Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know:

 Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know:

This year, Japanese street fashion has been featured in the international headlines quite a bit, but not necessarily for the best. The English-speaking internet has been joyful in calling Harajuku "dead"—from CNN and I-D Magazine to a widely shared Quartz story to several unsourced blog articles. 

Dismissing articles as "Fake News" has become cliche at this point, but stunning and disturbing headlines are what drive modern media and increase clickthrough rates. The more true slogan "Harajuku is Changing" does not perform as well in sales as "Harajuku is Dead!"

The "Harajuku is Dead" meme simply reflects the downfall of several 1990s Harajuku subcultures.

A number of well-known Harajuku subcultures that emerged in the mid to late 1990s, particularly the highly visible ones dubbed Japanese "kawaii" style by foreign media, seem to be officially going out of style. These particular fashions are becoming less common among children on the street. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, fashion companies and Harajuku shops that grew up around these now-extinct subcultures have begun disappearing.

Therefore, while it may be accurate to assert that genres like "Decora," "Visual Kei," "Gothic Lolita," or "Fairy Kei" are dwindling, the typical CNN or Vice reader would not understand what you were saying. When "Harajuku" is used in place of the name of a relatively obscure subculture, headline clicks skyrocket.

As we covered in our 2023 article, Harajuku faces real difficulties. Most writers choose to ignore these complex problems in favour of assuming that the dearth of teenage girls sporting vibrant hair accessories heralds the impending demise of Japanese street fashion in general.

The constant change is a fundamental aspect of both Japanese street fashion in general and Harajuku in particular. Rapid change characterises trends. New concepts are tested out and abandoned, frequently before they can ever be formally identified or recorded. 

One aspect that differentiates Japan from the rest of the world is the rapidity of fashion. Nobody here anticipates a trend to endure indefinitely. No matter how well-known and adored they may be, 1990s fashion subcultures cannot be expected to endure indefinitely.

Harajuku is a unique creative hub, not a particular style or appearance. Harajuku is the birthplace of many legendary fashion subcultures, but none of those movements define it. In Harajuku, people—many of them potential future creative leaders in Japan—come to experiment with fashion without feeling (for the most part) judged or discouraged. Instead, they feel encouraged to test out original aesthetic theories and concepts while receiving immediate feedback from their peers and complete strangers.

2. FRUiTS Magazine Ends Print Run, Breaks Hearts Around The World:

The majority of "Harajuku is Dead" pieces were inspired by the news that FRUiTS, the magazine that was largely responsible for popularising "Harajuku" outside of Japan, had stopped issuing its renowned print magazine earlier this year.

Shoichi Aoki, the creator of FRUiTS, has been introducing the world to the inventive and vibrant street fashion of Harajuku since 1996. Before the emergence of fashion blogs or social media, FRUiTS was a source of inspiration for a generation of important designers and creative leaders around the world. It was sold at Tower Records and other international bookshops.

Many people cried when Aoki revealed that FRUiTS had produced its final issue. FRUiTS had evolved into a cherished component of Harajuku culture, going beyond its original role as a record of the subculture. Many people, both inside and outside of the fashion industry, found it impossible to picture Harajuku without FRUiTS.
Like everyone else, we were devastated to learn that FRUiTS would no longer be published.

 However, the sad truth is that print periodicals are disappearing globally. FRUiTS never had a significant online presence, and even if they had, charging people to view images on a website is not a common business strategy in 2017. Everyone has free access to an infinite amount of daily real-time Harajuku street photos via social media.

Aoki claimed in multiple interviews given after the announcement that fewer children were available for him to photograph on the streets of Harajuku than in the past. This statement, which is typically rendered incorrectly as "There are no more cool kids in Harajuku," was used to support some of the first headlines that declared "Harajuku is Dead."

Further study of his interviews reveals that the late 1990s was Aoki's preferred time period for Harajuku style. We also adore the Harajuku street style of the 1990s, but that was then. The youth of Harajuku have changed along with the times. Aoki's interviews may have given a greater indication of the following: Some 1990s Harajuku Styles Are In Decline.

Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know:

Aoki himself is undoubtedly still interested in Harajuku. Several times per week, he is still out shooting street fashion. In the future, he intends to keep releasing FRUiTS picture books and working on further Harajuku-related initiatives. By abruptly releasing a brand-new issue of FRUiTS Magazine at the end of June, he even surprised the doubters.

Aoki is entirely true that there has been a significant change in Harajuku street fashion over the past 20 years. If it didn't change, it would actually cease to exist.

3. KERA Magazine Goes Online Only:
Since 1998, KERA Magazine, the definitive subculture reference for Harajuku, has also made known that its publication run would expire in the first quarter of 2017. KERA intends to remain as an online-only newspaper, in contrast to FRUiTS. However, the simultaneous demise of print for the most prestigious fashion journals in Harajuku shocked a lot of people.

FRUiTS published full-page street photos of the Harajuku scene that allowed the fashion speak for itself, with very little writing and almost no advertising.
KERA, in contrast, is a lifestyle publication and how-to manual with a distinct structure and readership. 

Each issue of KERA includes street photos as well as in-depth updates on the most recent subculture trends, beauty and fashion lessons, details on new products by important brands, and even music and manga news pertinent to the magazine's subcultures. Gothic & Lolita Bible, the world's ultimate guide to the Lolita fashion subculture, was another publication by KERA that was released on a regular basis but is now out of print.

By highlighting the most original and creative individuals in the street fashion scene, FRUiTS Magazine served as an inspiration to Harajuku youngsters.
To attain the ideal appearance of particular subcultures like Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita, Gothic, Rock Style, Visual Kei, or Decora, KERA provides thorough guidelines. KERA has a rotating cast of reader models (Dokusha) that are sourced straight from the Harajuku streets. These amateur fashion icons show off the greatest hair and makeup techniques as well as the ideal clothing brands to wear for each distinct Harajuku subculture.

In general, FRUiTS was more concerned with individualism, whereas KERA was more focused on well-established young subcultures. The most spectacular street fashion youngsters were frequently included in both magazines, which was not unusual. The two publications supported and promoted the Harajuku street fashion movement, complementing one another.

KERA Magazine is still operational; it has just switched to an online-only publication model. KERA intends to continue operating its KERA Shop e-commerce website and associated brick-and-mortar KERA Shop shops in addition to the new online newspaper.

It's too soon to say how these changes will affect the Harajuku scene because the new KERA website has just recently gone live. However, a lot of what KERA once provided for young people in Japan is now widely accessible on social media, particularly YouTube, where a large number of young Japanese fashionistas—some of whom are former or present KERA models—post regular makeup, hair, and clothing instructions.

It's not yet obvious what will replace the shock of losing two cherished print journals, which was understandably painful in the near term.

Matt Warshaw, a surf historian, was asked what impact the iconic Surfer publication's demise on surf culture would have after the publication had been published for fifty years. For those concerned about the fall of KERA and FRUiTS, his response may be instructive: "None at all, not at this time. Except to reiterate what has long been obvious—that the traditional print industry is no longer viable. Before the internet it made sense to have a monthly magazine. not anymore.

4. Cream Soda Harajuku Turns 50, Milk Harajuku is 47:
Once more, the most of the recent "Harajuku is dead" discussion has been directly tied to the fall of late 1990s fashion subcultures (and the magazines that document them). However, in the grand scheme of things, trends like decora and fairy kei, as well as publications like FRUiTS Magazine and KERA Magazine, are recent Harajuku past.

In 2017, the venerable Harajuku brand Cream Soda will mark its 50th anniversary. Masayuki Yamazaki founded Cream Soda in 1967. Although Yamazaki tragically departed suddenly in 2013, the 1950s rock and roll aesthetic and proto-punk outsider mentality of Cream Soda—as well as the company's renowned Pink Dragon boutique—remain unaltered.

The proto-Lolita fashion brand and now-iconic Harajuku cutesy store, Milk, was established in 1970 by Hitomi Okawa.

