Decora Aesthetic

The Decora aesthetic started in Japan as a subset of Harajuku fashion and culture. Harajuku is known for its variety of aesthetics and street fashion, with many subsets deriving from each other, forming new aesthetics and culture. Decora began in the 1990s and is derived from the English word “decoration.” The fashion aesthetic is characterized by bright, colorful colors and various accessories, mainly bright hair clips, stickers, charms, and jewelry. It focuses on laying different bright patterns, such as stripes and polka dots, and uses the hair as a main canvas for accessories needed to express the aesthetic. In a way, Decora is very similar to Kidcore in that it revolves around cutesy styles and patterns, with many accessories reflecting that sort of childlike wonder. If I had to compare it to something from the United States, I would say that it reminds me of things such as LISA FRANK and candy. According to Yokogao Magazine, the aesthetic was started by FRUiTS Magazine or the store 6% DokiDoki, which is prominent in the decora culture. A key influencer in the aesthetic was an artist named Tomoe Shinohara; according to the magazine, she was a key influence in redefining “kawaii” or cute and would dress in bright colors and patterns, leading her fanbase to begin mimicking the style. The aesthetic has grown so big that it has developed subcultures of decora such as pink decora, dark decora, and decora lolita. These take the same playful and accessory-filled ways of Decora and have grown to fit different color schemes or merged with other aesthetics, such as Lolita, which is very doll-like. The Decora aesthetic is very out there and is maximalist in all ways, but it is pretty big in Fashion. It has also become mainstream in music, western fashion, and even toys and dolls, developed solely from it. A prominent example could be the Decora Girls toy line, which features different dolls that follow the Decora fashion in various color schemes and subcultures; the dolls feature different interchangeable accessories and are reminiscent of how “kawaii” fashion is in Japan. Along with the doll line, the aesthetic has a big community among maximalists, and the style is used as a way for people to express themselves outside of the norm. This aesthetic has many creators and people who help increase its popularity and have a community within it, with one of the pictures above being from a popular decora youtuber/influencer by the name of Cybr.grl on YouTube, where she makes videos explaining the aesthetic and helps guide others into how they can clothing and accessories along with other lifestyle like videos. In the video I linked, she gives different tips for beginners coming into the fashion aesthetic, and the advice varies from where to get your accessories to how often you should remain in the clothes, where you can wear and place those accessories, and what you can all. The second video I linked from her is another explanation of Decora coming straight from her, and it is good at offering insight into this style.

Pictures are from 1998 FRUiTS Magazine Archive, @ozo_ni, @sasami_popculture,@Cybr.grl, @twinkle.pink_, google

https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/what-does-decora-fashion-mean-kawaii-culture

https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/decora-kei-harajuku

https://youtu.be/OtnLrI29cZE?si=QXrcNbRFsokO1Lt4

https://youtu.be/TjHyydFyu_Y?si=iLVdxtxBT4tFsoEL