What is FRUiTS?

FRUiTS Magazine Tokyo Japan

Fruits (written “FRUiTS”) is a Japanese fashion magazine covering the fashions of the Harajuku  district of Tokyo, established in 1997 by photographer  Shoichi Aoki. Excerpts from the magazine were compiled to create the Phaidon Press books Fruits (2001) and Fresh Fruits  (2005).

An exhibition of Aoki’s photographs for the magazine, developed by the Powerhouse Museum, has toured museums in Australia and New Zealand.

FRUiTS is a monthly magazine published by photographer Shoichi Aoki in Japan. It started in 1997 after Aoki noticed a new trend in fashion among young people in Harajuku. Instead of a fashion trend that was dictated by designers, this was a trend started by the young people themselves.

Young people would mix traditional Japanese clothing such as kimonos or geta sandals, with Western or local Japanese designs, even with punk clothing. These people were not brand obsessed like most Japanese people are known to be. They developed a “Harajuku Free Style” fashion trend which Aoki wanted to document in FRUiTS.

Since the trend began in the mid-nineties, the street style has expanded to cover many sub-genres, like punk, Decorer, Gothic Lolita or just kawaii.

The trend has died down in recent years – probably due to the fact that Omotesando (the main street in Harajuku) isn’t closed to cars on Sundays anymore, so the FRUiTS kids no longer have anywhere to hang out. Aoki still manages to publish a magazine each month though, especially since the magazine has achieved cult status in both Japan and overseas.

FRUiTS is a great look into the minds and fashions of Harajuku youth and is available by subscription, or in two volumes of books from Phaidon Press.

Official FRUiTS English website: http://www.fruits-mg.com/xnew/e/index.html
Official FRUiTS Japanese Website: http://www.fruits-mg.com/xnew/j/index.html

The Powerhouse Museum curated the exhibition FRUiTS: Tokyo street style – photographs by Shoichi Aoki,

More about FRUiTS

The photographs document the individualistic styles young people wear around the Harajuku district of Tokyo. If there are identifiable themes, they can broadly be described as fun, original, authentic, and the recording of emerging social trends and technology. The message seems to shout through the repetitive format of these photos; a modern person head to toe in the foreground against an urban backdrop: “You are the best stylist to express yourself”.

The fashion styles showcased in Fruits have a parallel concerning the disregard to conventions that punk takes to the extreme. However, unlike the punk movement, there is less, if any, of a political agenda expressed by “Fruits.”

Fruits photographs styles which are distinct from Cosplay, which is a hobby where people dress like their favourite manga, anime, or video-game character.

The inside contains very few ads, most of which are to advertise a shop in Harajuku. The pictures take up the entire page, except for a white bar at the bottom which breaks down the person’s outfit piece by piece to tell the reader where it was purchased (or in some cases, who made it), explains the “point of fashion” of the outfit (the main focal point of the ensemble), and gives a brief description of the person’s age, social position, and interests. The back may include an interview with a staff member at the magazine. The very back shows reader-submitted pictures.

Buy The FRUiTS Books