UK-JAPAN.net | Fashion Fusion

The idea here in the UK is that anything Japanese is just instantly cool, even the Kawaii clothes. But what puts everyday Japanese fashion on the forefront of the modern day market, is that the Japanese are so willing to experiment with unconventional styles. Japanese fashion has been warmly embraced by young women in the UK, and most commonly by university students. 'The Japanese style is trashy and fabulous, trendy and funky', says art student Heather Simmons.

The influence is even easier to find for British women. Shops like MUJI and UNIQLO are very popular in the UK, and plenty of stylish Japanese people can be found food shopping at the JAPAN CENTRE, which is a small three-floored building, consisting of a supermarket, restaurant, book shop, internet cafe, and a travel agency, in the heart of London, Piccadilly Circus. In addition to clothes' shops and shopping centres, the Japanese magazine, FRUiTS, is a firm favourite amongst westerners, and can even be viewed online.

Evana Achato, 24, is a personal stylist for GAP, in Covent Garden, London. 'I think the Japanese style is great! The Japanese tend to wear over-sized clothes, which is something I like, and definitely Japanese people and clothes influence me'. Evana's own style consisted of lots of layers, leggings, and a belt at the waist, which is a fusioned Japanese way of dressing.

Within the fashion world, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo (the creator of COMME des GARCONS) are said to have changed the society of Tokyo and Japan, by helping diversify people (women in particular) and releasing them from the spider web of conformity. For around twenty years COMME des GARCONS have hosted fashion shows twice a year exhibiting clothes and concepts that are new and intriguing. This serves as inspiration to consumers and fashion stylists worldwide. Yohji Yamamoto's shop and Rei Kawakubo's 'Dover Street Market' in London are very famous and are frequently visited by Europeans.

It is no surprise clothes' shops like MANGO, H&M, and TOPSHOP, all model a small section for Japanese style tops and skirts. However, countries like the UK and France are trendsetters, and pride themselves on being at the top of the fashion world list. The UK has quietly embraced the Japanese style but has merged it into a European way of dressing. A Japanese style top goes well with normal western jeans, and so the Japanese influence has a subtle but constant presence in Europe. In turn, magazines such as 'Numero' and 'i-D' and brands H&M, TOPSHOP and CHLOE (French Brand), are very popular for Japanese people.

For British women, shopping is freer flowing and easier compared to Japanese women. A typical Japanese woman would have prepared before going shopping, by using a fashion magazine or by watching the television. There are around fifty times more clothes' shops in Japan compared to Britain. Most of the clothes' shops are small, and there are not many large-sized shops like TOPSHOP, so for a Japanese woman it is imperative to have preliminary knowledge beforehand.

Hiroyuki Kubo, 29, a fashion stylist from Japan, had being living in London for two years. 'Even though it is a minority, it is delightful that British women are influenced by the everyday Japanese style'. It would appear that Girly FASHION (an imitation of celebrity fashion) is now the most popular, which is being highly represented by CHLOE. Like other fashion experts, Hiroyuki believes it is a great shame that a lot of fashion brands and magazines are an imitation of celebrity FASHION. 'Although fashion in Japan is of a high level, it is unfortunate to see that our fashion stems mainly from magazines, and in particular from celebrity magazines'. Hiroyuki tries to break away from this trend by inventing simple and edgy conceptual styles.

Another fashion boom influenced from Japan is the wearing of a randoseru. A randoseru is a school bag usually used only by Japanese elementary school children. Although it is rare to see a westerner wearing a randoseru, it is nevertheless considered to be cute and fashionable for women in Europe. In Japan it appears that wearing western style school bags are fashionable for city children these days. 'The city children in Japan adore western school bags, as they think it makes them look cool. But in the suburbs and countryside it is very common for children to still wear a randoseru', says international English student Mia Nakagawa.

The future for dynamic fashion lies within the fusion and collaboration of experienced and/or amateur stylists from different cultures. In the UK, students from Japan and across Europe are coming together to learn and experiment with each other. A well-known partnership is the Anglo-Japanese label 'Eley Kishimoto', established in 1992 by Welshman Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto of Japan. Based in South London, together they have over 100 stores worldwide, including around 40 in Japan.

Other brands such as 'Hall Ohara' (Steven Hall and Yurika Ohara), and 'rubecksen yamanaka' (Hiide Rubecksen of Norway, and Tomoko Yamanaka), have high profiles within the fashion scene. The fascinating mix of cultures and concepts merging together in fashion creates fresh, original and exciting clothes. In today's fashion market it is common for many companies in Europe to have, and work with Japanese-English designers. Many stylists are optimistic about the future for fashion trends as more and more collaborations are occurring, and perhaps stylists from the UK, Europe, and Japan will one day merge together with developing countries (like those in Africa and the Middle East) to create a truly new style, never seen before.

Links:

http://www.doverstreetmarket.com/ Dover Street Market (Rei Kawakubo)

http://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/ Yohji Yamamoto

http://www.street-mg.com/xnew/e/index.html FRUiTS online magazine

http://www.thefashionspot.com/ Fashion Industry Forums

http://www.chloe.com/version_en/home/index.html Chloe

http://www.topshop.co.uk TOPSHOP web shop

http://www.eleykishimoto.com/ Eley Kishimoto

http://www.yshtokyo.co.uk/clothing/hall_ohara-e.html Hall Ohara

http://www.rubecksenyamanaka.com/ rubecksen yamanaka