TOKYO -- A women's fashion style that once swept Japan is finding new life in China as Tokyo-based boutiques look to expand there with help from their Chinese investors.
Baroque Japan's brands gained a following in the early 2000s as part of a wave of gyaru fashion -- a term originating from the English "girl" or "gal" -- sprung out of Tokyo's hip Shibuya neighborhood. Gyaru clothing and accessories took notions of "cool" and "cute" to new level. But the boom has passed, and as the Japanese market shrinks amid a declining birthrate, the retailer has turned to China for growth.
