Fruits by Shoichi Aoki

In the mid 90’s, Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki decided he should document the wildly dressed teenagers that roamed the streets of Harajuku in Tokyo. He started publishing FRUITS, and never looked back.

By Kjeld Duits, Friday November 1, 2002 - news

In the mid 90’s, Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki decided he should document the wildly dressed teenagers that roamed the streets of Harajuku in Tokyo. He started publishing FRUITS, and never looked back. He just didn’t have the time anymore. Few photographers have focused on a single subject as obsessively as Aoki. But the results are wonderful. Amazingly colorful images of amazingly colorful people. If you are not yet familiar with FRUITS, check out the book with a compilation of the best shots.

Book Description
“Fruits is a collection of Tokyo street fashion portraits from Japan’s premier street fanzine of the same name. ‘Fruits’ was established in 1994, by photographer Shoichi Aoki, initially as a project to document the growing explosion in street fashion within the suburbs of Tokyo. Over the last five years, the magazine has grown to cult status and is now avidly followed by thousands of Japanese teenagers who also use the magazine as an opportunity to check out the latest styles and trends. The average age of the kids featured in the magazine is between 12 and 18, and the clothes that they wear are a mixture of high fashion –Vivienne Westwood is a keen favourite– and home-made ensembles which when combined create a novel, if not hysterical, effect. This extensive collection of portraits represents a unique documentation of the changing face of street fashion throughout the last decade. Colourful, fascinating and funny, this is the first time these cult images have been published outside Japan.”

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