Japanese Men’s Fashion Remains Essentially Conservative despite the Latest Trends among the Young

You would imagine that in Japan’s conservative society, men would not be as concerned about fashion as women. But the increasing influence of western society has led many young Japanese men to embrace fashion as avidly as their female counterparts. At present, the most commonly seen Japanese mens fashion trends are Bosozoku and Onii-kei.

Japanese Fashion Styles

Bosozoku is a fashion style associated with illegal street racing and motorcycle gangs. The look is pure hoodlum – a leather jacket with kanji slogans worn open with no shirt underneath, the better to flaunt battle scars or tattoos, baggy pants tucked into tall boots to prevent the cuffs from getting caught in a motorcycle’s wheels, and to top it off, a greased-back hair style. Sunglasses, bandannas and chains are typical accessories.

The look of the Onii-kei men, on the other hand, is casual and focuses on tailored jackets, tight leather jeans and pointy leather shoes. Onii-kei men are said to be obsessed with designer brands, and it is not uncommon to see them sporting the latest styles of watches, sunglasses and belts. Hair is also worn slightly longer, and in a shaggy style but meticulously groomed and scented. Onii-kei is intended to evoke a sexy American look.

But the trendsetters in Japanese mens fashion are said to be the salon boys. These are apprentice or professional hair stylists in their teens or early twenties who not only sport the latest hairstyles, they also set fashion trends. In designing their look, they mix designer brands with vintage fashions. Their attention to detail is meticulous – nothing escapes their attention, from their shoes to accessories such as sunglasses and hats. They can mostly be found in the Harajuku district of Tokyo, which is renowned for its street fashion.

The salon boys craze was set off by the success of the 1999 cult television series “Scissors League” about the lives of artistically-gifted hair stylists. The series led to the rise of so-called ‘charisma hairdressers’ who became fashion icons on TV and in magazines, and made hair styling a popular career choice for young men. Their style has also proven to be popular with women, and they are credited with launching unisex trends including long cardigans and fedoras.

The majority of Japanese men in their twenties, however, have adopted a more conservative style known as kireime. The emphasis of this style is on neatness although it is also said to be influenced by the salon boys to some extent. Kireime fashion also covers the so-called conservative-kei, which is more mature in its look. It is also confusingly known as onii-kei, since onii is the Japanese term for older brother.

Japanese Mens Fashion Style

Other Japanese mens fashion styles are mode-kei, which is also referred to as ‘high fashion-kei’ for its emphasis on designer brands; Rock, which favors a hard and tight look with black outfits; and extreme or street, which includes B-kei or hip-hop fashion, outdoor-mix and skater-fashion.

New trends in Japanese mens fashion will undoubtedly continue to emerge in the future as young fashionistas continue to absorb western and other cultural influences and develop them into a style that is uniquely Japanese.