INTERVIEWS WITH KOKUSYOKU SUMIRE, H.NAOTO, BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT.
I subscribe to Google News Alerts to keep track of articles about Goth Loli (anyone else do the same? ) Most of the time, the mentions are very general and not worth blogging about. Today’s an exception: North Carolina news site WRAL.com posted a comprehensive write-up called Tokyo Lolita subculture thumbs nose at growing up. 80% of the information can be filed under “Lolita 101,” but the remaining 20% consists of insightful quotes and nightlife photos (by David Guttenfelder of the Associated Press).
The talented musicians of Kokusyoku Sumire are profiled; the group is called by its English name, Black Pansy, but I think the correct translation is Black Violet. “People notice us – we stand out,” reflects lead vocalist Sachi. “The pure, girl-like world inside of me, that is what Lolita is all about.”
h.NAOTO designer Hirooka Naoto describes the appeal of kawaii chic: “I think many Japanese women feel intimidated by high fashion in the West and feel that they can never live up to the refined beauty that they feel Western women strive for. So, instead, they shoot for a cute look, one that doesn’t require tall, curvaceous bodies and instead emphasizes girlishness.”
“One of the salient points about Lolita is that it is really a fashion that is not intended to attract men,” Naoto adds. “The women are creating their own world into which they can get away from the pressures of the larger society.” As for the various subcategories of Lolita: “It is very ambiguous. Sometimes I’m not sure what qualifies.”
The article ends by discussing the growing popularity of Gothic Lolita abroad. Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is preparing for a show in San Francisco, and h.NAOTO is testing the waters of Los Angeles. BTSSB co-founder Fumiko Isobe (and wife of Akinori Isobe, who was immortalized in Kamikaze Girls) comments: “I don’t know if we can ever really hope to conquer foreign markets. But I think Gothic Lolita is the best example there is of the ‘Tokyo look.’ We are really on the edge.”
You can read the rest of the article here. What are your thoughts on it?
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LA CARMINA
24 Comments
I'm not Japanese and I have never lived in Japan, but I'm in an environment highly influenced by the Japanese pop culture, and the submissiveness required to go with the “kawaii look” would totally kill you. You wouldn't believe how uniform people are — everyone follows a specific set of looks mandated by a specific magazine. The conformity in everyday life required is way beyond the “refined beauty” displayed in Western fashion rags. Japanese mags are catalog-y because people expect to be able to copy the exact looks and not just use them for inspirations.
And let's not go into the gender politics thing here… it's really scary. But please don't romanticize the associated gender politics. There's escapism in it, but there's no real revolt.
I like La Carmina, because you contemplate and reflect on the culture and you don't aim for copying a look nor do you strive for brand names alone.
I'm reading this blog not because I'm a big fan of the Lolita culture (I'm more into Goth-y thing but not exactly Goth) but because I like your take on it.
Um, sorry if I sound extreme or aggressive or hyper critical in the last comment. I'm in a bad state. Please don't take it personally.
La Carmina is very refreshing. I really like what you're doing here. :-)
(And I'm no less impressed by your resume.)
I’m not Japanese and I have never lived in Japan, but I’m in an environment highly influenced by the Japanese pop culture, and the submissiveness required to go with the “kawaii look” would totally kill you. You wouldn’t believe how uniform people are — everyone follows a specific set of looks mandated by a specific magazine. The conformity in everyday life required is way beyond the “refined beauty” displayed in Western fashion rags. Japanese mags are catalog-y because people expect to be able to copy the exact looks and not just use them for inspirations.
And let’s not go into the gender politics thing here… it’s really scary. But please don’t romanticize the associated gender politics. There’s escapism in it, but there’s no real revolt.
I like La Carmina, because you contemplate and reflect on the culture and you don’t aim for copying a look nor do you strive for brand names alone.
I’m reading this blog not because I’m a big fan of the Lolita culture (I’m more into Goth-y thing but not exactly Goth) but because I like your take on it.
Hi,
Really appreciate your insightful thoughts. I’ve been thinking a lot about the “manifesto” of The Fashion Ramone –
“The world of fashion, which for being about people who likes showing off their superficiality and hedonism via clothes always serves as a calculator of liberty in any city, is lamentably the fucking community of passive consumers par excellence from Tokyo. The distincts groups like Gothic Lolitas, Ganguro, Gyaru, Kawaii and other homogeneous the only thing they do is repeating theirselves, and perhaps they dont even need to buy more clothes already. The properly called fashionistas, are just the same bullshit: or they are mere copy of the magazines, or they are fucking layers and layers of expensive clothes”
http://thefashionramone.blogspot.com/2008/04/japanese-dont-use-their-freedom.html
Provocative and honest, I think.
