Urban Wear in Japan and Europe

True fashion not only stands the test of time, but spreads far and wide, adapting itself to local tastes, and thus becoming unique. Although urban wear was given a starting push by skateboarders and surfers, the urban wear fever soon caught on. People identified with this movement that could be seen on every street. Celebrities helped popularize urban wear too. Trademark gear like colourful sneakers, t shirts with messages on them, bandanas, flashy jewellery and caps, became a must have rage. This new stylish movement which not only engulfed America, soon began to spread across the world. Surprisingly, the second country to be caught in the grip of urban wear happened to be Japan, where designs and colours were adapted to suit local Japanese tastes. Although it took longer, Europe too succumbed to urban wear at a much later stage.


Japan came on to the urban wear scene in the early 1980’s. At that time, everything American was considered cool and they felt that streetwear deserved the same acknowledgement as well. By the early 1990’s, a few established brands like BAPE started releasing their limited edition wear at high prices. That did not deter the fashion conscious Japanese from purchasing the colourful sneakers and spunky t-shirts. Ironically, the real magic of Japanese streetwear lies in the fact that the look appears to have been copied from elsewhere and is more of a mish mash than a representation of anything original. If one had to take apart the whole look, individually it might seem totally out of place but somehow the look worked as a whole. The interest in American culture also made video games, skateboarding and surfing popular among the Japanese. Japanese urban wear carried motifs of dragons, other religious symbols, cartoon characters, floral prints and squirts of colours on their urban wear. Tunic tops, short dresses, cargoes, flashy t-shirts, colourful bags and even printed hoodies were some of the best selling streetwear items.

In Europe, streetwear packed in tons of attitude and style. Brands like Volcom and OBEY became the rage among youngsters. Hip and cool clothing which could suit anybody, yet reflected a chilled out style, was what people were looking for. Needless to say, urban wear filled in that gap for them. T-shirts with single words, an image or which could glow in the dark, were best sellers. If something was considered art, then it was thought of as being good enough to wear - which is why some of the best selling brands in Europe have urban wear with unique art like prints and designs on them. For women, short pleated skirts, tweed, soft jackets, slinky tops, t-shirts with nature designs and jewellery such as rings and chains, were considered fashionable. Men wore shirts with plaid designs, cargoes, carried oversized bags and wore funky hoodies. Eventually, streetwear became an extension of one’s personality. With so many global brands today offering a wide range of streetwear to suit everybody’s tastes, one can say that streetwear is here to stay.