Brand evolution – the 80s, 90s and now!
Brands like Super Lovers or X-Girl are as famous as Harajuku itself. They have been shaping Japanese street fashion since the 90s and even earlier. With the ever-changing face of Harajuku and Japanese street fashion trends, these brands have held their own for several decades! From Milk to Hysteric Glamour, continue reading to find out their connection to punk and London clubbing and what they are up to today.
Milk
When you think of the brand Milk, you probably think of their iconic heart-shaped handbag which goes with any kawaii outfit. What you probably don’t think about is the punk looks they created in the 70s! At a time where UK punk was at its peak, founder and designer Hitomi Okawa hit the streets of London to find inspiration for her brand. Influenced by punk fashion, the brand’s edgy but cute designs were completely new to the streets of Tokyo. With international customers such as John Lennon and David Bowie, and designers from Vivienne Westwood frequenting Okawa’s store, Milk showed the world that punk can be cute! Nowadays, Milk has evolved into a more feminine and mature brand. Even though the wild streetwear days seem to be over, Milk still holds onto their roots by frequently using the Union Jack as a motif for their designs!
Image courtesy of milk-web.net
Hysteric Glamour
Combine 70s American pop culture, vintage garments, punk and a pinch of porn and you’ll get Hysteric Glamour! From the opening of their London store in 1991, to the Sex Pistols wearing their clothes, and a collab with Playboy in 2013, Hysteric Glamour has become a big name internationally. A classic Hysteric Glamour look would include vintage graphic t-shirts, denim, and punk accessories. Hysteric Glamour delivers a Japanese take on vintage Americana. Their latest collaboration was with streetwear giant Supreme in 2017, a collaboration we would never have expected given their punk roots! In recent years we have seen a comeback of their popular 90s patchwork jeans, a sign of a possible Hysteric Glamour revival in Tokyo fashion.
Image courtesy of sabukaru.online
Super Lovers
Bright colours, bold graphics and club music is what sets this brand apart! Super Lovers, a brand established in 1988 and inspired by the London club scene of the 80s, has been a staple for party people for several decades.Their vision is clear — create fashion that combines music, art and love. The brand received international recognition in the 90s, when a London club kid was photographed wearing the brand from head to toe. Eventually, Super Lovers became a staple of the cyber fashion and party communities of Tokyo and London. Even though the hype among Super Lovers has calmed down in recent years, we have recently seen a comeback with some familiar faces in Harajuku modelling for the brand. With their consistent style and their recent comeback, Super Lovers is the living proof that the 90s will always be in fashion!
Image courtesy of patrickmacias.blogs.com
X-Girl
X-Girl is the sister brand of skater boy brand XLARGE. If you wanted to be a cool teen in the 90s, X-Girl was the place for you to shop. With neutral tones, A-line dresses and wide leg denim jeans, the brand made clothes for girls that weren’t super girly. As a brand that was on the forefront of the girl power movement, X-Girl took the streetwear world by storm! Recent X-Girl collections include items like cowboy hats and bum bags, pieces that are fashionable and still in line with their skater girl ethos. They even collaborated with Hysteric Glamour resulting in a punk meets skater meets Y2K collection. We have seen them revive some of their most iconic 90s staples and with it hopefully a lot of girl power as well!
Image courtesy of x-girl.jp
Pink House
Founded in 1973 by Kaneko Isao, Pink House gained immediate popularity. Inspired by 1970s prairie revival fashion, the brand features soft colours such as browns, creams and pastel colours, as well as floral patterns. The brand’s styling is easily recognisable. The layering of long skirts, blouses, cardigans has become so popular that it gained its own name — Pink House style! The brand was featured in Olive magazine and they even collaborated with the idol group Momoiro Clover Z in 2016. Even after many years, Pink House has always stuck to their stylistic roots. Nowadays, popular Lolita brands such as Baby or Angelic Pretty have released designs clearly inspired by Pink House style, and thrift stores like Kinji now have dedicated areas to the brand. Pink House has been gaining more recognition again and we are excited to see how the new generation style this classic 80s brand!
Image courtesy of idontknowmuchbutimlearning.blogspot.com
We have covered a wide range of styles, from cute and mature Pink House to cool streetwear giant Hysteric Glamour. What brand would you want to wear? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Stefanie
Image courtesy of sabukaru.online