Thanks for replying to my scattered thoughts with such good spirit. :-)
It’s true that the vast majority of Japanese fashionistas are just total copycats, but it’s also true that these extraordinary trends are Japanese-born and Japanese-bred. Most Japanese are conformist to a fault — but what about these innovators? They not only broke new grounds but have created entire systems of iconography drawn from disparate sources and imbued with meanings and stylistic mythology of their own making. Who are the initiators? Who are the early “conformists” that followed them? I think this is an aspect of Japanese culture that’s not yet well understood.
And talking about Japanese fashion rags — fashion-wise, I find Zipper to be the most creative and even less dictating them Western publications. It’s true that Zipper, being Japanese, doesn’t sell on personality and there’s a “range” within which to be properly fashionable, but it’s more about the way a dresser play with various textures and stylistic references and not about (probably actually against?) exact copying. In spirit, I’d say your approach to GothLoli is more Zipper than Kera, though you’re definitely and distinctly less sweet kawaii (read: flagging female submissive symbology) than Zipper. :-)
Um, sorry if I sound extreme or aggressive or hyper critical in the last comment. I’m in a bad state. Please don’t take it personally.
La Carmina is very refreshing. I really like what you’re doing here. :-)
(And I’m no less impressed by your resume.)
Like you, I am appalled at the conformity and elitism especially along American lolitas. Carmina’s point of view is a breath of fresh air and I love the way she writes
interesting views indeed
Like you, I am appalled at the conformity and elitism especially along American lolitas. Carmina's point of view is a breath of fresh air and I love the way she writes
interesting views indeed
Hi,
Really appreciate your insightful thoughts. I've been thinking a lot about the “manifesto” of The Fashion Ramone –
“The world of fashion, which for being about people who likes showing off their superficiality and hedonism via clothes always serves as a calculator of liberty in any city, is lamentably the fucking community of passive consumers par excellence from Tokyo. The distincts groups like Gothic Lolitas, Ganguro, Gyaru, Kawaii and other homogeneous the only thing they do is repeating theirselves, and perhaps they dont even need to buy more clothes already. The properly called fashionistas, are just the same bullshit: or they are mere copy of the magazines, or they are fucking layers and layers of expensive clothes”
http://thefashionramone.blogspot.com/2008/04/ja…
Provocative and honest, I think.
*gasp* H. naoto coming to la!?
shopping spree here i come!
magandagirl.blogspot.com
i love your blog
i love your blog
God I love this fashion.
It's nice to know that the pioneers feel the same way that I do about its message.
ahh~~ convention today x 3 x
so nervous! I signed up for the cutest costume contest!! O3O
God I love this fashion.
It’s nice to know that the pioneers feel the same way that I do about its message.
ahh~~ convention today x 3 x
so nervous! I signed up for the cutest costume contest!! O3O
I think Naoto's statements were really interesting. I'm *glad* to hear that even he (I think Naoto's a he…. ^^; ) doesn't see clear-cut boundaries between the sub-categories of lolita. Some of the lolitas on the internet need to heed his words and remember: It's just fashion. Yes, it has rules, it has categories, but it also has fun!!
Fun – amen!
I think Naoto’s statements were really interesting. I’m *glad* to hear that even he (I think Naoto’s a he…. ^^; ) doesn’t see clear-cut boundaries between the sub-categories of lolita. Some of the lolitas on the internet need to heed his words and remember: It’s just fashion. Yes, it has rules, it has categories, but it also has fun!!
Fun – amen!
Thanks for replying to my scattered thoughts with such good spirit. :-)
It's true that the vast majority of Japanese fashionistas are just total copycats, but it's also true that these extraordinary trends are Japanese-born and Japanese-bred. Most Japanese are conformist to a fault — but what about these innovators? They not only broke new grounds but have created entire systems of iconography drawn from disparate sources and imbued with meanings and stylistic mythology of their own making. Who are the initiators? Who are the early “conformists” that followed them? I think this is an aspect of Japanese culture that's not yet well understood.
And talking about Japanese fashion rags — fashion-wise, I find Zipper to be the most creative and even less dictating them Western publications. It's true that Zipper, being Japanese, doesn't sell on personality and there's a “range” within which to be properly fashionable, but it's more about the way a dresser play with various textures and stylistic references and not about (probably actually against?) exact copying. In spirit, I'd say your approach to GothLoli is more Zipper than Kera, though you're definitely and distinctly less sweet kawaii (read: flagging female submissive symbology) than Zipper. :-)
Very nice blog you have here. Bookmarked! :)