white dress and white veiled hat, both teamed up with black detailing, and shiny black boots, all of which reflected her haunting yet sweet music and vocals.
The stage also hosted a fashion showcase featuring three up and coming Japanese designers based in Europe. Arisa Fukumoto’s clothes celebrated femininity, with influences of classical ballet adding sparkle to the delicacy.
Doi mixed power with elegance and Japanese tradition in a dynamic monochromatic display where the models changed outfits before your very eyes. And Satoshi Date, who created the music to accompany his collection, used gentle colours and soft handmade techniques to create a calm and reflective mood.
Other fashion stalls at the event included traditional kimono as well as contemporary items inspired by the fun spirit of Harajuku. Roxie Sweetheart was selling an array of adorable pastel coloured jewellery and trinkets, Dragon Dreads had kawaii accessories (including some delicious looking cake and sweet-inspired jewels) and Now, Voyager had a very eye-catching range of hair accessories, from cake slice and bird fascinators to rubber duck, plastic fish and knitted shrimp hair clips.
If you were on a budget but needed a head-turning hairpiece you need not have headed any further than the Japanese crafts area, where friendly lessons in flower making were taking place. It was astonishing to discover that a humble paper serviette could be turned into a beautiful floral accessory simply by cutting once, folding, tying with a rubber band and teasing out the paper layers, before attaching a simple hairgrip.
Flowers were also being made to send to Japan for the annual Tanabata summer festival in Sendai, one of the areas worst hit by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, and many people eagerly created blooms, as well as giving donations and messages of support to the Japanese people.
Add to the mix a robot show, a voyage into the world of sake, sushi making demonstrations, the search for UK Kawaii Star of the Year (won by Scarlett Young) and many more treats and you needed three days to experience all that Hyper Japan had to offer – if you wanted an even bigger slice of J-culture you’d have to get on the plane to Tokyo to top it!
To keep on top of news for the next Hyper Japan show visit www.hyperjapan.co.uk
You can also view more photos from Hyper Japan over at our gallery.
Article & photos: Kerry Ashdown
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