My earliest memories of Japanese fashion are of creative Lolita styles, with bows aplenty and cutesy Hello Kitty adornments. When I studied fashion communication at school and university in the U.K. I was equally enticed by the slick architectural styles of Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake.
Years later, when preparing to go to Japan to teach English, I came across books and blog posts about Japanese street style and was struck yet again by the diverse creativity of clothing designs, often paired with striking hair designs and bold makeup looks. It seemed like a place where kawaii (cute) meets cool, and I could not wait to discover more for myself.
