Fused - Archive - Fresh Fruits

Gwen Stefani's recent status as a formidable pop starlet has undeniably been hugely aided by her unorthodox image. Despite the fact that her album is actually quite pleasant, her look is significantly more entertaining. Her attention-grabbing attire and the bizarre entourage that she features in every video and performance have established the Stefani product, and the eccentric approach to fashion she takes has helped mould her music. According to the singer, her individual style supposedly heralds from the Tokyo streets, specifically the Harajuku district of the city. Indeed, throughout her album she repeatedly references the 'Harajuku girls’, from whom she claims to draw inspiration. Honouring them with a ditty on her L.P., Stefani evidently perceives them as unparalleled style champions in the fast-paced world of street fashion.

However, her relish for 'Harajuku' style is somewhat overdue. 'FRUiTS', a subculture magazine in Japan, has been publishing images of Tokyo street style (principally from Harajuku), for just under a decade. Following on from the overwhelming success of the original 'Fruits' collection, Phaidon have just released the second compilation volume of the most outstanding and jaw-dropping images from their library, entitled ‘FRESH FRUiTS’.

Harajuku is an area of Tokyo where the younger generation flood the streets adorned in the most outrageous, unconventional and flamboyant getups. Drawing inspiration from both Eastern and Western designers, they attempt to fuse oriental and Western culture with their own individual style, creating a unique and personal look that challenges classic dress codes and relishes in anything distinct or quirky.

The beautiful thing about Harajuku style is the volume of different inspirations from which the ‘fruits’ image is created, meaning that there exists a massive number of contrasting styles to absorb when considering the ‘fruits’. Although all the Harajuku kids possess a similar group mentality in their anti-establishment approach to clothing, the individual subsets embraced by the ‘fruits’ slogan are often wholly in conflict with one another in terms of style.

I’ve heard people discussing Japanese street style in the past and commenting that the Harajuku fashionista ‘just throw anything on to look different’. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In almost all the images in ‘Fresh Fruits’, there is a significant amount of thought channelled into their attire.

Firstly, it is usually paramount for the ‘fruits’ to have allegiance to one of the strands of the Harajuku dress code before adding their own individual twist to a certain look. These are especially varied and incorporate several distinct elements, ranging from the darker rudiments of punk and goth, to the charismatic and upbeat colours characterized by cyber and manga imagery. There are several looks unique to the ‘fruits’ style but evidently customized from existing imagery.

The most obvious is the Elegant Gothic Lolita movement. This is perhaps the darkest and most sinister presentation of the ‘fruits’. The EGL’s adorn themselves in the most gothic garb imaginable, including bonnets, lace gloves and heavily lace-trimmed skirts and cardigans. Teetering on up to ten-inch, super-elevated black platforms, the look is often completed by some brooding makeup – heavy eyeliner and purple lips create a formidable and ominous image. Conversely, some attempt to lift their persona to a more childish level by making their faces as white as possible, save for deep, red, blusher and rouge lipstick. Hair is kept neat and tidy, usually in a shoulder-length bob or sometimes in clipped Victorian curls to complete the prim and proper look. The EGL’s accessorize carefully, picking handbags and clutches that will complement their image. Black Vivienne Westwood, Emily Temple or Jane Marple bags and jewellery are usually favoured, in a formal, sensible style to mirror the rest of the outfit (often purchased from EGL favourite Milk). The overall impression is somewhat surreal when this approach has been taken – the finished EGL looks akin to a living Victorian doll. Creep shit.

Working hand-in-hand with this darker subset of Harajuku style are the Japanese punks – inspired by the 70’s movement that savaged London several decades ago. A vision of badges, rips, and leather, these new age oriental rebels are packing serious attitude. In contrast to the delicate elegance of the EGL’s hairstyles, they magnify punk to an extreme level, growing enormous Mohicans dyed vibrant, in-your-face colours, ranging from electric blue to flaming auburn. Dog collars, spiky black cuffs and homemade patches are applied as accessories, along with several chunky, black, studded belts. For most of their garments, they favour non-uniform designers like Sex Pot Revenge. However, Westwood’s bondage trousers and parachute shirt designs are staple pieces in many a Harajuku wardrobe. For the girl-punks, ripped tartan or black skirts are teamed with stripy Marylyn Manson-inspired tights. Chunky Doc Martins are the preferred footwear for both sexes, and with regards to body-adornment, Harajuku punks rarely shirk from multiple facial piercings to amplify that coveted rebellious persona. Despite being closer to the EGL’s than any other Harajuku fashion, they don’t possess any of the dainty chic of the aforementioned group.

Cosplay (costume play) and Decora (one who is decorated) are two styles from the opposite end of the ‘fruits’ fashion spectrum. Furiously colourful, these Harajuku kids are awash in gloriously bright neon. Those choosing the Cosplay style dress up as their favourite cartoon or computer game character, usually donning furry boots, bizarre looking skirts and crazy, out of control spiked hair complete with cyber hairclips and bobbles. The look is principally unisex and the general consensus is the brighter the better. A childish element is once again employed to give the image character. Power Rangers T-shirts, Teletubbies bum-bags and Pokemon rucksacks are all perfect accessories for the Cosplayers, although these can also be used for the Decora style, which is similar in many ways. Think mid-nineties ’Crasha cyber-kid raver and you’re halfway there. They’re the most outrageously flamboyant collection Harajuku have to offer. Head to toe in fluorescent brilliance, they prefer vivacious labels like Cyberdog, Super Lovers and Hysteric Glamour. Accessorising heavily, the Decora followers add plastic jewellery and toys to their outfits to create noise when they move. This is certainly an interesting concept, despite sounding fiendishly irritating.

Although the diffusion lines of Harajuku style all seem excessively abnormal, they are merely a reaction to the ultra-strict upbringings many of these colourful characters have had in their youth. Dressing up has always been used as a response to establishment conventions and rules – what better way to express discontent than through something as openly accessible as image? Despite falling into separate categories, ‘fruits’ style is still powerfully individual, with each Harajuku kid projecting their own personality into their getup by customising their look in a particular way.

In our current climate of ‘chav-chic’, bowing out to consumer power houses like Nike has become commonplace for the majority of the nation. Fewer people today think about what they wear and are happy to dress in anything without considering the label they are actually endorsing. ‘Fresh Fruits’ is like fashion medicine, a breath of fresh air for a country burdened by stagnant, lifeless street style. No two pictures are the same and the publication oozes fun and attitude. I find myself wishing we had our own Harajuku. But I have a feeling the streets of England aren’t ready for the Elegant Gothic Lolita invasion just yet.

Fresh Fruits is published by Phaidon and is out now.
Alistair McCallum