Japanese Lolita fashion has migrated overseas, with large-scale tea parties being held abroad. This we have already mentioned on New Tribe, but there is globalization continuing among Lolita fashion fans even within Japan. Among them, there are tea parties where the conversations are in English only; the majority of participants are people from outside of Japan. Recently there has also been the start of foreigner-hosted events.
This time there was a flea market visited by many foreigners, the “Gothic & Lolita Flea Market” and we photographed some of the foreigner Lolita fashion enthusiasts.
Abiba (Hometown: Miami), an American woman working in a law office in Japan, a member of Tokyo International Lolitas, this flea market was held by this organization for the second time, on the second floor of a café in Harajuku, on a side street off of Takeshita Dori.
Initially some people sold gothic and lolita items with normal clothing etc, at general flea markets like Yoyogi flea market, but there has never been specialized any gothic and lolita flea markets before we starts. At that time, it was held outdoors but it turned out having it be an outdoor event was not suitable for the delicate Lolita clothing, as it could get dirty or wet, so we started to hold indoors. At this second Gothic & Lolita Flea Market, the first of which was on May 1, 2016, about half of the visitors were foreign, and among them were also tourists whom did not have any relation with Lolita fashion, enjoying shopping. One middle-aged man was carrying a pink heart shaped bag with a pleasant figurine attached to it, perhaps thinking of it as a souvenir for his daughter.
Among Japanese Lolita fashion, specific varieties such as “○○loli” (Goth Loli etc.) are the most prevalent, but some of the Lolita styles worn by foreigners seem to be more free. There are many people who put emphasis on the mood of their coordinates and show an overall cuteness. There is a possibility that a new fashion will be born from there.
