Both Japan and the US are countries where people are concerned with current fashion trends. New York and Tokyo are both international fashion capitals, so it is not surprising that both Tokyo street fashion and North American fashion influence each other. You’ll often see both Japanese and American brands becoming popular in both countries, and it is easy to see similarities between the two fashion trends.
One factor that makes Tokyo street fashion easy to wear in North America is the weather. Both Japan and the US have four seasons, and fashion trends follow these seasons. Also, both the US and Japan have rich cultures, where fashion trends arise out of the different cultural backgrounds found throughout both countries.
Goth, punk and grunge are major influences in Tokyo street fashion, but these concepts came from North America, predominantly from musician. You’ll see a lot of black, chains, spikes and studs in current Tokyo street fashion, some of which have been used by American teenagers in the past. Even the Lolita fashion trend, characterized by cute doll-like make-up and dresses, has a Gothic sub-group, the GothLoli (short for Gothic Lolita). Instead of the usual cute and fancy colorful dresses, black becomes a dominant color for those into Gothic Lolita. This is a good example of how North American street fashion has influenced Tokyo street fashion.
On the other hand, cosplay has spread all over the world. It has become an almost normal occurrence to see teenagers and young people wearing costumes of their favorite anime and manga characters. In the US, more and more teenagers have embraced cosplay, which started in Tokyo. Americans have incorporated their own fashion sense into the characters and costumes that they create, making cosplay a unique and fun fashion trend in the US.
Even the American biker’s way of life has influenced Tokyo street fashion. There are some young Japanese who would follow the biker fashion trend, and in fact, the bosozoku trend (Japanese biker style) has become popular among the younger generation. It may not be as popular as other trends such as Lolita and Gyaru, but it is still a concrete example of how North American street fashion has influenced Tokyo street fashion.
