Mandy Lew - Blog 4

                The last week of the Be Green Challenge is coming to an end and I’m happy to report that I did not purchase anything outside of the guidelines for this challenge. As the end of the quarter is approaching I’ve been busy with final essays and projects so I haven’t had much time to even think about shopping. Although shopping nowadays can be as simple as clicking a button on a website, I have not given in. The ease of purchase and increased methods of distribution leads to increased similarity in style of dress. The amplified popularity of internet bloggers and vloggers makes it easier for many people to purchase the same items and dress in the same style.

                Although there are fashion bloggers who have huge followings, there are also others who diverge from these standards. These people wearing out of the ordinary outfits are often hoping to be unusual to stand out from the crowd. Teenagers in Japan developed and are still developing different fashion cultures and subcultures to explore and express their identities. Through experimenting with fashion, Japanese teenagers are able to visually display individualism while creating and influencing new fashion trends. Yuniya Kawamura’s article on Japanese street fashion explains the process of how Japanese teenage girls are creating new trends, getting recognized and then sought out by companies to aid in clothing development. Through dressing in ways that differ from what society deems as “normal” wear, people express their individuality. From the short documentary on Lolita Fashion, wearers describe this method of illustrating identity by letting their clothing do the talking. These cultures and subcultures are apparent but are not limited to the streets of Japan; its popularity can be seen across the globe.  Wearers of these subcultures do not dress differently for the sake of dressing differently; they view it as a lifestyle. I’ll end this blog by sharing two videos on different styles of Japanese street fashion worn by people in and outside of Japan. Although located in different locations, wearers of these fashion styles share the desire to express their individualism.

Kawamura, Yuniya. " Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion." Reader.

Sugar Coated - A Short Documentary about Lolita Fashion. 72U, 2013. YouTube.

What Harajuku Girls Really Look Like | Style Out There. Refinery29, 2014. YouTube.