Hi, my name is…
Sawa Komatsu and
I am the art director of Giappop.
What does Harajuku mean to you?
Harajuku is a place where young people can share their identities and show each other respect. It is an intersection where those identities can intermingle. I was an introvert during middle school and high school, so I wasn’t very good at talking to people. But, I was able to express myself through fashion. I would design my own clothes and accessories, and strut around in them whenever I went to Harajuku. It might sound strange, but I felt like going to Harajuku liberated me from the gaze of others—I felt free. Even now I still love Harajuku, and I’m still energized by people when I go there.
Tell us about your brand!
It is called Giappop, a combination of the Italian word for Japan (Giappone) and the word “pop”. It is a cosmopolitan brand that is inspired by Japanese pop culture (i.e. manga, anime, games etc.) We’ve made sweatshirts with manga SFX (the sfx are written in katakana); and for our S/S 2020 collection we designed ghost, kappa and demon illustrations and sold T-shirts with katakana prints on them. We also had the chance to present Japanese pop culture with a fashion show this February at Milan’s Comic Con. We were able to successfully incorporate our followers and artists into the show. But we’re not stopping at manufacturing and design, we are also doing our best to create a space (using events and workshops) where pop culture can be experienced with all five senses. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit difficult to make it happen because of COVID-19.
Any last words?
It has been more than one year since Giappop launched and we plan to carry on designing products with pop culture and geek culture vibes. We really want to hold an event where the people who have supported us can actually experience Japanese pop culture, so please support us!
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Translated by Anna.
Images courtesy of Diotallevi Trudi.