[UPDATE]
日本のファッショントレンドの回転は想像通り、
ジェンダーレス系のトレンドは「ネオ」
このジェンダーレス系の「今」に触れてみると、
ファッションはただの洋服のトレンドで終わることが多いけど、
(元の記事な下記）
In Japan, we know that trends come and go very quickly (historically, new ones came and went in the span of 3 months). It takes a little longer for the modern ones to cook, and now the “neo” trends mentioned in this article below are getting to the point of being well-done. Specifically, I want to call out “neo ikemen” which as we all know, is now called “genderless” fashion. And genderless is starting to take on a life of its own now. Where are we at, exactly? First, the genderless icon above, Usuke Devil, is all over the TV airwaves and has spawned dopplegangers such as Ryucheru (with 450k followers) and more and more “pretty boys” are popping up on Instagram all the time. And who would have thought that androgynous O-nee Genking would be like the Kim Kardashian of Japan by now?
The trend has gotten so big that the world has taken notice. i-D Magazine says that Genderless is the most interesting thing to come out of Japan since the gyaru. And perhaps from this, they were influenced to start calling “unisex” fashion “genderless” instead. Then, the AFP goes so far to ask whether Genderless hurts or helps feminism. Meanwhile, most of the Genderless boys’ fans are women, and now that the trend has hit the mainstream, many girls ask the question: “Are you gay?” “Do you have a girlfriend?” The idea of blurring sexuality through fashion and actually having it relate to sexuality is fascinating to me, and I wrote a column over at Z-Tokyo asking if they’ve got anything to do with each other (read it bilingually here).
Some people think that fashion exists in a vacuum, but sometimes…it really reflects a society at large and can offer insight into where it’s headed. So are we in for pretty boys and girls for the foreseeable future? Hey, there are worse things that could happen. Read the original “Neo Ikemen/Genderless” article below.
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Original Post: 11/19/2014
今やサブカルチャーというものは日本のファッションシーンにおいて重要なパートのひとつになった。ところがそれが世間に、”守り”、”誇るべき”ものだという認識がされ始めたのは最近の事。なぜ大切にされるようになったのか、それは:
- 世界規模のインターネットの進化 （それにより、トレンドが雑誌に限らずSNSからも生みだすことが可能になる）。
- 日本の経済悪化。（だが、ファッションとサブカルチャーは経済効果がある）。
- 官民ファンド、クールジャパン機構の設立。
特に、3つめの”クールジャパン”の影響は大きい。日本が自国のユニークなファッションを海外に押し出していけば、利益を上げる事ができると気付き、そしてクールジャパンファンドが立ち上げられ、本格的に海外に日本の商品を売り出していくべく動き出した。クールジャパンが出来る前、海外での日本のサブカル人気度などほとんど気にしていなかった時期と比べれば、とても大きな一歩である。
そして今、この新時代のビッグトレンドは”ネオ〇〇”。頭に「ネオ」をつけるトレンドは日本国内に留まらず海外でも人気を集めている。実のところ、国内発だけでなく、実は逆輸だったりして？！そして、それは最終的に海外で受けいられるか？日本で広がる”ネオ”サブカルについて具体的に掘り下げてみましょう。また、次に来る”ネオ”を大予想！
Subcultures have long been an integral part of the Japanese fashion scene, but they weren’t considered something to be *protected* and *proud of* until recently. The catalyst for this is three-fold
1. The internet globalization
2. The struggling Japanese economy
3. The advent of the “Cool Japan” initiative.
#3 was a major turn, when Japan started to realize that selling their unique fashion culture abroad could be lucrative, instead of keeping it caged inside of Japan. Right now the big trends in this new era are being given the prefix of “neo”. And they are taking off big time, in and outside of Japan. …some of these are even being created outside of Japan rather than inside! What are some of the “neo” subcultures in Japan right now, and what new “neo” subcultures might be born soon?