Turning Japanese: How Far East fashion is invading our wardrobes
FROM bows and sailor collars to cat motifs and jelly sandals, British fashion is being infiltrated with cute style updates inspired by the Far East
The street style in Japan is known for being vibrant, playful and eye-catching.
And it's now beginning to influence British fashion too.
Kawaii, which in the context of Japanese culture means "cute", is slowly making its way into our wardrobes and appearing on our catwalks.
Sarah Young, HYPER JAPAN's resident kawaii expert, reveals the top 10 ways us Brits are turning Japanese...
1. Food jewellery
From fruits and burgers, to pizza and ice creams, food jewellery is becoming more and more popular in the UK.
Cakes are a big trend in Britain, with fashion fans wearing necklaces with slices of cake and cute cupcake rings.
2. 80's cartoons
My Little Pony, Care Bears and Bananaman prints can be seen all over the British high street in the form of T-shirts, socks, jackets and pyjamas.
This theme is a key part of the Japanese fashion Fairy Kei, which mixes decora and Lolita styles with an 80's twist.
3. Oversized jumpers
Wearing jumpers a few sizes too large has always been a part of modern day fashion.
Oversized clothing can make you seem smaller and cuter, which is exactly what kawaii fashion tries to emulate.
4. Jellies
There's been a resurgence in jelly sandals thanks to companies like JuJU bringing them out in a variety of colours and patterns.
Once popular in the 90s, these shoes are a staple of kawaii fashion.
5. Ruffled socks
Ankle socks with a ruffled lace around the top are a kawaii essential.
Now, along with jellies, they have become popular in high-street fashion with shops like Topshop and Primark stocking them.
6. Sanrio characters
Hello Kitty has always been big in the Western world, but now other Sanrio characters like My Melody and Little Twin Stars are popping up in British clothing stores.
7. Animal hats
Pandas, puppies, frogs, tigers, kittens and cows have become popular headwear decorations.
These hats started gaining popularity in 2011 and since then, every winter, high-street shops come out with a new line of fuzzy, cute animal hats.
8. Cats
Cat cafés (coffee shops where cats can be watched and played with) are big in Japan and the latest "Grumpy Cat" meme is more popular than ever.
Cats feature on many different items, such as gloves, bags, shoes and jackets.
9. Sailor collars
Sailor-collared cardigans and shirts are a favourite summer choice.
Seifukus, which are cutesy sailor-style schools uniforms, are essential staples in kawaii wardrobes. Seifukus are seen in kogal, a Gyaru sub-fashion, fairy kei and decora.
10. Bows
In kawaii, bows are used as headpieces, jewellery and for decoration.
In the West, more and more people are choosing to wears bows.
They're cute, versatile and sometimes just give an edge to an outfits.
See hyperjapan.co.uk.