The history of contemporary Harajuku goes back more than 50 years. Numerous trends have come and gone during that time. Formerly renowned companies have shut down. Important designers and figures have passed away. Residential garages are no longer the ideal retail location in favour of shiny new structures. Magazines have experienced booms and declines. New generations of artistic Japanese children continue to be drawn to Harajuku year after year, maybe even as a result of all of these changes.

5. Fanatic Magazine — Harajuku Kids Step Up:

A group of young people from Harajuku have stepped up with their own print magazine in an effort to fill the hole left by FRUiTS and KERA giving up on print.
Four female students from Tokyo's renowned Bunka Fashion College created the new print periodical Fanatic Magazine. All of these young women are FRUiTS Magazine devotees, and like FRUiTS, they want Fanatic to promote and inspire original fashion on the streets of Harajuku and all around Japan.

Fanatic, which is currently just four times a year, lacks the polish of more established publications like FRUiTS and KERA. But the fact that these four young Japanese ladies have begun publishing their own magazine shows that the Japanese have a strong sense of love for their work.

6. Aiba Runa — 20-Year-Old Fashion Designer, Kawaii Room Decorator, and New Harajuku Icon:
Aiba Runa, a 20-year-old Japanese street fashion hero and brand creator, has seen a significant rise in popularity in recent months. In 2016 as part of an incubator programme at Vantan (the Tokyo fashion college she attended), she debuted her own line, RRR By Sugar Spot Factory. Runa has emerged as one of Harajuku's emerging stars thanks to her social media expertise (she has around 100,000 Instagram followers), entertaining personality, and business knowledge.

Colourful, Pop, Unique, and Kawaii are the four words Aiba Runa uses to describe her aesthetic. She like charming retro toys, retro style, and artwork from the 1960s to the 1990s. The current Harajuku cuteness queen Peco (and her brand Peco Club) prefers pastels, whereas Runa typically dons loose-fitting attire in a bright colour.

Her brand and aesthetic are similar enough to Peco's that they will resonate with many of the same Japanese pre-teen and teen females.

Aiba Runa first came to public prominence after she posted images of her cutesy room design on social media at the age of 16. The design of Runa's RRR By Sugar Spot Factory pop-up stores and the company's weekends-only Harajuku boutique is based on her personal cutesy adolescent girl bedroom style. The adorable interior design draws fashion-conscious young women who are doubly delighted about a perfect-for-Instagram shopping experience, in addition to the chance to see Aiba in person (she works at the store every weekend).

The fact that her followers have demonstrated a willingness to pay money for the goods she curates and makes puts Aiba Runa different from many of her social media counterparts who are equally successful. The RRR By Sugar Spot Factory pop-up shop at LaForet in August, which drew a queue of hundreds of ladies on opening day, sold more than 4,000,000JPY (US$40,000) worth of merchandise during its two-week run, according to Japanese media.

Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know:

Young female producers like Aiba Runa, who were born around the same time as FRUiTS Magazine and KERA were established, are keeping the Japanese kawaii aesthetic alive by reinterpreting it to appeal to their own generation. Some of the decades-old Harajuku kawaii subcultures may perish.

7. Coco Princess — 6-Year-Old Harajuku Street Style Star:
Although young people in the majority in Harajuku, Coco Hamamatsu, a 6-year-old who practically grew up in the district, is the youngest member of a rapidly growing cast of street fashion personalities.

Funktique Tokyo, a well-known vintage store in Harajuku, is owned by Coco's parents. The catastrophic 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami caused the family to abandon both their home and the original Funktique Fukushima store, which was previously located in Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture. When the family first arrived in Tokyo, Coco was just four months old. The Harajuku street fashion scene immediately embraced them.

Since 2012, Coco has been a weekend mainstay at Funktique Harajuku. As Coco developed over the past few years from a lovely newborn to a lively child with a strong personality, she started catching people's attention for her incredible street style. Coco had a head start because to her mother, who spent years dressing Harajuku children, her father, a vintage clothing dealer, and her access to the whole Funktique Tokyo inventory. But none of that matters as much as how she dresses and the adorably awkward poses she strikes whenever a camera is pointed in her direction.

Although the Harajuku streets have long been fans of Coco's feisty look, the international fashion community has just recently been aware of her.

