INITIAL PERCEPTION OF HARAJUKU

WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF THIS MODULE I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND UNI MEANING I MISSED THE INTRODUCTION OF WHAT A ZINE AND THE DIFFERENT SUBCULTURES WE WOULD EXPLORE AND DISCUSS. UPON MY RETURN MY GROUP HAD COME TO THE CONCCLUSION THAT THE SUBCULTURE THAT WE COULD ALL AGREE ON WOULD BE THAT OF THE HARAJUKU SUBCULTURE. S THIS WAS A VERY FOREIGN AND UNKNOWN SUBCULTURE TO MYSELF I WAS PARTICULARLY SCEPTICLE S TO HOW I WOULD FIND INTEREST AND REALTE TO THIS SUBCULURE AND HEREBY SHOWCASE IT WITHIN A ZINE FORMAT. THIS WAS DUE TO MY FIRST AND VERY SHALLOW RESEARCH INTO THE CULTURE. BELIEVING IT TO BE PARTICULARLY HEAVY IN TERMS OF COLOUR, SUCH AS BRIGHT PINKS AND PURPLES AS WELL AS VERY EXCENTRIC ACCESSORY SOMETHING I AM QUITE THE OPPOSITE TO WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE. WHEN RESEARCHING I ASSUMED THA THE SUBCULTURE SHOWCASED STYLES MUCH LIKE THE IMAGES BELOW.

FURTHER RESEARCH AND IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE SUBCULTURE

APON FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH MY GROUP AND THE TUTORS AROUND THE BACKGROUND OF HARAJUKU, I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO SEARCH THROUGHT THE LIBRARY FOR ANY TEXTS THAT FOCUSED ON THE SUBCULTURE AND COULD WIDEN MY KNOWLEDGE OF HOW IT AS A PLCE AND MOVEMENT HAS CHANGED AND MOLDED MUCH OF MODERN FASHION AND THE DESIGNERS WHO HAVE PRODUCES NUMEROUS STYLES AND TRENDS. PERSONALLY MY INITIAL HOPES TO FIND TEXTS IN THE LIBRARY WERE SLIM DUE TO MY LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE POPULARITY OF THE SUBCULTURE. HOWEVER, UNDER FURTHER INSPECTION, I WAS ABLE TO FIND A BOOK OMN THE MAKEUP USED AND HOW TO SHOWCASE IT ON ONESELF OR OTHER IN THE MANY STYLES OF HARAJUKU. THIS BOOK ALSO SHOWCASED MANY ILLUSTRATIONS OF NUMEROUS HARAJUKU STYLES AND MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATIONS. THIS ALLOWED  ME TO GET MORE OF AN IN DEPTH VIEW ON A DIFFERENT ELEMENT OF HARAJUKU AND WHAT IT CONSISTS OF AND HOW IT IMPACTS THOSE WHO WEAR IT/ ARE ASSCOCIATED WITH IT.   I THEN WENT ON TO FIND 2 ADDITIONAL BOOKS ON THEY TOKYO STREET STYLE IN HARAJUKU. THESE TWO BOOKS COMPLETELY OPENED MY EYES TO THE MANY VARIETIES THAT CONSIST IN HARAJUKU AND SOLIDIFIED MY KNOWLEDGE IN THE FACT THAT HARAJUKU IS NOT A STYLE BUT A PLACE WHERE NUMEROUS SUBCULTURES OF PEOPLE AND FASHION STYLES RESIDE, THIS STARTING FROM PUNK TO ROCK N ROLL TO GOTHIC AND THE LIST GOES ON. THE DISCOVERY OF THESE TOW BOOKS ENLIGHTENED ME AND EDUCATED ME THAT MANY WESTERN DESIGNERS TAKE INFLUENCE ON THE STYLING TRENDS AND MOVEMENTS THAT ARE APPEARING OUT OF HARAJUKU RAPIDLY. IT ALSO GAVE ME A GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE DIFFERENT MAGAZINES THAT DOCUMENT AND SHOWCASE THESE SUCH AS FRESH FRUITS AND TUNES.  WITHIN THESE MAGAZINES I FOUND NUMEROUS STYLES THAT I LIKED AND WANTED TO SHOWCASE MYSELF AND TOOK INSPIRATION FROM.