Add Your Heading Text Here
Japanese fashion is unique in the world. Japan’s “kawaii” culture is so ingrained in many women that people outside of Japan tend to think of them as a bit “juvenile. However, we have compiled a list of unique yet interesting fashions that have been created and established by many Japanese women, so please enjoy looking at them!
Add Your Heading Text Here
L①Gothic Lolita
This is one of the unique Japanese fashions that has become a worldwide phenomenon. Its official name is “Gothic & Lolita. This style is a fusion of “Gothic” fashion, with its decadent motifs and dark images such as black, and “Lolita” fashion, with its girlish image.
The spirit of Lolita was inherited by the Visual Kei bands that were popular in the 1990s, and about 15 years ago, the style became popular again with more princess elements added.
②Ryousan（mass-producted）
The term “mass-produced” refers to the mass production of items of the same mold or design. When it comes to fashion terminology, it implies that the latest fashions are being coordinated with the latest trends.
Originally, the term came to be used as a fashion style, meaning that fashion-conscious women check fashion magazines and SNS and reflect the current trends in their fashion, resulting in fashions that are similar to those of the people around them.
The fashion style tends to incorporate soft tastes, and many people prefer feminine and so-called “womanly” clothing. They are bright, girly, and above all, trendy.
This fashion style, called “jimanekei,” is famous among young Japanese women at the moment. The term “Ji-mine” was meant to refer to menswear women.
Therefore, the fashion style is based on a black-and-white, monotone, gothic style, but sometimes pink or brown clothes are used. Makeup for the “mine” style is based on large, droopy eyes and tear troughs, creating an atmosphere of juvenility, cuteness, and decadence. They also wear mainly short dresses and skirts, sometimes combined with a slightly larger hoodie for casual wear.
Vintage clothing is a fashion style that creates retro and vintage coordinates with secondhand clothing.
In Japan, vintage clothing is very fashionable now. My hometown “Shimokitazawa” is also famous for its vintage clothing street, so many young people come here to buy clothes.
Among the most popular fashion styles are patterned shirts, long T-shirts, and hoodies. It is a fashion style that changes a little depending on the person who wears it, since it is vintage clothing and how you can make fashionable combinations by yourself.
The fashion style of those who love subcultures that are passionately supported by some core people is called subculture. They are characterized by not being influenced by trends and dressing in the fashions they like. For example, they wear unique patterned tights when wearing mini-skirts, often not showing their raw legs, layering vintage fashion, and incorporating accessories such as date glasses and badges into their coordinates to create a fashion style that is a little different from others.
Y2K is an abbreviation of “Year 2000″ and originally meant the year 2000. Today, the meaning has been broadened and the term has come to refer to the overall fashion culture that was popular roughly from the late 1990s to the 2000s. The fashion of the time was characterized by miniskirts, thick-soled boots, low-rise denim, showing the belly, etc., so-called “gyaru fashion.
The Y2K fashion boom was triggered by high brands releasing 2000s fashion items in their collections. Furthermore, K-POP idols such as BLACKPINK and Newjeans wore Y2K-inspired coordinated outfits in their music videos/PVs and on stage, and Y2K fashion became popular among Generation Z (the generation born in the mid-1990s to early 2010s) in Korea and China. From this point on, the popularity of #Y2K quickly ignited, and it is now enjoying a revival as #Y2K spreads through SNS in China, Korea, and Japan.
In gal fashion, many items show skin, such as low-rise denim, cropped tops, mini-skirts, and shorts, while boots or voluminous sneakers are brought to the feet to give the coordinated look more body. They also prefer neon, pop colors and items made of lame material to express energy and brightness.
How was it? I think some of you may have been surprised or shocked by the fact that Japanese fashion is so different from that of Europe, where I studied abroad.
Also, I think some of you may have wondered about the meanings of fashion styles, as they have slightly strange meanings.
However, all fashion styles are attractive to me as a Japanese, so I have introduced them here. I hope you enjoy them!