She has recently been in Vogue, Nylon, had a Vice short documentary made on her, been in a Shiseido advertisement, and racked up over 150,000 Instagram followers.
Young Coco's interest in fashion is still simply a pastime, but as she gets older, her experiences moving to Tokyo and growing up in Harajuku are bound to offer her a distinct outlook on life. Future Harajuku personalities should keep an eye on Coco.

8. Colorful Vintage Girls, Showa Nostalgia & 1960s Revival — Kawaii Street Fashion Lives:

We constantly keep an eye out for the emergence of new fashion subcultures because we spend days, months, and even years on the streets of Harajuku. It might be challenging to distinguish between a basic trend and a possible new subculture, especially in the early phases. Even if a new fashion subculture does begin to develop, there is no assurance that it will attract enough followers or endure long enough to establish a reputation.

A kawaii style that is influenced by nostalgia for both Showa Era (1926-1989) fashion and late 1990s FRUiTS Magazine is one of the most promising possible new subcultures on the streets of Harajuku this year. 

The retro look, which as of now has no memorable name, is characterised by young Japanese women with adorable hairstyles wearing wildly colourful granny attire.

 The vibrant colours and patterns give its devotees a more brash appearance than previously fashionable pastel street styles. In Harajuku, girls have always dressed in vibrant vintage clothing, but the rapid rate of adoption of this new trend leads us to suspect that something bigger could be afoot.

These outfits were heavily influenced by 1960s and 1970s Japanese, British, and American fashion. A cute-but-sassy swagger evocative of 1950s pinups and Showa Era bad girls is frequently used to accentuate retro fashion. Many of these young, vibrant ladies also view the early FRUiTS Magazine era (late 1990s) as the pinnacle of Japanese street fashion and draw inspiration from its brazen mashup of fashion trends, materials, colours, and patterns. For maximum impact, individual pieces are purchased from vintage stores, frequently rebuilt (customised), and stacked (a repeating feature of Japanese street fashion).

Although this vibrant vintage look has not yet fully developed, we can already spot a number of distinct organisations (as well as ad hoc enthusiasts) emerging:
Fanatic Girls & Bunka Fashion College Students"

The Harajuku girls behind Fanatic Magazine are the most well-known group in Tokyo embracing this new colourful look. These young women are all students at Japan's esteemed Bunka Fashion College, therefore in comparison to many of the younger girls, their individual coordinates are more developed and experimental. In order to inspire other students at Tokyo fashion schools as well as influential workers at various Japanese vintage retailers to experiment with their own vibrant vintage styles, the Fanatic girls organise fashion-related events and hand out their magazine inside of well-known stores.

Osaka Colorful Vintage Girls:
On social media, several Osaka female groups are also experimenting with this vibrant new appearance. Their aesthetics seem to resemble Monaca more so than Fanatic. The Osaka girls have also been highlighted in HR, the Japanese print publication whose street photography helped Aiba Runa's career get off the ground.
Two Osaka females who love vintage fashion and are colourful on Twitter: Chan and Runa

The Fanatic Girls organise Harajuku street fashion parties at Tokyo venues in addition to releasing their magazine. The Monaca girls have a popular social media presence and have started their own YouTube channel. All of the different groups are frequently featured in Japanese street style publications, fashion blogs, and occasionally even on television.

1960s Fashion Comes Out Swinging:
With millions of devoted teen fans ("Peco Girls") on social media and a string of Peco Club collections that have all sold out, Peco is the most well-known Harajuku kawaii symbol in recent years. Peco is typically recognised for its purple and pastel-inspired 1980s and 1990s fashion and décor, but this time, she's going full-on 1960s. The new collection, "Welcome To The PECO CLUB 60's," is an homage to "Hairspray," John Waters' iconic, kitschy musical with a 1960s setting. The collection's promotional materials extol "Let's Swinging!"

Peco has demonstrated that she has a special ear for the fashions that matter most to the young women of Harajuku. We won't argue with her if she claims the swinging 60s are here!

