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By Nwinkus, June 16, 2010 10:26 pm

Kogals (コギャル kogyaru, lit. “small/child girl”) are a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan, one of several types of so-called gals. They are characterized by conspicuously displaying their disposable incomes through unique tastes in fashion, music, and social activity. In general, the kogal “look” roughly approximates a sun-tanned California Valley girl, and indeed, the similarities between the two extend to the linguistic, for both subcultures have derived entire sets of slang terms (コギャル語 “ko-gyaru-go”). Kogals are not to be confused with the ganguro subculture, although they are similar. Kogals are known for wearing platform boots, a miniskirt, copious amounts of makeup, hair coloring (usually blond), artificial suntans, and designer accessories. If in school uniform, the look typically includes skirts pinned very high and loose socks (large baggy

socks (large baggy socks that go up to the knee). Kogals’ busy social lives and desire for new material goods leads them to be among the first consumers of Japanese cell phone technology, and their taste in clothes tends toward names such as Burberry scarves and Louis Vuitton handbags. Kogals spend much of their free time (and their father’s income) shopping, and their culture centers around the Shibuya district of Tokyo, in particular the 109 building, although any major Japanese city is sure to have at least a small population. During the summer, kogals may sometimes be seen at the beach. They are generally not seen in high-end department stores. Critics of the Kogal subculture decry its materialism as reflecting a larger psychological or spiritual emptiness in modern Japanese life. Some kogals support their lifestyle with allowances from wealthy parents, living a “freeter” or “parasite single” existence that grates against traditional principles of duty and industry. A small minority appear in pornography to finance their habits. More may engage in the practice of “compensated dating”, or enjo kōsai, which may at times border on quasi-legal prostitution. Internet-based usage of this term has led some Western observers to the mistake of believing that “kogal” means “prostitute”.The kogal phenomenon emerged in the mid-1990s and its effects can still be seen today in its numerous off-shoots of sub-categories, although conservative tastes in dress and hair color seem to be on the upswing. Interestingly enough, the Gothic Lolita aesthetic has been described as a reaction to the kogal look.

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By Andrew, September 9, 2009 7:33 pm

Afrokicks founders came up with the brilliant idea to let people proud of their country rep it on their shoes. So far the response has been so positive that more countries will be added to the company. NFL player Visanthe Shiancoe is the first of many celebrities that will surely show their African pride with Afrokicks. Jamati caught up with G.King for this exclusive interview.

When I first saw your sneakers I thought it was a brilliant idea to rep your country on your sneaker. Please share with us how the whole Afrokicks concept came about?

Well the idea came about in 2003 where a yearly event (Monrovia Classic) was held here in Atlanta. One of the other partners in the company (Baba Tunde Noibi), along with a couple other family members and myself wanted to rep Liberia in a way that no-one had ever done before. So we decided to get our Airforces hooked up the way you see our product today. The response was bigger than we imagined. From that moment we knew we had a real market for our product. You know there is a void in the sneaker market that needs to be filled. That void is the lack of African representation and we plan on filling it with Afrokicks.

What you are doing with Afrokicks is revolutionary because it’s a matter of pride to wear your home country flag and or colors. How do you see your brand as having a social impact on African youth?

Thank you Roxana. I see Afrokicks as having a major impact on African youth. Our youth needs to be connected to their roots and heritage tremendously. Unfortunately, the old way of sitting down with our parents to find out about our history, doesn’t work too well with today’s youth. We realized that hip-hop and urban lifestyle is what they connect to so we used the sneaker market to grab their attention and give them something that they can consider their own. Each pair of Afrokicks has a tag with a little bit of info about that country’s flag.

Wow, I am impressed my brother. I would need to rep for two West African countries because my family is from Sierra Leone and The Gambia and I am proud of that. How do you relate your sneaker to an eleven year old boy who is born and raised in the West who may not feel a source of pride for his parent’s African country?

That’s where our superstars come into play. When kids see some of their favorite athletes and entertainers with a pair of Afrokicks on, it helps draw them even closer to our product. So far we have reached out to some NFL players such as Vishante Shiancoe of the Minnesota Vikings (Liberia), Ovie Mulghelli of the Atlanta Falcons(Nigeria) and Joseph Addai of the Indianapolis Colts(Ghana) just to name a few. We also have a few other entertainers that will be wearing Afrokicks but I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

Since the sneakers are such unique products do you find it hard to market your sneaker? How do you identify your target consumer and how do you market this product to them?

Marketing our product isn’t that hard. We have done our research dealing with the African demographics so we have an idea of what cities in the U.S are heavily populated with Africans and what specific country they are from. We market these kicks through various websites, as well as posters and flyers. In 2008 you will see more Afrokicks ads with models instead of just the shoe.

Have you decided to partner with other brands for cross promotion?

We have been approached by a few apparel brands to do some cross promotion. Rebel Wear-One Nation, Jamhuri Wear, and Rasjudah are some of the lines that we have in mind to do some possible cross promotion with in the future.

Please describe your customer.

