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Strategies for designing; Japanese fashion subculture

Design is a broad term that combines many ideas and perspectives. However it can be agreed upon that design is the decision-making and a process that determines the function and characteristics of a product. In this article we look into the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of design to accomplish the final product for our clients. As such we will research into the context of the Japanese fashion sub culture ‘Lolita, and understand the necessity of investigating into ones context to design for their wants and needs.

In David Brown, (1990) ‘President of Art center college of design’ it is commented that designing ‘is an idea that can change our idea about the world and our place in it. Design is the intersection between commerce and culture, between the individual and the environment. At its best, design embodies respect between maker and materials, between maker and eventual user. Designing is more than a job or even a career, although our rapidly changing, increasingly international economy offers plenty of opportunity. Rather, designing is a commitment and, ultimately, a way of life. (p.5)

We as consumers have been brought up in a world consuming products that have been already designed and made for the ‘majority’ of the users. It has already been set by the designers what we should need and buy, but what about the ‘minority’ of the population?

As an example we will look into the ‘minority’ of the population, the Japanese Fashion subculture, ‘Lolita’. Lolita is now becoming worldwide and recognised today for its unique sense of style and its immense impact on the Japanese lifestyle. Though this cult began as the minority of the Japanese people, westerners are becoming slowly aware and it is gradually immersing into the western culture.

But how as designers can we relate to this group and design for this audience? Shall we just suppose that this ‘Lolita’ group only exists in japan and so should be ignored? But what if as designers we should also learn to design for the minority of the audience? The minority that needs catering for?

Fashion and interior are evidently known as two different fields of design, but it is the link between these two fields that provide designers the knowledge on how to design for their client. This is the reason why we will be researching into the most unreached fashion sub culture of Lolita’s. Though Japan commonly accepts this culture, if we as passbyers sight them within the city streets here in Sydney, we would personally be taken aback for it does not sink into our brains their unusual appearance.

Their fashion derived and inspired from the western culture of the 18th Century Victorian and Rococo era has become more than just a ‘style’. It has been categorised as a cult that influences and in which it becomes apart of many individuals lifestyle seen from the interior of their homes to the way they dress.

The idea of reliving the Victorian and Rococo era was heavily influenced by a Japanese musical band ‘visual kei’, or more specifically the leader known as, Mana. He is the main guitarist of the legendary band, and is well known for his cross-dressing, and wearing of elaborate feminine bodices, corsets and Victorian dresses. Many of his followers were determined to dress like their idol and led to the forming of the fashion sub culture of Lolita.

‘Lolita’ can be further broken down into smaller sub categories commonly known as, the sweet Lolita; recognised through pastel colours of their dresses of pink, white and blue. There are also the Gothic Lolita; seen through the monotone colours of their clothing and dark earthly toned makeup. The elegant Lolita; seen through the neutral colours throughout their clothing and with light innocent makeup. And classic Lolita; recognised through their sophisticated and mature looking style and the colours similar to elegant and sweet Lolita’s.

Though this unique sub culture began as a way of just embellishing themselves through clothing, accessories and makeup to be identified as a ‘Lolita’, now it has transformed and influenced the way they live and eat. The Lolita’s are big on eating sweet things such as cupcakes, lollies, frappes, ice-cream and the list goes on. For sweet Lolita’s their homes are furnished with dolls and everything are in the colour of baby pink and white. They like to relive their childhood with innocence and joy and also wish to behave in a very sophisticated, elegant manner just like the Victorian and Rococo era.

So in learning and researching all about the context of the Japanese sub culture, Lolita’s, it is vital to implement this knowledge and as designers design for our clients.

"The critical task is to design our package of stimuli so that it resonates with information already stored within an individual and thereby induces the desired learning or behavioral effect. Resonance takes place when the stimuli put into our communication evoke meaning in a listener or viewer. That which we put into the communication has no meaning in itself. The meaning of our communication is what a listener or viewer [or in the case of design, the consumer] gets out of his experience with the communicator's stimuli. The listener's or viewer's brain is an indispensable component of the total communication system. His life experiences, as well as his expectations of the stimuli he is receiving, interact with the communicator's output in determining the meaning of the communication.... To achieve a behavioral effect, whether persuading someone to buy a product or teaching a person about history, one designs stimuli that will resonate with the elements in a communication environment to produce that effect." (pp. 24 - 26, parentheses added)

So how do we begin to design for the Lolita’s? We need to remind ourselves “design is an innovation technique and is always a problem solving activity (borja de mozota, 1990, p.73) and should be continually developed and challenged through decision making and design process so the consumer knows exactly what it is that they are buying and what their expectations should be for the performance of the product.

A Fashion designer would automatically be designing, a Victorian style dress with the playful colors of pink, white and blue as they are inspired by this period. And because Lolita’s like to eat sweets why not produce fake lollies and cupcake accessories?

As designers it is important to know that the success of a design is through the researching element of the context of our clients. By knowing and embedding into our heads their needs and wants we will be able to communicate with them and produce a good effect. Researching is a ‘must’ strategy for designing.

Reference

Brown, D. R. (1990) President's Letter. Art Center College of Design Bulletin. Borja de Mozota, B. (1990) Design as a strategic management tool In M Oakley, B. Clipson, C. (l990b). First things first: a business and design educational experiment at the University of Michigan. Journal of Product Innovation Management. 7, 135-141. Gothic and Lolita Bible volume 34 2009