American fashion trends come from all over the world. Yet, have we ever imagined that we would get inspiration from such a far-fetched, lifestyle? I have examined the mystery of Japan and the way their fashion focused teens dress themselves during random play.

Harajuku is derived from Harajuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. Wikipedia.com states that the area known as “Ura-Hara”, which is the back streets of Harajuku, is the main stage for Japanese fashion for the younger people. Takeshita Street, the symbol of Harajuku, is sugar coated by many trendy shops, fashion boutiques, thrift stores, and fast food outlets aimed towards the fashion conscious teens. The look of Harajuku was popularized by Japanese animated characters, by focusing on the colors and creativity of the television shows.

This craze started back in the 1980s when many street performers and wildly dressed teenagers would get together on Sundays when the street was closed to traffic. The most extreme time today is also on Sunday when the teens engage in costume play. Many people believe the young adults go crazy because they have to wear school uniforms during the week. Their look is about fashion stimulation and an expression of freedom.

Even though this trend has existed for years, it is just now starting to have a big impact on America. Gwen Stefani, singer, fashionista and owner of L.A.M.B clothing line, decided to sprinkle her solo debut with images of four young Japanese ladies, who stood for Love, Angel, Music, Baby, who were also Stefani’s back up posse as they toured with her. She paraded them around calling them her Harajuku Lover Girls. They were the center piece for her new album, which was basically a dedication to Japanese pop culture and an inspiration for her clothing line. Because of Stefani, most people perceive Harajuku as a cute fashion trend with tutu skirts and bright neon colors. However, what we see here in America is not even close to the actual style of the Harajuku teenagers. If you are curious as to what exactly these teenagers look like when they dress, check out www.japan-guide.com or Japanese Fruits Magazine.

Another popular trend has been sent to us straight from Hong Kong or H.K. as you may also see it. H.K. is more of a pattern color clash than in the Harajuku sense. They put multiple clothing hues and shapes together that have absolutely nothing to do with one another. You could probably compare this to Marc Jacobs, circa 1993 or anything in the 1980s. H.K. natives’ style is a mixture of clashing colors, skinny jeans, and lots of Converse. Two years ago, no one was wearing skinny jeans in America, and now you cannot walk down the street without seeing at least on pair. American fashion has also adapted to leggings, which was also a staple in Hong Kong fashion over three years ago.

I find it important to know where certain ideas and trends trickle down from. Here in America, we are often ignorant to the fashion outside of the United States. In Japan, they live and breathe individuality and attitude. Their young teenagers are not afraid to express themselves. They know the world looks up to them for the next big trend. They understand that they are leaders, not followers, in the fashion world.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.