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How Japenese Culture Influenced Modern Street Style:

An Analysis of Tech-Wear

Cultural Tour

Abi Booth

COM 3300.350

10.05.22

What is "Tech-Wear?"

What is "Tech-Wear"?

  • Tech-Wear: "It’s urban apparel that uses high-quality fabrics, and technical detailing to create a product that can stand up to the elements" (Lasselle, 2021).
  • Urban techwear is a glimpse into the not-too-distant future combining the following ideas:

Cyberpunk, a brief overview:

CyberPunk is a subculture and aesthetic influenced heavily by Japan's media. It has lead to the creation of videogames, role playing games (similar to Dungons and Dragons), and anime.

cyberpunk

In the world of fashion, CyberPunk is equally influenced heavily by technology and often features pieces that have tech embedded, such as face masks that have inferred technology, jackets with tracking devices, and so on. Some even include tech-based body implants.

A CyberPunk World is a oppressive, technology obsessed distopian future, filled with neon lights, high skyscrapers, and often, broken economic systems.

CyberPunk & Japan

CyberPunk & Japan

CyberPunk is derivitative of Japanese culture. BFI, 2019 states that "the genre's foundational texts, notably Ridley Scott's 1982 movie Blade Runner and the 1984 William Gibson novel Neuromancer, had drawn heavily on Japan and its urban landscapes for inspiration. The genre's foundational texts, notably Ridley Scott's 1982 movie Blade Runner and the 1984 William Gibson novel Neuromancer, had drawn heavily on Japan and its urban landscapes for inspiration" (BFI, 2019).

BFI also reflects on Japan's history and how that has shaped the landscapes seen in CyberPunk. A commonly referenced movie for this aesthetic is the 1990 Japanese film Akira. BFI states, "The opening scene of Akira shows an aerial shot of Tokyo on July 16, 1988, the same date as the Trinity Test explosion of 1945. Incidentally, the shots are strikingly similar to photos of Hiroshima after an American B-29 bomber dropped a payload that wiped out roughly 80,000 people" (BFI, 2019).

Japan's history and urban landscape have shaped the CyberPunk genera, which has heavily influenced Tech-Wear. Tech-Wear has adapted the ideas of technology-based apparel and the urban setting commonly found in CyberPunk.

Let's go back to find out how Sci-Fi and Ninjas have similarly been influenced by Japanese Culture!

Science Fiction & Japan

science fiction

Science Fiction is deeply rooted in Japanese history. From the 1959 movie "Godzilla" to the 2020 video game "Ghost Of Tsushima", Japan has had its fair share of influential Sci-Fi media releases.

Sci-Fi often features monsters which are inspired by Japanese mythology. Let's take Godzilla, for example. The movie tells a tale of a monster who seeks to destroy humankind as punishment for their overextended growth and destruction of nature.

Japanese mythology tells a tale of a Hanzaki, a salamander who would eat humans and livestock if it grew large enough. A young boy killed the salamander, and his whole town was cursed as a result.

The idea of nature fighting back against human intervention is present in Japanese historical mythology and modern Science Fiction.

Science fiction has been influenced by story-telling in Japan through their mythology. Hence, Japanese culture has influenced science fiction into the way we know it today!

Sci-Fi also has impacted Tech-Wear. Tech-Wear focuses on aesthetic appeal and utility - many elements of clothing items are added because of their functionality. Weatherproofness, oversized pockets, clasps, and versatility are all essential to nail the Tech-Wear look.

This look has been modeled off many styles that appear in Sci-Fi movies - after all, when you're trying to survive monsters like Godzilla, functionality and comfort are key!

So what does this mean?

Ninja, or Shinobi: A Brief History

"Ninja (aka Shinobi) were the specialised assassins, saboteurs, and secret agents of medieval Japanese warfare who were highly-trained proponents of the martial arts, especially what later became known as ninjutsu or 'the art of the ninja'" (Cartwright, 2019).

The art of the ninja, or ninjutsu, is one of the many forms of martial arts practiced in Japan.

Ninjas were both assassins and spies and had to conceal their identity, move quickly, and be undetectable.

They are typically pictured as wearing dark clothing, hoods, face coverings, and having weapons such as swords, daggers, or nunchucks.

ninja/shinobi

Stylistically speaking, Tech-Wear has adapted many elements of the familiar image of Shinobi. Hoods, dark colors, shielded faces, and anonymity are all commonly seen aspects of Tech Wear.

It is also not unusual to see weapons as accessories, another feature borrowed from Ninja imagery.

Shinobi Influence on Tech-Wear

Traditional Japanese Clothing: Modernized

Japanese Culture is also evident in the Tech-Wear trend through the adaptation of traditional clothing items.

Kimonos are recognizable as a traditional garment worn in Japan. "Culture Trip" states that, "in Japan [kimonos] are closely linked with manners and can reflect the formality of an occasion. Wearing the appropriate garment for the right event is a way of conveying respect and gratitude" (Joy, 2016).

An altered form of Kimonos are sometimes seen adapted into modern Tech Wear, such as the one pictured here:

This is a demonstration of how culture can be handed down across generations - the modern take on ancient traditions is an example of new appreciation and culture being carried on.

So, we've discussed how traditional Japanese clothing has been updated to be passed along through generations. We've looked at how the Japanese influences of Ninjas, CyberPunk, and SciFi have inspired Tech-Wear. But why is Tech-Wear important?

In the age of technology, subcultures such as Tech-Wear build communities. In a globalized world, platforms such as Reddit, Tumblr, and Discord host groups of people with a vested interest in subcultures and trends such as Tech-Wear. They form communities, connect, and communicate.

The passion for these subcultures is shared globally, ultimately allowing for Japanese culture to be shared among people of other cultures who may not have discovered it otherwise!

What does this all mean?

BFI. (2019, April 1). Where to begin with Japanese cyberpunk. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-japanese-cyberpunk

Cartwright, M. (2019). World History Encyclopedia - Ninja. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.worldhistory.org/Ninja/

Joy, A. (2016, November 1). A Brief History of the Japanese Kimono. Culture Trip. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-japanese-kimono/

Lasselle, O. (2021, March 1). What is Techwear: Apparel of the Future. Altitude Blog. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://altitude-blog.com/en/what-is-techwear-apparel-of-the-future/

References!

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