David Marx on the end of FRUiTS style.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

Adults made money on Gyaru commerce but they weren't allowed to freeze the style as Tokyo Gyaru Monster Cafe or whatever.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

Compared to Harajuku style, Gyaru style avoided full cooptation by constantly changing in ways that confounded adults.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

It was rock'n'roll, then preppie, then designer-y, then streetwear and FRUiTS, now... tourists wanting to see the FRUiTS kids (and popcorn)

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

Also that Nirvana T-shirt on the cover says it all: Harajuku is like a shrine to itself 20 years ago. It used to change with the times.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

So if Aoki doesn't want to change the fashion look of his magazine and doesn't like the new kids who dress that way... End of FRUiTS.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

This is a common pattern: art school students make rebellious style, gets codified and made into mass culture, attracts different people

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

And the people who dress in it don't do it for the same reasons: they dress that way to be social media stars or be on variety TV.

W. David Marx @wdavidmarx

I don't think it's just Uniqlo-ization. That FRUiTS style has become codified as a FRUiTS style that is now literally 20+ years old. twitter.com/HirokoTabuchi/…