Fashion has always constituted the concepts of trends and the hegemony instilled by fashion designers and companies alike. Sometimes, sub-fashion will protrude from the ordinary, producing an alternative style that is directed towards a very specific audience. Usually these styles clash against the norm, contributing its own unique blend of both fabrics and designs, shaping them into the very shibboleths that represent various subcultures.
Japan is known for its extensive styles of “kawaii” or cute fashion, meddling in pastels and cute images. These images are usually associated with cute animals, anime characters, and much more. Accessories are another contributing factor as people wear bracelets, earrings, and other unique body jewelry.
Now forget about all of that, forget about the cute little teddy bears, and the beady eyed chibis. Kawaii does not reign 24/7, as its antithesis hails in the dark crevices of Japan, shocking common folk, and unsettling many more.
Enter Gurokawa: the response to everything that is cute, the “anti-kawaii”. Guro stands for grotesque, and the kawa means “kawaii” or cute. Instead of cute animals patterned throughout garment, bloody eyeballs spurt forth from entire dresses, pants, and any other forms of accessories.
A macabre obsession with the dead is formed as gore adorns everything that is gurokawa fashion. This style does not merely belong to anyone, as only those who would dare step forth into the light, showcasing the horrors and grotesque ideals of a designer’s art, are able to stomach what this fashion entails.
Blood stained leggings, accompanied by platform boots, lending every aspect of one’s outfit to the lethality of real-world objects; knives, razor blades, and everything that is sharp, gurokawa is not an opposition to running with scissors!
As a bonus, check out this music video from London based artist Jazmin Bean. Bean embraces the Gurokawa fashion and pop music in a wonderfully morbid amalgamation of contrasting style and visuals.
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A.J Sunderland is a spooky child at heart from the Midwest. Their favorite books compromise of Battle Royale and anything the King has to offer. Besides writing, their other hobbies include cosplaying, music, and everything DIY.