What Harajuku Girls Really Look Like | Style Out There | Refinery29

foreign is tokyo japan this is a land known for order and discipline but for every social custom and rule there are those who seek to break them i'm here to find akora girls more than 10 years after this iconic fashion subculture began a new generation is pushing the limits even further this is a culture where there are school uniforms here there are uniforms for work pretty much uniforms for everything cat is a german decorah living and teaching english in tokyo how does this allow you to really express who you are decorah fashion is fun fashion it's very against the mainstream of things it's not in a magazine it's not elegant it's very much boom in your face it can scare people a little bit some people just go oh that might be a weird person there while decora might be a direct rebellion against japan's strict uniform culture these girls aren't outcasts or loners in fact some of them are celebrities you'll see me with over half a million followers on social media kurobayashi is one of the most famous decorah girls in the world right now is one of the rare decorah boys with an equally fanatic following i meet them at their favorite cafe a self-styling salon in the neighborhood of harajuku why do people feel that they have to come here to get ready they can't do it at home how long have you both been dressing decora about six or seven years so this is your favorite decor store fun as it may be i have to wonder could they be using the colorful barrettes and accessories to hide behind you see this as being like a mask like you're playing a character foreign seem to embody this style completely but what did decorah look like when it first began june is the founder of fruits magazine the most respected publication in japanese street fashion he has been documenting japanese street style for more than 20 years the decorah girls that i've seen have really pushed the amount of accessories they wear to the limits japanese culture values the group over the individual it's the way social order is maintained decorah may be breaking the mould but maybe it's still within the framework of what is accepted i'm hoping to get some perspective from a decorah girl who lives outside the city lives in the suburbs of tokyo with her husband baby and extended family tonight we're going to meet her friends in harajuku and she wants to show me how a decorah look comes together how do you decide the arrangement of all the hair clips a slow introduction into decor or you just one morning decided i like this style and you did the whole thing on the look is complete of course a little bit more what do you think of kanai so as we leave the grey suburbs behind i see canaiya's demeanor begin to change decora isn't an elaborate costume or even something to hide behind it's just an outer expression of something inside that's just waiting to get out of this i think it's the freedom of expression you don't have to look every day the same you wear the things you love the way you want to wear them this is not a label it's not someone else's thing it's my face a celebration of who you are it's a reminder to let go of the rules and just wear what makes you feel good have fun with fashion you

Channel: Refinery29

Views: 11,476,637

Keywords: harajuku girls, really look like, style out there, refinery29, refinery 29, gothic lolitas, rockabillies, tokyo, neighborhood, japan, extreme fashion trends, unique, youth, city, rebel, push the limits, decora, kawaii, cuteness, hair clips, look like

Id: WblNctc3ys0

Length: 7min 50sec (470 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 05 2014