Mizuki, Gothic-Lolita photographed by Tim Rudder.
Australian fashion designer Lang Leav has written a fascinating account of her recent journey to Tokyo to study the Japanese underground scene, and seek out market leads for her Akina label, as part of the Churchill Fellowship.
EXCERPT:
An artisan sets out on a journey to complete a task assigned to him by a wealthy aristocrat. As his story unfolds, the plot grows more intriguing as a simple narrative evolves into a complex tale of intertwining fates and chance encounters. The debut of each new character is interwoven into the story like threads meeting to form a spectacular garment.
I am sitting in a Kabuki theatre in Ginza and watch in awe as the spectacle comes to life before me. Suddenly, it strikes me how much the artisan’s story resembles my own. It is eight weeks into my Winston Churchill Fellowship. I am a fashion designer sent from Australia to investigate the fashion subcultures in Japan with a focus on Lolita and Cosplay (Costume Play). Like the artisan, my journey has been filled with an assortment of characters. They have provided me a glimpse into the customs and etiquettes driving the carousel of fashion subcultures that have long since held a fascination with the rest of the world. The garments worn like second skins are brought to life by the thoughts and pulses of these trendsetters, who are shaping the ever changing, ever evolving kaleidoscope of Japanese fashion.
INTRODUCTION (Kabuki)
The report titled Cosplaying Lolita is accompanied with a collection of photos taken by Australian expatriate, Tokyo based photographer Tim Rudder.
Anyone trying to carve out a niche market overseas needs to read this.
Article by John Lampard (Disassociated)