Japan, Inc., April, 2003, by Lauren Sarti
IN THE CONSUMER-DAZED WORLD of Tokyo, a group of teens are battling the wave of change taking place in Japanese subculture. They are the FRUiTS kids of Harajuku, whose cutting-edge street fashion caused a cultural revolution, inspiring a new generation of designers all over the world.
The cult gained momentum in the mid-1990s, at the height of hokoten, or "pedestrian paradise," when Harajuku's main streets were a mecca for artists, musicians and trend worshippers of every kind. No longer willing to be slaves to designer labels, these kids created their own individual theme-based couture.
The vessel for their ideas was photographer Shoichi Aoki's FRUiTS magazine. It gave these shopping rebels the power to reach kids all over Japan. The release of the FRUiTS book by Phaidon Press in 2001 gave these kids a worldwide following.
Aoki says he was thrilled to have his work seen in Australia as part of the 2003 Sydney Festival. "I am proud of youth fashion culture in Japan. It is the only thing I can be proud of in present Japanese culture," he says.
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