Harajuku fashion originated in Harajuku, Tokyo, and Japan, becoming prominent in the 1980s and 1990s as a youth-driven street fashion movement. The area around Takeshita Street and Omotesando became a booming area for youth who wanted to break away from traditional Japanese fashion norms and express their individuality through bold, creative outfits. While it’s often associated with teenagers, there are no age limits; it’s purely about personal expression.
The style is heavily influenced by both Western fashion trends and Japanese aesthetics, leading to the creation of unique subcultures. Many of these styles incorporate elements like bright colors, layered clothing, oversized accessories, and DIY fashion, allowing wearers to experiment freely. Over the years, the movement gained international recognition, inspiring designers, artists, and pop culture worldwide. Although the scene has evolved and changed, Harajuku remains a symbol of Japanese street fashion and creative self-expression
Lolita
Emerging as a subculture inspired by Victorian and Rococo fashion, Lolita fashion gained popularity through Japanese street fashion, magazines, and brands. Although it is no longer mainstream in Japan as in the early 2000s, dedicated brands keep the movement alive with global communities continuously embracing the style.
This style is known for its elegant, doll-like outfits with petticoats, lace, and bonnets, emphasizing modesty and femininity through bell-shaped skirts or dresses held up by petticoats. In the early days of Lolita fashion, there were three main genres: sweet, gothic, and classic Lolita. These foundational styles led to many later subgenres and variations within the Lolita fashion movement. Each holds its unique aesthetic, whether bright and playful, dark and elegant, ordetailed.
Depending on the subculture of Lolita fashion, the hair and makeup vary. Hair is often styled in curls with bangs or fringes to create a youthful vibe. Sweet Lolitas aim for a more loose and playful curl, while Gothic Lolitas prefer more structured and defined curls. Wigs are often used to achieve a perfect and voluminous look with plentiful amounts of hair accessories to complete the look. However, there isn’t a set makeup style for Lolita fashion, since some prefer natural and soft looks, while others prefer dark and bold makeup.
Decora
Decora fashion is a colorful, playful, and eccentric style that emerged from Harajuku’s fashion scene. This style was heavily influenced by the Kawaii culture of Japan, but taken to an extreme and creative level. The word “Decora” comes from the idea of decoration, where fashion is all about accessorizing – often to the point of excess. “More is more” is typically the mentality of those in the Decora community. Their rebellious attitude towards conventional fashion standards is expressed in a exaggerated manner.
The key elements of Decora fashion includes bright colors, layered accessories, bold patterns and prints, and oversized/layered items. Those part of this community often wear multiple layers of shirts; for example, a long-sleeve shirt under a short-sleeve or a brightly colored tank top over patterned sweaters. Every article of clothing follows the same layered concepts with colorful accents added on top of one another. The goal is to create an over-the-top look that emphasizes individuality and inner creativity.
Hair is often styled in cute, yet messy ways with heavy usage of fun hair clips, bobby pins, and colorful wigs worn in ponytails, pigtails, or buns. The makeup is intended to be fun, exaggerated, and vibrant, enhancing the eye size to create a doll-like look. It is intended to be vibrant, yet light-hearted while focusing on the playfulness and creativity of the overall style.
Gyaru/Gyaruo
Gyaru is a fashion movement heavily influenced by Western fashion, pop culture, and beauty standards with bold and glamorous styles. The word “gyaru” comes from the English word “gal,” which is used to describe young women who embrace this fashion style. Gyaruo, on the other hand, is the male counterpart that is an extension of the Gyaru aesthetic adapted to a more masculine look. The fashion style was inspired by the desire to break away from traditional Japanese beauty standards or modest and reserved dress codes, particularly for women.
There are several different subgenres when it comes to Gyaru styles. Kogal is one of the widely recognizable substyles, which centers around a schoolgirl aesthetic. Blazers or cardigans are paired with button-down shirts with loose socks and plaid skirts as signature elements. Contrastingly, Hime Gyaru takes inspiration from royalty and princesses, resulting in a style with fancy dresses, frilly skirts, corsets, and big bows. Mamba is one of the more extreme and bold substyles, known for its loud colors and heavy makeup with animal-printed, layered outfits. These are just a few of the different substyles, as each offers different takes on the core themes of glamour and rebellion.
Depending on the specific subgenre of Gyaru fashion, the makeup varies differently. For example, those who partake in the Kogal or Mamba have bold, extreme, and dramatic makeup that is typically characterized by tanned skin and a main focus on the eye. Contrastingly, Hime Gyaru has a softer approach,still focusing on the eye makeup, but subdued in order to create a fairytale complexion. Similar to makeup, the hair also differs widely in Gyaru fashion; it can range from almost any color to any style.
Mori Kei/Dark Mori
Mori Kei translates to “forest style” in Japanese. The style takes a more romantic, bohemian, and natural look, often resembling the image of a woodland fairy. It was born out of the desire to create fashion that was less influenced by urban and modern fashion trends, acting as a response to contemporary looks. Mori Kei is meant to retain a sense of simplicity and comfort with its earthy elements. Dark Mori, also known as Gothic Moria, is the darker variation of Mori Kei that incorporates more gothic elements. Stories about spirits and the dark woods are a heavy inspiration for this fashion style.
Loose and flowy clothing with earthy tones is very popular when it comes to Mori Kei fashion. Oversized layers, like cardigans, shawls, and scarf-like accessories are often worn to create a comfy look with nature-inspired accessories. For Dark Mori, darker color palettes are used and the style avoids the typical light, airy colors of Mori Kei. Instead of the heavy usage of cotton and wool, Dark Mori involves lace, velvet, and leather.
For Mori Kei, hair is normally kept in natural and loose waves with minimal makeup to emphasize natural beauty. Dark Mori makeup involves a pale foundation to create a contrast with the dark colors of the clothes and dark makeup, like eyeliner and lipstick. To create a more mysterious and elegant vibe, the overall makeup focuses on creating an ethereal, bold look.
Visual Kei
Visual Kei fashion is a style that originates from the Japanese rock music scene that is typically defined by its theatrical, androgynous, and old aesthetic. The overall fashion style takes elements from many different styles, such as gothic, punk, and Victorian.
Musicians and fans alike frequently adopt androgynous looks, wearing tight pants, skirts, or corsets for unconventional silhouettes. The goal is to challenge traditional gender norms by incorporating both masculine and feminine elements into one cohesive look. The clothing is layered and includes a mix of contrasting fabrics, textures, and colors with unconventional accessories. However, there are many substyles, each with its own set of looks, such as Classical Visual Kei, Punk Visual Kei, Glam Visual Kei, and Dark Visual Kei.
Hair and makeup are just as important to complete the Visual Kei look as the clothes. Bold and dramatic makeup with thick eyeliner, dark eyeshadow, heavy contouring, bold lip colors, and arched brows are essential parts of the style. Hair being dyed in shades of black, red, blond, purple, pink, and blue is the standard. They are typically styled in unnaturally big, spiky, layered hairstyles embedded with different hair accessories.
In the end, the world of fashion is as limitless as the creativity of those who shape it. From countless unique styles to the hundreds of interpretations in between, each fashion choice is a piece of personal art, telling a story and showcasing individual expression. As Isabelle Phung (10) shares, “Fashion is more than just clothing. It truly is a living, breathing art form that reflects who we are, what we feel, and what we believe in.” Ultimately, one should be true to him/herself and dress in a way that allows true, inner happiness.
