FRUITS 3 LOLITA AND GOTHIC

ENGLISH TEXT

Masayuki Yoshinaga and Katsuhiko Ishikawa
The Japanese fashion phenomenon, born in the underground clubs of Tokyo and Osaka, has now made its way onto the streets
Eccentric fashions, inspired by western Gothic, Victoriana and Rococo style have taken on a cultish following
From the same family as Phaidon’s bestselling Fruits and Fresh Fruits, this is a new and exclusive collection of photographs taken in the downtown areas of Harajuka and Akihabara, by the cult photographer Masayuki Yoshinaga (b.1964)
Hundreds of teenagers pose for the camera in their imaginative and often surreal outfits and offer personal insights into the ideas behind their personal fashion choices
A mixture of high fashion and homemade items, their creations provide inspiration to professional and would-be designers, as well as teenagers and ‘Gothic’ fans

Katsuhiko Ishikawa (b.1964) is an expert in underground culture. He edited Bizarre Magazin from 1993–4 and, in 1997, he edited Qyar, where he met Araki Nobuyoshi. In 1998 he launched Thrill, a men’s street fashion magazine and project edited Araki’s Utai-Me in 2000. Since that time he has produced many other books and magazines and continues to document street and urban subcultures.
Masayuki Yoshinaga (b.1964) is a fashion and reportage photographer, whose images have appeared in such magazines as Dazed & Confused and The Face. His work was recently shown in the Barbican Art Centre's Jam exhibition and at the Dazed & Confused Gallery in London. He lives in, and continues to investigate, the subcultures of Tokyo.