Check out these two cool boutiques for other Japanese fashion from the 1960s:

9. Next Generation Harajuku Boys — Punk Influences, Japanese Designers & Gosha:
Both in Japan and overseas, when people think of Harajuku, they frequently picture Harajuku girls. Every Harajuku generation has a few popular lads, but girls have long dominated the scene.

But over the past few years, the streets have been overrun by hip Harajuku boys. Long-time residents of Harajuku frequently make observations on the relative abundance of trendy boys and girls on the streets.

Kids compete and get inspired by one another in the Japanese street fashion scene. When one individual builds and sports an outstanding appearance, other young people will want to top it by working harder and going further.

One widely accepted reason for why boys appear to be dominating Harajuku at the moment is that genderless kei has recently gained popularity.
Last year, Harajuku males completely stole the show from girls thanks to the growth of genderless kei. Even though Peco was the most well-liked Harajuku lady in 2016, Ryucheru, her more well-liked male genderless kei icon boyfriend, stole the show. Although the novelty of genderless kei waned in 2017, Harajuku boys continue to engage in a robust loop of motivating and testing one another.

There isn't a one standout look among the Harajuku boys class of 2017, yet there are some prevalent themes:

Sporty Ironic Retro Streetwear:
Is there a street fashion scene anywhere on the planet that Gosha Rubchinskiy (together with Demna Gvasalia and Lotta Volkova of Vetements) hasn't touched? Perhaps someplace, but not here. Along with the rest of the world, the Harajuku scene was shaken by Gosha's satirical athletic throwback collections. Menswear designs that combine Gosha's retro sports-nerd-hipster-punk influences with aspects of Japanese and Korean streetwear have been increasingly popular this year. These matches frequently feature logos and sentimental graphics, side-striped pants, neon accents, crossbody purses and waist bags, cropped sweatshirts, high-waisted and cropped pants, belts, belts and more belts, sunglasses, braces, tube socks and sneakers.

The top Japanese street fashion youngsters don't wear outfits that are "off the rack," but Gosha gets a lot of credit for this. Today's youth remix and reinterpret foreign trends with a Japanese touch, much like the best FRUiTs Magazine articles from the 1990s. Platform shoes take the place of vintage sneakers, and kimonos replace sporty jackets, while tube socks and belts use kanji instead of Gosha's cyrillic lettering. Several well-known Harajuku-based Korean streetwear companies, such as More Than Dope and ESC Studio, provide their own twists on ironic sportswear.

While there are many different sources of creative inspiration, many of the real items Japanese children use to create these looks come from Tokyo vintage and secondhand shops, such the immensely popular Kinji Harajuku.The fact that Gosha's nostalgic aesthetic is yet so new and so eerily familiar is one of its most appealing features. By sourcing used goods, you can ensure that each style is distinct while still conjuring recognisable motifs and that prices stay student-friendly.

Though Gosha's ideas unquestionably influence current trends in the Japanese street fashion scene, the influence is reciprocal. In actuality, Gosha had his big break from a Japanese fashion company.

Punk (Fashion) Is Not Dead:
Punk rock from the 1970s and 1980s, which featured studded leather jackets, patches and badges, safety pins, heavy black eye makeup, crust pants, denim, Dr Martens and bright hair colours, had a significant impact on the style of many young Harajuku guys. While some of the youngsters truly enjoy punk music, others merely thought Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux were stylish.

The wearer creates or remakes a large portion of the punk-inspired clothing. For those with a larger budget, the highly regarded Korean streetwear label 99%IS-, situated in Tokyo, has established itself as a favourite of today's punk-loving Harajuku guys. Rei Kawakubo and G Dragon have both backed 99%IS-designer Bajowoo, who is frequently seen hanging out with Harajuku youngsters at underground clubs. Even for punk youngsters who (understandably) cannot buy his pieces, many looks we see on the streets have the designer's sense of style.

The Mullet is Back, Big Time:
One of the most popular male hairstyles this year on the streets of Harajuku is short in the front and long in the back, often known as a "mullet," "hockey hair," or "scene hair." The ironic, throwback style is frequently spikey or shaved in the front, rarely black, frequently vividly coloured, and more akin to David Bowie's Aladdin Sane era than Wayne's World.

