Cute/Kawaii Style Lives On

According to a Business of Fashion article "Amongst Chinese Girls, Cute Gives Way to Cool", girls under the age of 25 in China are moving away from the cute and girly style which their older sisters have always loved. Aside from China, this cutesy trend has been extremely popular as well in other Asian countries such as Korea and of course, Japan where the word cute translates to "kawaii"! 

Vivi, a Japanese fashion magazine

 Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers inspired by her Japanese backup dancers and Tokyo street fashion 

Pamyu Pamyu, the most famous pop princess in Japan right now. Read about her on Dazed Digital

 NYC-based fashion designer Anna Sui's fragrance and cosmetics line, with its cute and girly packaging, is quite popular in the Japanese market

Last year it was reported by consultancy firm Bain & Co. that Chinese buyers have overtaken the Americans and Japanese as the biggest consumers of luxury goods in the world so it's quite obvious that retailers are keeping their eyes on this very important market. It's interesting to see how global fashion and accessory brands will react to this supposed shift in taste. For now they still have to focus on the "Post-80s" generation, women between 25-35 years old who are educated and financially independent, and surprise, surprise, avid fashion shoppers. The article adds "According to a recent survey by the Boston Consulting Group, urban working women aged 26 to 35 are the biggest spenders on clothing in China. The survey also indicates that urban female consumers aged 14 to 45 account for 54 percent of total consumption of clothing in China." 

Evident from a recent collaboration between NYC-based artist Craig Redman of Darcel Disappoints and American fashion label Kate Spade, cute and girly are still here to stay. ♥