Originally posted by djrajio
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I first got interested in fashion during my first year in highschool. Growing up in LA I was heavily influenced by the streetwear, surfer wear, and skateswear asthetic, especially the graphic design t-shirt wave by companies like QuickSilver,Stussy, Billabong, and Mossimo, back when these companies were still run my local guys and weren't huge million-dollar conglomerate companies.I remember going to the localsurfer shopnear my house and just going crazy over the graphic designs done by these streetwear brands at the time. I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. So for me, in the end, all fashion, really comes from the street and I still believe that. These companies really influenced fashion in the late nighties with the whole big-logoed t-shirt/branding wave.
Around the end of highschool I had the opportunity to study in Japan for three months. I didn't know any Japanese and didn't know the slightest thing about Japanese fashion. I went and had complete culture shock. It was a complete 180 from what I was used to, especially for an 17 year old. I had the opportunity to go Harajuku and found out about brands like A Bathing Ape, Neighborhood, Bounty X Hunter, all these amazing home-grown street domestic brands that had their own culture, design aesthetic, etc. Ironically, the Harajuku-kei style was a interpretation of the skater/surfer culture of LA/NY and I could relate to it and fell in love with it. Coming back to the states, I decided to start learning Japanese in college just so I could read the Japanese fashion mags and be on top of the latest street styles. I tried to get internships in Tokyo just so I spend my weekends in Harajuku and Shibuya to take in all the dynamic styles and walking around all the crazy back-alley shops.
Back in 2001, very few foreigners would frequent the area and little knew about these labels, so it was always a shock for a foreigner to pop in and speak Japanese asking when the latest item would get in. Now, I think the media and trend-mags have pretty much despensed all these "secret areas"and now I usually see a ton of foreigners touring around theHarajuku, Daikanyamaand its not usual to see guerilla-style ads by corporate companies trying to be cool and hip with their ads all around and big corporate labels now with back alley stores as well to give it that street cred. It definitely doesn't feel the same.
It was only last year that my style has really evolved into a more formal/elegant/minimal stlye which I currently am in love with. I think cloak was a huge inspiration for this especially when I had the opportunity to see the boutique the week it opened last summer when working in NY and attend the spring/summer fashion show. Starting to work in Tokyo again from last fall, I really started to get into the styles by Julius, etc. I think going forward I want to incorporate more quirky elements and siluoettes since I think the entire skinny, Dior-Homme, dark/gothic look is getting really tired. I've been really inspired by Junya Wanatabe, Comme des Garcons, and Frapbois as of recently and am really inspired by a more wooly/earthy/natural/organic look, something more comfortable and approachable but with an elegant and minimal aesthetic.
Around the end of highschool I had the opportunity to study in Japan for three months. I didn't know any Japanese and didn't know the slightest thing about Japanese fashion. I went and had complete culture shock. It was a complete 180 from what I was used to, especially for an 17 year old. I had the opportunity to go Harajuku and found out about brands like A Bathing Ape, Neighborhood, Bounty X Hunter, all these amazing home-grown street domestic brands that had their own culture, design aesthetic, etc. Ironically, the Harajuku-kei style was a interpretation of the skater/surfer culture of LA/NY and I could relate to it and fell in love with it. Coming back to the states, I decided to start learning Japanese in college just so I could read the Japanese fashion mags and be on top of the latest street styles. I tried to get internships in Tokyo just so I spend my weekends in Harajuku and Shibuya to take in all the dynamic styles and walking around all the crazy back-alley shops.
Back in 2001, very few foreigners would frequent the area and little knew about these labels, so it was always a shock for a foreigner to pop in and speak Japanese asking when the latest item would get in. Now, I think the media and trend-mags have pretty much despensed all these "secret areas"and now I usually see a ton of foreigners touring around theHarajuku, Daikanyamaand its not usual to see guerilla-style ads by corporate companies trying to be cool and hip with their ads all around and big corporate labels now with back alley stores as well to give it that street cred. It definitely doesn't feel the same.
It was only last year that my style has really evolved into a more formal/elegant/minimal stlye which I currently am in love with. I think cloak was a huge inspiration for this especially when I had the opportunity to see the boutique the week it opened last summer when working in NY and attend the spring/summer fashion show. Starting to work in Tokyo again from last fall, I really started to get into the styles by Julius, etc. I think going forward I want to incorporate more quirky elements and siluoettes since I think the entire skinny, Dior-Homme, dark/gothic look is getting really tired. I've been really inspired by Junya Wanatabe, Comme des Garcons, and Frapbois as of recently and am really inspired by a more wooly/earthy/natural/organic look, something more comfortable and approachable but with an elegant and minimal aesthetic.
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