with a "fatal attraction to cuteness." So Damn 'KAWAII' (which is Japanese for 'cute'.)






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