FRUiTS is a monthly magazine published by photographer Shoichi Aoki in Japan. It started in 1997 after Aoki noticed a new trend in fashion among young people in Harajuku. Instead of a fashion trend that was dictated by designers, this was a trend started by the young people themselves.

Young people would mix traditional Japanese clothing such as kimonos or geta sandals, with Western or local Japanese designs, even with punk clothing. These people were not brand obsessed like most Japanese people are known to be. They developed a “Harajuku Free Style” fashion trend which Aoki wanted to document in FRUiTS.

Since the trend began in the mid-nineties, the street style has expanded to cover many sub-genres, like punk, Decorer, Gothic Lolita or just kawaii.

The trend has died down in recent years – probably due to the fact that Omotesando (the main street in Harajuku) isn’t closed to cars on Sundays anymore, so the FRUiTS kids no longer have anywhere to hang out. Aoki still manages to publish a magazine each month though, especially since the magazine has achieved cult status in both Japan and overseas.

FRUiTS is a great look into the minds and fashions of Harajuku youth and is available by subscription, or in two volumes of books from Phaidon Press.

Links:
The official website
Buy the first FRUiTS book from Amazon and support 3yen.com!
Buy the second FRUiTS book from Amazon and support 3yen.com!

And if you visit their VERY HEAVY flash website (and you’re a UK resident), you could even win a trip to Tokyo.

On the very heavy flash site, you can also read a manga drawn by a 16 years old intern which explains you why “Japan is so coooool”, tells you all about manga, and concludes with “It’s his hair that really gives the manga hero its style”, enticing you to try it for yourself with the news Garnier Manga gel. All that with a midi faux-Japanese music in the background of course (you can turn it off, but I suggest you keep it loud so that it really feels like Shibuya). I just closed the window when I couldn’t take it anymore and my computer was getting all slow just because of that flash movie…

Cosplay (コスプレ) is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime and video games, and, less commonly, live action television shows, movies or Japanese pop music bands.

The term cosplay (pronounced kosupure in Japanese) is a contraction combining the words “costume” and “play” which accurately describes the hobby of having fun by dressing up as one’s favorite characters. Besides dressing up for public events such as anime conventions, it is not unusual for teens in Japan to gather with like-minded friends just to do cosplay. Since 1998 in Tokyo Akihabara district there is a large number of cosplay cafes, catering to otaku – anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses there dress as game or anime characters. Maid costumes are particularly popular.

Cosplay has spread across the world in recent years, joining with costuming at science fiction conventions in North America and Europe. The main difference between cosplay and costuming in the United States and Europe is that in Japan people typically dress up as characters from Japanese animated films (anime), Japanese comics (manga), or Japanese video games, as compared to dressing up as Star Trek characters or in Renaissance-era costumes. The other difference is that most costuming in the United States and Europe is centered on particular events such as conventions or festivals.

One such small niche of this field are dollers, the term for an amateur kigurumi player. These cosplayer wear masks to fully transform into their characters.

Cosplayers are often called “layers” and the otaku who photograph the layers are called cameko, short for “Camera Kozo” or “Camera Boy”. The cameko give prints of their photos to the layers as gifts.

In North American otaku culture, cosplayers at conventions often find themselves on the receiving ends of glomps, a type of high-powered hug.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Gothic Lolita or “GothLoli” (ゴスロリ, gosurori) is a fashion particularly popular among Japanese teenagers and young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style girl’s clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls.

Variations of the Gothic Lolita look include “Classic Lolita” (more traditional clothing) and “Elegant Gothic Lolita” (EGL, which is heavily influenced by gothic fashion). The male analog to this fashion is “Elegant Gothic Aristocrat” (EGA) which shares EGL’s emphasis on the Victorian era, though not on children’s clothing. Gothic Lolita is also influenced by the imagery of more feminine Visual Kei (or “visual rock”) bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of pop music where the musical style may vary but defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes.

Mana, the crossdressing former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer, is widely credited for popularizing the Gothic Lolita movement. In 1999, he founded his own fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié, for which he coined the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. Mana, a male, regularly appears in the Gothic & Lolita Bible, modelling his own Victorian-inspired designs with heavy gothic makeup and big hair. After the breakup of Malice Mizer, Mana founded his solo project, Moi Dix Mois.

The style

Typically voluminous with ribbons, lace trims and frilly knee-length skirts. Usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace, is worn. Skirts often have a concealed crinoline. In the past, some dresses were adorned by an “Alice in Wonderland”-style apron, but this is no longer common. Skirts are usually worn with knee-high stockings. Black fishnet stockings (often with intentional holes) and white or black tights are also common. Clunky shoes, typically boots or Mary-Janes, complete the look.

Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular especially with “EGL” types. Typically black or white is worn but grey, red, blue and pastels are occasionally accenting colors. Designs are modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves. A flat chest is preferred. Cleavage and breasts are de-emphasized to preserve a child-like look. Sometimes blouses have “Peter Pan” collars and sleeves.

Headpieces often complement the outfit. Mostly black or white, headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows. Sometimes even bonnets or askew top hats (also seen in EGA) are worn. Hair may be curled to complete the porcelain doll look. The naturally dark Japanese hair color is often lightened but rarely to blonde.

Makeup is used sparingly and is seen more often with EGL styles than with other GothLoli styles. Black eyeliner is typical. A pale complexion is preferred, so white foundation might be used. Red or black lipstick is seen but lighter makeup is the rule.

Gothic Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes, handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes. Parasols are also common as are lace gloves.

Typically, this is not everyday clothing for adherents. Worn primarily in public for concerts and on weekends, the style is mostly for show and not a practical fashion.

“Lolita”

Although “Lolita” is apparently a reference to Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel, and GothLoli is often worn by teens, most followers of the style do not consider it overtly sexual. Adherents present themselves as Victorian children or baby dolls and prefer to look “cute” rather than “sexy”.

Goth Loli Culture

In Japan it is mass-marketed and has wide visibility particulary in the street in Tokyo, on television, in manga and computer games. Outside of Japan it is still a fringe fashion although it has slowly begun to spread to Europe and the United States. Gothic Lolita, along with Cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can be seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan and probably never will be. However, there are plenty of dedicated fans filling the gap. Gothic Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which also deal in anime and manga. Adherents in Europe and the United States often sew their own homemade Gothic Lolita outfits, sometimes offering them for sale to make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan.

(Source: Wikipedia)