The Different Sub-Styles

A style that involves an immense amount of accessories, colorful statement pieces, and just colorful childlike styles. Decora is often associated with Harajuku fashion but has different origins. As decora fashion originated from the Japanese idol 巴篠原【ともえしのはら】from the 90s having a similar style to the modern day decora we all know. Even decora style has its own activities like for example【デコデン) Decoden which is when they take any sort of item and decorate it with cabochons, it was originally phone cases but it has evolved over the years. 

Referring to the substantial amount of Japanese fashion style/aesthetics that have originated from the Harajuku Neighborhood in Tokyo’s Commercial Shibuya district. This neighborhood has created a reputation for decades for having some of the most unique and modern styles in Japan and sometimes the world. But it has created its own sense of fashion as it is mostly a juxtaposition of all sorts of alternative fashion from Eastern and Western fashion. Having history going as far as the 70s with the rise of youth culture developing J-fashion and entertainment. In the 80s a bunch of start-up shops land the on the 【竹下】Takeshita Street in the Harajuku neighborhood. As the years went it became associated with J-Fashion stores, Magazines, and International Brands. 

Being the complete opposite of traditional Japanese beauty standards, Gyaru has become a world renowned style with Western and Eastern countries. With exaggerated makeup, big lashes, curly hair, hair dye, animal prints, and overly accessorized, Gyaru fashion consists of being yourself and having confidence. Having a long history going back to the 70s, Gyaru referred to the word girl. In the 90s the term Bodikon spread in popularity creating the foundation for the "basic" Gyaru fashion. 

Centered around the lifestyle of living in the woods, Mori Kei has been changing with the times. The key motifs would be forests, deer, flowers, hanging herbs, greenery, cottage, fairy tales, etc. with values of affection towards forest, quitness, and just living the natural lifestyle. This style would be one that is considered to be a baby style as it doesn’t have a long history to it. In 2006 a community that was called “Moril Girls” created a Japanese social network called Mixi. The network reached about 35k in 2009 which led to the big boom of multiple mori kei magazines and brands. By the early 2010s the popularity of the style declined, in 2019 the online Mixi group had been deleted, and brands such as “Wonder Rocket” closed its Harajuku store in 2017. In recent years it has massively declined in popularity but there are still enthusiasts out there keeping the style alive and healthy.

A juxtaposition of Kawaii visual and grotesque elements and morbid humor. It often contains mostly colorful organs and accessories mixed with black accents having correlation with decora fashion as it is heavily accessorized. The origins of the name are unknown but the first media made was in the early 2000s made by水野順子【じゅんこみずの】, since then it has led to further sub-genres. First appeared in the 90s when people grew tired of the traditionally cute characters, so began mixing cute with eerie.