Everybody knows Japan is a dishpan.

A copy of TokyoLOCO from 1999. I’ve seen other Japanese magazines and websites like this. Chock-full of shots of what people are wearing on the street. I think people over here do that too and call it cool-hunting but I think here, people use it as research to try to find something to market. They don’t just serve up the images. The New York Times had a column called Street Fashion that would point out a certain trend through a series of photos but I’ve never seen a whole American magazine like that.

Anyway, check out all the skate fashion. They also featured bmx riders and dancers as fashion subcultures. I’m not sure if the publishers are suggesting that this is a look the reader should emulate or just documenting it as a sort of anthropological curiosity. I wonder if the fad is over in Japan or if magazines are still featuring skaters as fashion trend setters.

The one above may be the quintessential image. No board or bike in sight, but the dude is in skatewear including helmet. Did the guy just dress like that? Also check out the image of the grocery clerk – rad apron.