Yohji Yamamoto, Comme Des Garcons & Issey Miyake (Re)Surge:
Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo immediately spring to mind when Westerners think of Japanese fashion. Numerous other Japanese fashion designers are well-known around the world, but history has deemed this trio to be the kings of 1980s Japanese fashion. The fame of these iconic designers in the Tokyo street fashion scene has fluctuated throughout the years, surprising considering that their flagship stores are only a short stroll from Harajuku (perhaps due to expensive pricing or a view of the brands as "high fashion"). But over the past few years, Japanese streetwear leaders Comme Des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake have reclaimed their due positions.

Although all three designers are renowned for their ground-breaking, gender-neutral designs from the 1980s, we see more men than women wearing their clothing in today's street fashion scene. Yohji has the most established "streetwear" following because to his long-running Y-3 collection with Adidas. The most prestigious (but more difficult to wear) brand is Comme Des Garcons, which recently had a show at the MET in New York, worked with Supreme on multiple occasions, and has an ongoing relationship with Gosha. Issey Miyake may not have done anything specifically to entice fashion-conscious kids, save from a recent museum exhibition in Tokyo, but the company's tremendous tradition and history are evidently enough on their own to spark a comeback on the streets.

The list of male faces that have either appeared or gained popularity in 2023 is provided below if you'd like to keep an eye out for the latest Harajuku boys. Because some of these males have only recently emerged, their total number of followers on social media may not be very high, but their popularity and momentum are growing.

On social media, the following members of the 2023 Harajuku Boys cast have been identified: Nosuke, Ryunosuke, Nashu, Shota, Ayumu, Bunta, Manaya, Takuro, Kota, Ryuma, Yuuta, Cheney, Ryosuke, Room Boy Pony, Daiki, Yuya, Taro, and Shuhei.

10. Never Mind the XU, Faith Tokyo & Oh Pearl — Hot Harajuku Boutiques For Her:
A few stores in Harajuku gain enormous popularity each year. They draw sizable crowds, influence neighbourhood trends, and have their aesthetic imitated by many less expensive rivals. These businesses occasionally manage to maintain their dominance for a number of years (see Bubbles Harajuku), but more often than not, they lose steam rather fast (see Avantgarde Harajuku) when the subsequent wave of "it" stores rises.

Three stores that are particularly popular with the newest group of Harajuku girls have been chosen by us. Despite being on many people's "must visit" lists, they are by no means the most well-known stores in Harajuku; low cost trend businesses like Spinns and WEGO easily claim that title. Young, fashionable "Harajuku Girls" strive to appear to shop at these stores in 2023.

Check out Sarah, Beni, and Misa's social media pages to see what fashionable Harajuku high school girls look like.

Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know:

The Four-Eyed Shinjuku:
It would be difficult to find a better place to conceal an underground store than between two love motels in Tokyo's notoriously sleazy Kabukicho red-light area, where no one interested in edgy street fashion would ever think to look. Welcome to The Four-Eyed universe, where this strange setting for a trendy boutique sounds more like a manga scenario than actual reality.

The Four-Eyed, which Keisuke Fujita opened at the end of 2016, immediately gained attention from locals. That is partially due to Fujita's background as a seasoned photographer for storied street fashion publications FRUiTS and TUNE. In the Harajuku scene, Fujita literally knows everyone, from the high school students to the proprietors of shops, brands, and media outlets.

The Four-Eyed purposefully chose to be situated in a section of Shinjuku where inebriated hostesses and salarymen predominate over fashionistas. The baggage that comes with "Harajuku," "Koenji," "Shimokitazawa," or other similarly labelled fashion areas, was something Fujita was seeking to avoid. Although the shop is not far from the campuses of several prestigious Tokyo fashion schools, walk-in business is probably nonexistent. Additionally, Harajuku, Shibuya, Aoyama, and other shopping districts are only a quick (five to ten minute) train trip away.
Before the actual Tokyo select shop opened, Fujita spent several years developing the concept. 

