“I don’t think it’s to appear to be healthy, it’s purely a style statement,” Tokyo-based French fashion designer Julien David said of activewear’s rise in the country. “The biggest shift in Kawaii is ...

Have you ever heard of the Japanese slang expression “gurokawa?” It’s a combination of the katakana words for grotesque and cute and is used to describe a distinct fashion style or character. Here are ...

Kawaii. You hear it in anime, you hear it on TV shows, and you hear it on the streets of Japan, where the word is spoken by young and old alike. With people around the world growing up on Japanese ...

From Sanrio characters to starry-eyed idol singers, it’s no secret that kawaii (“cute”) culture is huge in Japan. Whole museums and theme parks have been dedicated to the concept of kawaii. Heck, it’s ...

Often the perception of Japanese fashion is focused on the outlandish. Imagery of boldly dressed Shibuya teens and collections filled with logo-heavy sportswear gets the bulk of the global attention, ...