Mood board: Takeshita Street in the Harajuku district of Junya Watanabe’s native Tokyo abounds in boutiques dedicated to Kawaii culture – the Japanese aesthetic that revels in cuteness and colour, Hello Kitty, Lolita fashion and the fetishisation of childhood. Yet, on Harajuku’s streets a more sinister subculture is rising: Yami Kawaii imbues the saccharine elements of Kawaii style with more sinister overtones, related to the grotesque. Watanabe dosen’t deal in clichés. The hybrid nature of his clothing takes classic shapes like a trenchcoat, an MA-1 bomber jacket, or a pretty floral smock and smartly splices and deconstructs them into something new. The Kawaii girls that walked on the catwalk in pairs for his A/W 2019 show, had an uneasy undertone, their hair in thick bunches, eyelashes long and clumpy, their lips offputtingly pink. The mashed up dresses/denim jackets/parkas/chunky knits they sported, changed shape according to the pose each model struck on the catwalk.
Best in show: A trenchcoat was spliced with a floral prairie dress, with trails of taffeta fabric. A white leather jacket was sewn into a delicate smock with pointillist blooms. Spliced, diced perfection.
Finishing touches: There was a toughness to Watanabe’s Kawaii gang, and models sported chunky cowboy boots embellished with rows upon rows of pointed studs. What else could you need for walking the streets of Harajuku?
Junya Watanabe A/W 2019.
Junya Watanabe A/W 2019.
Junya Watanabe A/W 2019.
Junya Watanabe A/W 2019.
-
This restored Danish country home is a celebration of woodworking – and you can book a stayDinesen Country Home has been restored to celebrate its dominant material - timber - and the craft of woodworking; now, you can stay there too
-
Bold colours, materials and technical nous: Hublot’s LVMH Watch Week releasesHublot celebrates its distinctive design codes with eight new watches unveiled at LVMH Watch Week 2025, including a Spirit of Big Bang nod to the Year of the Snake
-
A secluded farmhouse in southwest Ireland makes a colourful case for slow livingLiving consciously comes effortlessly at Summerage at The Burren, a serene retreat for city and country dwellers alike
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Sacai A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Alexander McQueen A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s
