Interview: Kawaii goes international
It's joined the league of sushi, samurai and kimono: the word kawaii is now part of the global consciousness, with enthusiasts from Seattle to Stockholm embracing Japan's take on cuteness. Although the culture traces its origins to Harajuku, is that neighbourhood still the kawaii capital of the world, and how are cute styles evolving beyond the borders of Japan?
We sat down with three influencers from overseas, who were visiting Tokyo as guests of NHK World's 'Kawaii International' programme, to get the latest on international kawaii trends. Here's what UK native Beckii, Bolivia's Kazumi and American Kacey had to say.
What is kawaii culture like in your respective countries?
Beckii: I'm from the Isle of Man, a small island in UK. Growing up there, there was no kawaii fashion at all, only boring normal clothes. But when I discovered Japanese fashion online, my eyes were opened to this whole new world that really caught my eye.
So I tried to put together outfits from the things I could find on the UK high streets, but also came to Japan, went shopping here...still managing to pull off the look on the island. I recently moved to London, and there’s definitely more of a community, which is nice.
In London, it’s established, with communities of different cultures, fashion communities. When there are events like Japan in London or Comic Con, or even concerts for Japanese artists, we dress up and it's really nice to see everyone together, wearing Japanese fashion.
Kazumi: [In Boli