Edgy brand between 1992 and 2010
Sexy Dynamite London was a brand that existed between 1992 and September, 2010. it played an important role in introducing British punk rock style to Japan. The brand name paid homage to Vivienne Westwood and the sexy image represented by Marilyn Monroe. According to the founder it meant beautiful and cool women.
The first shop in Tokyo’s Kokubunji district measured just 53 square meters and carried imported fashion items from the UK. Staff members remade many of the items sold, which included Mod suits and biker wear. UK biker fashion was so popular in Japan at the time that the company had trouble keeping up with demand. “I made regular visits to London,” recalled the founder in an essay on the site, “and brought home 400 biker outfits each time. They were so heavy it wouldn’t be counted in kilos, but tons.”
During the mid 1990s, Sexy Dynamite London opened a store in Harajuku. After the shop and the styles it introduced were covered by Japanese fashion magazines, stylists and musicians started to visit. Among others, Kiyoharu, L’Arc-en-Ciel’s Hyde, and band members of SMAP and GLAY became fans.
Around this time, the company also opened the Vivienne Westwood Museum, selling Vivienne Westwood creations. This was followed by a ROCK SHOP, a PUNK SHOP, and later Shibuya Quattro. Soon the brand’s popularity reached way beyond Japan’s borders.
All that came to a sudden on September 20, 2010 when the company went out of business.
Review Sexy Dynamite London