Japan EXPO2014 in Paris, Kawaii occupies Paris! Harajuku's Lolita fashion is Hot! | "Japan In-depth"［ジャパン・インデプス］

.国際　投稿日：2014/7/6

Japan EXPO2014 in Paris, Kawaii occupies Paris! Harajuku’s Lolita fashion is Hot!

Hiroyuki ABE

From local Parisians to foreign visitors, everyone’s just eyes wide-open and gaping. Showers of flashes are suddenly thrown fascinatingly at some girls… as tens of Goth Lolitas walk by.

Two people stand behind this whole set-up: Chiaki Hayakawa, President of Hyper-Hyper Ltd., the head company of the long-established Goth-Lolita fashion shop PUTUMAYO, as well as Yoko Honda, President of Boutique a Atelier Pretty which runs Angelic Pretty store.

As the name tells, the “Tea Party” events held on July 2^nd (local time) were set as Japanese “Ocha-kai” get-togethers for Goth-Lolita lovers to exchange about and enjoy their hobby. It was just an amazing spectacle to meet all European girls wrapped in Goth Lolita outfits in one same room.

Apart from France, the girls were from everywhere from the Netherlands, the UK or even China, forming a very pretty international bunch. The hick, however, was that as even though it was set as a “Ocha-kai,” a participating fee ranging from 40 to 60 euro (5,000 to 8,000 yen) made it rather exclusive to wellborn girls.

One event was held at the quaint tea-salon A-Priori-Thé, and the Kawaii-loving girls’ eyes were all heart-shaped when the real-Kawaii Ambassador Misako Aoki made her appearance… So I asked Marine, a French college first-grader participant, about her Goth-Lolita background. “I’ve been doing it (Goth-Lolita dressing) for around 4 years. It was love at first sight when I saw it on the Internet! Although I don’t dress like this at University!”

Most of the girls know everything about Goth Lolita Japanese brands. They buy their outfits online and truly determined ones even make the trip to Japan once a year with their parents just to go shop around Harajuku. In words, all of them are high-over-heals about Japanese Goth-Lolita brands.

I thus asked the two entrepreneurs about their future plans.

“In the US, we sell through our distributor based in San-Francisco. In Europe, for the time being, we mainly sell through pop-up shops, but in the near future we hope to tie-up with a local business partner. We plan to do the same throughout Asia too.” explained Ms Hayakawa.

“We were selling in Paris through a representative for 3 years, but now we are no longer present. As we have secured our clientele, we really want to find a new local partner.” said Ms Honda.

Both are eager to tackle their overseas development. Right after the PUTUMAYO tea-party, more girls joined up and the powered-up Goth-Lolita’s army started to march in the streets of Paris from the Palais Royal to the Paris Opera. As TV cameras and Magazine reporters followed along, the Goth-Lolita troops surely attracted the eyes of passers-by.

The Angelic Pretty tea-party was held at the 5-star Hotel Le Bristol Paris. The best dresser prize chosen by participants was attributed to British high-school teacher Michaela Baker, who came all the way from Yorkshire. Her golden hair ornament was absolutely gorgeous.

“It’s fantastic! I can’t believe it. I would have never thought I would win!” said Michaela who couldn’t hide her joy.

At the end, I asked the world Goth Lolita icon Misako Aoki, who was on her 4^th trip to Paris, about her thoughts.

“Lolita lovers around the world are very passionate. Strolling around town, I realized that Paris and Lolita fashion are just matching perfectly and I could feel that it further strengthens the cultural ties between France and Japan.”

Japan Expo, an event that showcases Japanese traditional culture, as well as animation or foods, started on July 2^nd in Paris. It is the biggest year ever in terms of participation from Japanese businesses and artists. It certainly boosts the popularity for the REAL made-in-Japan. But the ever question comes to mind again on how to deal with it and grow solid business out of it.