As a long-time participant in and observer of Japanese street fashion, he thought that bringing up-and-coming young, undiscovered designers would inject the market with much-needed newness. Instead than waiting for someone else to implement the reforms he desired, Fujita entered the fray himself. His intention is to "make an impact" on Tokyo's street fashion scene, which is one of the project's main declared objectives.

If Haruno is reminiscent of the early years of the famed Dog Harajuku, Candy/Fake Tokyo is more comparable to The Four-Eyed, another well-known but less flashy Japanese store.

About 60% of The Four-Eyed's collection is made up of pieces from emerging international designers, and the remaining 40% is made up of carefully chosen vintage items. 

The majority of the menswear purchasing is handled by Fujita, and the womenswear selection is overseen by his business partner, the Japanese stylist Maiko Shibukawa.

The store specialises in edgy, little-known designers from throughout the world, including Japan. Among the brands that are currently carried are FANTHING by FancyHim (Tokyo), Y/Project (Paris), ALYX (New York), Charles Jeffrey (Scotland/London), Ottolinger (Switzerland), Mimi Wade (UK), A.V Robertson (UK), and PERVERZE (Japan).

To support emerging designers, The Four-Eyed occasionally hosts in-store pop-up shops and other special events. Fujita and Shibukawa produce ambitious original visuals for the fashion companies they carry as well as for the business using their backgrounds in photography and styling.

Melt Magazine — A Post-Kera Lolita Fashion & Harajuku Subculture Print Magazine Appears:
Melt Magazine is a new endeavour that aims to put back into print many of the Harajuku subcultures, fashion labels, and models that KERA once covered under the theme of "Gothic&Lolita & Kawaii".

The debut issue of Melt, which was published in July 2017, resembles a slightly simplified version of Gothic&Lolita Bible, a long-running sister publication of KERA. who shouldn't come as a huge surprise because the new project is reportedly being worked on by the same team who created the original Gothic&Lolita Bible. Melt is off to a flying start with Terada Ranze of Nogizaka46 on the cover and a number of well-known Harajuku models within.

Melt's debut issue features full-page advertisements by Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Angelic Pretty, and Bunka Fashion College, confirming the publication's close ties to the Japanese fashion world. featured are fashion brands ,include Victorian Maiden, Dangerous Nude, Stigmata, Drug Honey, Algonquins, Angelic Pretty, BTSSB, Alice and the Pirates, Metamorphose temps de fille, Triple Fortune, Atlier Boz, Innocent World, and Atlier Boz.

Melt (so far) has a strong focus on lolita and gothic clothes while KERA showcases a variety of Japanese fashion subcultures. The popular street style model Yura is featured in a single, five-page article titled "The Street Kid Forever" and is sporting clothing from the Harajuku trend stores Spinns and Kingly Mask. The majority of things are lolita or gothic aside from that. Two pages of street photography are also provided, however it's unclear if these are unplanned pictures found on the street or models the magazine specifically requested.

One of the Japanese designers involved in the project said that Melt would have a more global focus than KERA before the magazine was even introduced. The whole magazine is published in Japanese, despite the fact that this debut issue does cover worldwide lolita events and features an interview with RinRin Doll, a well-known lolita model and YouTuber from Tokyo. It's unclear at this point how serious the publishers are in reaching non-Japanese speakers because the advertising appears to be aimed at the local market as well.

The introduction of a new subculture-friendly print magazine in Harajuku has received positive feedback from the lolita community. At the same time, analogies between KERA and Gothic&Lolita Bible have been impossible to avoid. In the upcoming months, we look forward to tracking Melt's evolution,puts a particular emphasis on the magazine's ability to emerge from KERA's shadow and forge its own identity.

These are just a handful of the numerous factors influencing the Japanese street fashion scene in recent months.

As the new generation arrived, older Harajuku kids bid farewell. New magazines developed to replace beloved street style publications that vanished (or went digital). As 1990s subcultures vanished, new fashion subcultures and trends emerged. Future-looking street style influencers, fashion designers, and stores envisioned themselves in the spotlight.

Japanese Street Fashion 2023 Things You Need To Know: