“If manga weren’t there, fashion would have had to invent it.”

Japanese manga and anime has been all the rage in recent years, even on major runways.

The manga storytelling style, which is defined by lush visuals and text, is derived from age-old works of Japanese art, illustrated scrolls dating as far back as the 12th century; it reached critical mass through serialization in newspapers and magazines in the 1920s. A century later manga is a billion-dollar industry that encompasses fine art, games, and, most notably, anime, its moving image counterpart.

The genre and its video counterpart, anime, has grown to establish a lucrative industry and an international imprint. Well-liked series such as Sailor Moon and Doraemon, in addition to the kawaii character Hello Kitty, have been born out of an explosion of interest in manga all over the world.

Sailor Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5txHGxJRwtQ

“I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice!” So cries Sailor Moon, the eponymous character of the hit manga and anime series Sailor Moon, to the forces of evil who plague her universe. Shortly thereafter, she proceeds to enter battle with her loyal crew of Sailor Guardians  – all while looking astonishingly stylish. 

Nearly 30 years on from when Sailor Moon first leaped off the pages of manga and onto television screens around the world, Naoko Takeuchi’s iconic characters have been endless wells of inspiration for fans of the show. But, now it’s their fashion that’s taking centre-stage. New-generation ‘Moonies’ are taking closer note of the outfits the Guardians wear in between battling monsters.

It’s easy to see why. From the onset, Sailor Moon was always a fashion-forward programme. Unlike other animated shows of the time, the main cast possessed an ever-rotating roster of outfit pieces they would call on each episode: from sweetheart dresses, cardigans, crop tops, and A-line skirts to blouses, turtlenecks, blazers, and button-up shirts.

Overall, “Sailor Moon is full of the best 90s trends and fashion inspirations, I think what resonates with people to this day about their fashion is how real it feels.” – Lisa Fevral, who creates videos that break down each Sailor Guardian’s personal style choices.

“There is no direct limit to who can wear what in Sailor Moon’s world, as long as you know how to wear it”

The styling of the main cast is crafted in a way that doesn’t box the characters in,” and that lends itself well to the superfluous nature of street style.

Guardians Makoto and Rei were often seen mixing masculine apparel such as hip hop-inspired sportswear with feminine colour blocking palettes, as well as the later queer guardians Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus – the latter of whom exclusively wore masculine clothing while in civilian mode.

Haruka traditionally donned classic brown suits, and took on the masculine feats of shibuya classic style with her classic white oversized shirt and red band tied around the arm, an iconic outfit and one of the overall fan favourite looks. “Gender doesn’t make a difference,” Haruka says at one point to the other Guardians after they mistake her for male in civilian-mode. “If you think that, you can’t protect the ones you love.”

TikTok and Instagram is the platform to see Sailor Moon arrive as a street style trend. With most of the Guardians’ looks now archived by the Instagram account @sailor_fashionistas, creator Ella Cheng.

When she first started creating content, many of her followers asked for recreations of anime fashion. Sailor Moon style is so appealing in today’s world because of its diversity of choice. “Most of their clothing choices have their own colour palette and unique ways to style it that reflects their personalities,” Cheng explains.

With more young content creators popping up every day recreating and archiving the fashion of Sailor Moon, it only reaffirms what Moonies everywhere already knew: timeless, dynamic, and sometimes queer – Sailor Moon will never go out of style.

Anime influence

Anime’s influence on fashion goes beyond the runway shows of the past few years. In the early 2000s, animes like Nana inspired a generation of teens with its mixture of goth and 90s riot grrrl style. Today, however, characters are placed directly onto designer items.

Indeed, anime not only serves to inspire the way today’s youth culture looks, but is now poised as the subject itself. Evidencing luxury fashion’s infatuation with anime aesthetics was Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 16 ready-to-wear show, which featured visuals inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell and Sailor Moon. Streetwear, on the other hand — has collectively expressed its affinity for Japanese animation via numerous collaborations with the creators of pioneering anime like Akira and Dragon Ball Z.

Recently, Gucci released a Doraemon X Gucci capsule collection for Chinese New Year, placing the manga cat-robot on bags, tees, and more.

Anime styles and allusions are especially prevalent in streetwear. Accessible brands like Uniqlo and Adidas have put out highly successful collaborations with Manga series, high-end brands, closely linked to hype beast culture, like Supreme and Bape have also engaged in similar collaborations.

Merchandise with popular characters and themed home goods are just a few things that have precipitated out the collective adoration of the various shows and series. However, the manga obsession does not stop there.  Louis Vuitton, Moschino, and Prada have all embraced manga on the runway with statement pieces inspired by the signature comic style and direct allusions to viral characters.

Top Anime Collaborations:

• Bait x Diadora x Astro Boy

• The Hundreds x HOOK-UPS

• MSGM X Attacker You!

• BAPE x One Piece ∣ Dragon Ball ∣ Pokemon

• Uniqlo X Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon ∣ Shonen Jump

• Air Jordan x Slam Dunk

• AKIRA x Supreme

• Adidas x Dragon Ball