3m 23s: Lenght

We recently hit the streets of Tokyo to capture some of the latest styles and hot influencers. In Japan, when hair is messy, shirts are haphazardly untucked, or even how food is arranged on a plate - it is all in the name of style. We can partially credit all of this to a guy named Ho'ami Koetsu, who back in the 1600's created the contemporary standard for Japanese aesthetics. His idea was that everything in daily life is a canvas for design. So, that explains why style here is calculated, composed, and designed to the max. Worshipped for their style sensibility, shop girls and boys take on near celebrity status and their hair stylists are like rock stars. Daywear, work wear, evening wear - who cares? Anything goes as long as it looks good. That is why even though Japanese street fashion is well documented, there's always something fresh to see as it's constantly reinventing itself. The latest inspirations? These days hair is blue, bleached, burnt, anything but black. For girls, 'kawaii' is eternally in and there is a serious 80's revival too. We met Tabuchi, owner of an influential store called Spank, who goes for Care Bear chic, while shop girl Yuri flaunts metal studs in a nod to heavy metal hair bands. For every cutie striking a pose for the street snap paparazzi, there is a dark rocker look to be found not far away, like the Goth twin brothers Atsushi and Takashi who towered over all in his super stacked platform boots and long skirts - a gender bending masterpiece! Meanwhile DJ and girl about town Sioux channeled Japanese woman with a capital "W" wearing some very unique graphic tights. Though Japan sometimes gets some slack for turning fashion into a costume contest with a style over substance approach, it is the land of stylistic freedom. Mashing-up, remixing, and sampling already existing styles, the kids here create their own vocabulary. Where else but in Tokyo are the streets a constant backdrop for style snap fashion shoots, where on a beautiful day even a park can turn into a runway.