Our customer is not limited to an African. Our customer is anyone who identifies or wants to be identified with the African culture. We have a lot of customers that feel connected to Africa and are in love with the idea of Afrokicks. Then of course we have those that buy because the kicks are just that fly!

Your website only has kicks from Liberia, Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria listed. When do you plan to expand your product line to other countries?

Yes we do plan on expanding. Right now on our site we have a voting poll to help us determine which country or countries we should release next. So far we have been getting a lot of votes from Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

You are based in Atlanta, Georgia. What stores outside of Atlanta have picked up your Afrokicks for sale?

We are in negotiations with a few stores outside of Georgia. We want to make sure that we choose the right store in the right areas that can reach our customers. We are also working along with a few stores in the UK as well. So keep your eyes open because we plan on making Afrokicks a household name. We plan on being out there like all the other sneaker brands. It’s up to us Africans to take Afrokicks to the next level. We created this product for us to be worn with pride by us.

Well it sure sounds like there is nothing but success in your future.

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By Nwinkus, September 7, 2009 10:10 pm

Showmen to the last, Les Sapeurs have taken the genteel art of dressing to its illogical conclusion by adhering to the discipline known as La Sape – The Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes translated (the Society of Revelers and Elegant People)- otherwise referred to as the ‘religion of clothing’. Colonies of  La Sape exist in Kinshasa, Paris, Brussels and London and follow the example of Congolese rumba singer Papa Wemba (top left wearing a Cavalli fur coat on stage) the movements sartorial leader. The Sapeurs of  Congo Brazzaville and Congo enjoy a style rooted in the salons of Paris in 1920s, they wear designers like Cavalli, Versace, Gautier, Burberry,Comme de Garçons, Yamamoto, Miyake, Watanabe, Paul Gaultier and a lot more, yet choosing colours bright enough to stop traffic. Their armaments are hats, waist coats, scarfs, gloves and even a pair of braces, not to forget stylish shoes sunglasses and the odd cigar or pipe. Congolese immigrants  fascinated with the french style decided to imitate it, a number of them subscribe to Amicale, a pseudo religion founded by Congolese intellectual, Andre Grenard Matsoua, he returned from Paris in 1922 dressed in the fashion of the day and caused an uproar and a lot of admiration, he was known as the first Grand Sapeur, he struggled for human rights and freedom from colonial powers and as such achieved notoriety as a revolutionary, prophet and national hero.  I have always admired their ingenuity and indeed had they been of a different time and place  (not a country in transition) they will have been better acknowledged as style vanguard’s and artisans of a very unique craft ” the art of dressing in collage”.

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By Nwinkus, September 3, 2009 3:31 pm

Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers. The costumes here definitely have a touch of Haute couture with a carnival flavour.

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By Nwinkus, September 1, 2009 5:06 pm

The latest Converse collaboration was announced on the 1st of September.  Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo has created PLAY for Converse, which is being launched at the end of the month.  The designer took a lookback into the Converse archives, borrowing a Chuck Taylor silhouette from the ‘50s that was originally produced for the U.S. military. Here are the details: the four styles are available in black or white canvas, in high or low-top. Each pair features the Comme des Garçons PLAY heart emblazoned on the side. Bottom line: A chic sneaker by one of fashion’s most innovative minds will set you back a cool $100.

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By Nwinkus, August 25, 2009 1:01 pm

Adidas, the iconic sportswear label with the three stripes, turned 60  on 18th of August 2009. Officially founded in 1949 when the three-stripe trademark was registered, the then trainer label was kick-started by Adolf “Adi” Dassler and his brother Rudolph (who eventually parted company with Adi and, in an impressive display of sibling rivalry, went on to start his own, Puma). Thankfully, Adi had already proved himself a canny businessman in his own right, having driven to Bavaria to persuade sprinter Jesse Owens to wear his spikes for the 1936 Berlin Olympics in one of the earliest examples of sponsorship for an African-American sportsman. (Owens went on to win four golds, much to Hitler’s chagrin.) Adidas maintained its record over the years and soon moved off the track and into pop culture thanks to the likes of Bob Marley and Run DMC – the latter moved to compose a musical tribute in the form of 1986 song/advert “My Adidas” – with Oasis, Damon Albarn, Ian Brown and Paul Weller following in later years. As part of the 60th anniversary festivities, Adidas has sponsored photographer Lawrence Watson’s book and exhibition The World Is Yours, which documents three decades of musical icons and from which the above image is taken, as well as throwing a house party in its latest David Beckham featuring campaign .

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By Nwinkus, August 24, 2009 3:54 pm

Japanese street fashion has always fascinated me not just because there are a lot of different subcultures but because of the range of style’s or subculture’s, one of these being the Gothic Lolita style. It is usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims.  Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to add volume. Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour. Goth is a very minor subculture with few followers, partly because the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other factors such as music and literature less important signifiers and perhaps partly because Christianity and Germanic culture are not integral parts of society. More interestingly though a lot of these styles seem to have found their way on to or from the various catwalks, and i would like to know how much one influences the other.