JAPANESE STREETS: Japanese street fashion, street culture and catwalk fashion. Follow the fashion trends of Japan's trendy youths

Japanese artist/designer Yoshikazu Yamagata‘s brand writtenafterwards
likes to tread were few other fashion brands dare to go.

For his S/S 2013 collection, Yamagata synthesized elements of
buddhism, shintoism and other religions into something akin to
the experience of a modern religious festival.

Combined with the show’s title, THE SEVEN GODS—clothes from chaos.
it is a statement on modern materialistic society
and the chaos and confusion that it seems to run straight into.

In Japan’s countryside, one can still experience age old religious festivals,
and many of the elements in Yamagata’s show are clearly recognizable.

The bird necks are reminiscent of Sagimai (鷺舞, White Heron Dance),
a shinto ritual performed every july at Yasaka Shrine in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture.
It originates from the Sagimai at the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.

In this matsuri, two dancers dressed as a pair of male and female white Herons,
perform an age old dance accompanied by drums, flutes and a chorus.

The final entrance of models wearing huge contraptions
resembles a Neri Kuyo, a procession of Buddhist Bodhisattvas.

Inspired by the stunningly creative street fashion that exploded on the streets of Tokyo and Osaka in the late 1990’s, photo-journalist Kjeld Duits launched JAPANESE STREETS in 2002. This makes JS one of the first fashion blogs on the net, and the very first to cover Japanese street fashion.

Recent photos by Kjeld Duits:

Wow. Definitely a collection to make you think… Its interesting to me how some designers try to take a stab at materialistic culture. At the same time, I’m sure they must realize that without consuming customers, they cannot continue doing what they love. Rei Kawakubo’s “anti-fashion” themed collections always interest me and make me think, because her work is incredibly expensive once on the store shelves.
I think self reflection from this designer is evident here, and his creativity has just oozed through it. I love this.

Lactose Intoler-Art
Oct 24, 2012 (4063 days ago)

@Lactose Intoler-Art: I think writteafterwards designer Yoshikazu Yamagata stands totally apart from the pack. As you know, he started his own fashion school because he felt that the established schools don’t do a good enough job.

Kjeld Duits (photographer)
Oct 24, 2012 (4063 days ago)