One of the great things about being a book hound is finding the occasional
work that unexpectedly lifts you out of your usual mindframe and involves you
in a kind of parallel reality. It happened to me recently while browsing at Book
Buyers when I picked up Fruits Postcards. It’s a 2003 collection of 45
“street fashion portraits” from the suburbs of Tokyo, particularly in Harajuku,
where, unbeknownst to this clueless, middle-aged American, Japanese teenagers
have been creating their own over-the-top, pop-centric fashion styles, inspiring
a fanzine (Fruits, from which the photos came), and influencing millions
of their peers. The beyond-funky, hybridized, homemade fashions are created by
raiding various combinations of high fashion, hypercolors, plastic accessories,
cartoon characters, and unlimited hair coloring. After I’d been dragging around
depressed over the recent election, the rainy weather and other sundry day-to-day
problems, these kids’ wide-open creativity and sense of in-your-face fun were
a much-needed kick in the ass; a reminder that creativity is a funny thing, showing
up whenever and wherever it pleases; and an inspiration to get back in gear. Here
are some images from Fruits Postcards, which are taken from the book Fruits,
also available from Phaidon Press.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2004.
