A Dynamic Fashion Powerhouse
Modern Japanese street fashion is not just clothes; it is a living, massively influential cultural movement, circumnavigating the globe with every passing moment. From outré youths walking the streets of Harajuku to the catwalks of fashion weeks, there is a constant trail of new trends birthing, evolving and even dying in the fickle but often passionate minds of enthusiastic teenagers. Through this blogpost, a look at three subcultures from Japan – Lolita, Visual Kei, and Gyaru – will explore their roots, their evolution, and the global impact they have had.
The Allure of Lolita Fashion
Lolita fashion (named after and inspired by Vladimir Nabakov’s indescribable novel Lolita) is a fascinating subculture that also draws on Victorian and Rococo stylistics. Emerging in the early and mid-1980s as a reaction to mainstream ‘zero cut’ culture, the focus here is on modesty, elegance and ‘painstaking finery’. Trademarks of the look are frilled dresses (and petticoats), lace and parasols, and sweet accessories.
Lolita fashion is not a fleeting trend, but a way of life. Themed tea parties and events are held where enthusiasts gather to socialise in their extravagant outfits. Lolita has also diversified into separate substyles, such as Gothic, Sweet, and Classic Lolita, each with a distinctive twist to the original look. You can find western influences everywhere these days, thanks to the spread of Lolita fashion around the globe. Modern silhouettes and colour palettes imported from western culture add a dose of modernity to the glamour of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
‘Lolita, Visual Kei and Gyaru aren’t just aesthetics: they are self-definition. They mean “I am different” and “we are together” – being in at least three smaller communities,’ write the Japanese fashion blogs Nanasi in Lolita in Japan (2 explains why Lily’s presence in class inspired such communities to celebrate creativity and individual expression.
The Rise and Reign of Visual Kei
Visual Kei, a sensational Japanese fusion of style and music, emerged on the national music scene in the late 1980s. It derives its name from the term ‘visual-kei’, originating in bands such as X Japan: the visual component refers to the extravagant use of makeup, costumes and hairstyles. The idols flaunt gender-bending attire and created a spectacle of haunting visual flamboyance.
If the ‘Kei’ in Visual Kei hints at visuals, there’s a reason beyond the abundance of costumes. Visual Kei is artistic and acrobatic avant-garde fashion as much as it is rock and roll. But to many devotees, it sells much more than just pretty looks – it sells defiance of Japan’s profoundly conservative manners and inhibitions on self-expression. An offshoot of ‘hippy cultures’ in the 1980s, Visual Kei continues to mutate, morphing into the varieties of music it adopts as new genres rise – from metallic to electronic – while regularly spreading out across the world, fashion and music industries.
As the Harajuku Fashion Walk Coordinator points out, the industry is ‘constantly evolving, making it a trendsetter for the entire world’, being ‘a living, breathing art form, as opposed to simply being off, it’s easy to see how Visual Kei has always evolved, both at home in Japan and abroad, inspiring new musicians and designers with every passing generation.
Discovering the Vibrant Gyaru Trend
Gyaru fashion is a 1990s phenomenon that involves posing a bold, flamboyant style reminiscent of American glamour girls, typified by loud make-up, fake tan and ‘dyed’ brightly coloured hair. The word Gyaru is a phonetic take on the English ‘gal’, and stands as the latest rejection of traditional Japiness in favour of a hedonistic, Western model of femininity. It represents a kind of bile discharged into a milieu that had become too tightly constrained.
This is about creating a lifestyle; this movement encompasses everything from cheerful self-confidence to being politically unreliable – from cherishing freedom to caring nothing for convention. Gyaru scenesters flocked to engage in various pastimes that illuminated their self-identity and beliefs: the colourful, night-lit world of ‘hunter clubs’ and ‘designer bars’, flashy karaoke and hipster Tokyo neighbourhoods where pop-confectionary boutiques and rave parties played host to diverse young peoples. Gyaru was as much a subculture of consumption as a subculture of fashion. Enthusiasts’ risk-averse celebr-confidence and freedom quickly garnered the retail interest of marketing mavens and art directors who strategised how to identify a willing target market, to which jealous young girls also clamoured to belong – and how to repackage and release it into the marketplace every year. Eventually, Gyaru style did achieve mass-market recognition, when it fragmented and diversified into its own minor styles, such as ‘Kogal’ and ‘Hime Gyaru’, after about 1996.
In the meantime, Gyaru is adapting to include more natural looks while staying true to its central thrusts of self-expressive individuality and boldness. ‘The creativity and the boundary-pushing nature of Japanese street fashion subcultures are going to leave their mark on the global approach for years to come, continuing to create exciting new directions for mainstream fashion.’ From the book Creating Cool: How Brands Become Icons (2015) by Mike Rodgers.
Exploring Fashion’s Rich Tapestry
Lolita, the Visual Kei and the Gyaru are in fact different subcultures that all have their own aesthetics and thoughts. Lolita emphasises the virtue of modesty, and delight in dress. Visual Kei is a blend of fashion and music, dramatic and fancy, Visual Kei expresses a romantic and graceful mode of behaviour, evoking the European culture and history. Gyaru insists on glamour and women’s rejection of male’s control on female identity.
While there are obviously many differences between them, there are also many similarities – the desire to express themselves and to belong in a subculture has been shared by so many in the world of fashion, and has allowed enthusiasts to come together over common interests and creative exploration.
The Global Phenomenon of Japanese Street Fashion
The street fashions of Japan have zeroed in on the global imagination in the form of Lolita, Visual Kei and Gyaru, and designers the world over, and indeed street fashionistas themselves, have begun to riff off Japanese aesthetics and adopt bold new styles with an international flavour of their own. The resulting styles can seem hybrid, as imported themes from Japanese counterculture mix with local elements.
Artist and Japanese street fashion influencer Shondism poses in the Shibuya neighborhood of Tokyo. Photo courtesy AMI.The focus on Japanese street fashion is on how this trend has transcended national boundaries: A testament to the power of unique, creative and expressive style to transcend borders and connect a worldwide sisterhood (and brotherhood!) of likeminded, stylish souls.
The Lasting Influence of Japanese Street Fashion
Japanese street fashion has also bent the boundaries even further, fueling new trends along the way. These subcultures have not only brought uniqueness into characters and fashion aesthetic of animations, manga, fashion magazines or products, but have also inspired many Westerners to embrace individuality and expressivity. The future of Japanese street fashion is bright. The younger designers and enthusiasts have definitely inherited the mantle.
For dandyists and fashion chameleons, the subcultures are ripe cultural pickings, a well of history, creativity and togetherness. Keeping up with Japanese street fashion teaches us how clothes can be a medium that transcends cultural barriers, bringing people together across the globe.
Keep up to date on the latest trends and insights through interactive galleries and videos that take you into the heart of Japanese street fashion. From the latest news to vintage classics, we’re sure you’ll find something new in this ever-changing world.