Kawaii takes over Japan

Japanese people tend to say “kawaii” (“How cute!”) to describe almost anything they find somewhat appealing. The kawaii phenomenon really took off among young people around 1983 and 1984. And it was around then that companies began retailing what cute products sell.

Products began exhibiting a cute side in the 1980s, but by the 1990s, manufacturers were running out of ideas. That’s when consumers started taking their cue from geeks, called “otaku.” One example could be “cosplay” role players, dressing up as enimes.

Geeks may label something as cute, and an ordinary person may find it cute, as well, without being influenced by them. Geeks don’t use the word “kawaii” but say “moe~,” from moeizuru, expressing one’s feeling of admiration.

There are different explanations for the term, but the meaning basically is the same as the more common “kawaii.” Japanese themselves are not pleased that Japan, as a country, is seen as “cute country.” Instead, they want to be known as Japan, the country that invented the kawaii concept, and it is now spreading to other countries. Actually the official government stance seems to be making the nation as “a beautiful country.”

Kawaii is also in fashion.

The secret behind CanCam’s (the famous fashion magazine in Japan) success is, first of all, its star models.

Clothes worn by Ebi-Chan (nickname of Ebihara Yuri) for CanCam enjoy a run on sales as soon as the magazine hits the newsstands and often sell out soon after.

CanCam’s editor-in-chief, Onish Yutaka, explains Ebi-Chan’s quick rise to fame. Women find her kawaii, and so do men. To succeed, a model has to appeal to both sexes.

The brand, Apuweiser-riche, created by ARPEGE Co., Ltd., is highly popular because it takes some inspiration from recent trends while fostering a wide range of styles that are girlish but not sugary sweet.

The key factor driving the brand’s popularity is its dedication to “real clothes” created by well-known western designers, but adapted to Japanese consumers who want the kawaii look. Designers keep aiming for originality, knowing that the kawaii ideal is always evolving.

In the 1980s, the bubble economy encouraged women to indulge in their dreams for classy western brands, as well as the international fashions. The economic bubble brought lots of young women into the workforce with the cash to buy luxury brands.

“Skirt tucks on the plentiful side, cuffs bordering on the overly ample, skirt hems set off with lace.” Women’s fashion in Japan continues to evolve, responding to the quest for kawaii. One can only wonder what the future holds for the world of cutie fashion.

People in 21st century Japan are showing a fondness for things kawaii. Perhaps this is because they yearn for a return to the days of sweet innocence and pure delight.

There are artists who are transforming the kawaii boom into a global phenomenon. One example is Yamaguchi Yuko who saved Hello Kitty when it was slumping in 1977. She visited stores to get the consumers’ opinions. Finally she made Hello Kitty hug a teddy bear, and it became an idol. Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, which is the most expressive part of the body, so she takes on the expression the viewer wants to see in her, depending on the viewer’s mood.  Yamaguchi thinks, that’s where the charm comes from. Another artist, Murakami Takashi who is working in the United States at the same time, has collaborated with Louis Vuitton in the design of colorful handbags. He said that the western thought assumes that the economy is everything, and that designers tend to go along with this. But an economic system is bound to produce winners and losers. This hope of losers can be cute. He sees this as the reason why the kawaii things are loved by people.

Kawaii is “cosplay,” a short term of costume play.

This “cosplay” fad began in the mid-1990s, when young adults started dressing up to look like the characters from an anime or video game. The young people arrive at comic book markets in their costumes, turning the markets into fun festivals. Cosplay enthusiasts can also be seen on the streets of Tokyo’s Akihabara district. On a street barred to Sunday traffic, young women in costume pose with big smiles for amateur photographers waiting for them.

In Akihabara, you can find a store called Akizumu, selling miniature figurines called capsule toys. It’s part fighting robot, part glamour girls. Japanese are into owning their favorite characters. Actually they don’t stop here. There is a wacky world where customers are lords of the manor, called “Maid Café.”  Maid Café waitresses are dressed, naturally enough, as maids. Inside the café, you are in a different world — with their lace frilled hats, aprons and dresses, the “maids” could well be out of 19th century England. And the customers are treated like lords.

The customers keep coming back, eager to experience the thrill of “moe~.”

Young women dressed like Alice in wonderland, Snow White and other nursery characters appear on the street nearby. One theory has it that this fashion fad is a spin-off from clothes worn by punk rock fans.

The gothic element focuses on black, with symbols from the world of darkness, while the girlish factor plays up sweet, doll-like innocence. The two combine into a fashion culture that is uniquely Japanese.

(Source: Nipponia, a quarterly magazine which introduces modern Japan to people all over the world. Photos from the wires.)