Everything you want to know about postmodernity and contemporary culture from the students of CMC 300 at Rollins College
Thursday, November 5, 2020
Response to UR's Pre-class Blog 11/5
I was unable to attach this photo in my comment on UR's post, so I thought I'd share it here. Here are the two fast fashion brands that came up when I searched Japanese Lolita fashion:
I'm glad you brought this up, because one of the reasons Lolita and other styles like it are dying out in Japan is because of fast fashion. Brands like H&M and Uniqlo have taken a foothold in Japan, and handmade styles aren’t viable anymore to young Japanese fashionistas. It is more affordable than ever to dress like a Lolita, but due to that, Lolita is now just a box to check in the search bar of a store’s website, rather than something you must actively seek out.
When I went to Japan about four years ago, one of the tour group’s stops was Harajuku. I was excited to go because it was known as one of the fashion capitals of Japan, but compared to photos of the place from the 90s and early 2000s, the gaudy fashions were practically non-existent. The boutiques were still there, but they were noticeably more expensive than if I were to buy a similar article of clothing from a fast fashion store. Even among the tour group, many of the people with me were wondering why we were stopping here instead of somewhere else in Tokyo, where they could buy from well-known Western brands (and, in that case, why come to Japan for shopping? But I digress).
This is similar to how many other fashion subcultures have been appropriated by other brands. Here, Goth and Punk have been appropriated by fast fashion brands and spit back out. Many self-identified Goths and Punks now are caught up in the endless stream of consumption that fast fashion brings, much to the chagrin of older people in the subculture. Rather than acting as a radical statement against Western hegemony, they are merely actors in it, wearing a style that makes them look cool on social media. The excessive aestheticization of subcultures by corporations is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as younger entrants to the scene are unaware of the history and what they are feeding into.
I'm glad you brought this up, because one of the reasons Lolita and other styles like it are dying out in Japan is because of fast fashion. Brands like H&M and Uniqlo have taken a foothold in Japan, and handmade styles aren’t viable anymore to young Japanese fashionistas. It is more affordable than ever to dress like a Lolita, but due to that, Lolita is now just a box to check in the search bar of a store’s website, rather than something you must actively seek out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to Japan about four years ago, one of the tour group’s stops was Harajuku. I was excited to go because it was known as one of the fashion capitals of Japan, but compared to photos of the place from the 90s and early 2000s, the gaudy fashions were practically non-existent. The boutiques were still there, but they were noticeably more expensive than if I were to buy a similar article of clothing from a fast fashion store. Even among the tour group, many of the people with me were wondering why we were stopping here instead of somewhere else in Tokyo, where they could buy from well-known Western brands (and, in that case, why come to Japan for shopping? But I digress).
This is similar to how many other fashion subcultures have been appropriated by other brands. Here, Goth and Punk have been appropriated by fast fashion brands and spit back out. Many self-identified Goths and Punks now are caught up in the endless stream of consumption that fast fashion brings, much to the chagrin of older people in the subculture. Rather than acting as a radical statement against Western hegemony, they are merely actors in it, wearing a style that makes them look cool on social media. The excessive aestheticization of subcultures by corporations is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as younger entrants to the scene are unaware of the history and what they are feeding into.