Mana Watanabe

Shop representative galaxxxy

Harajuku girl leads next-generation kawaii.

Ms. Watanabe dreams of her future as a fashion designer. She says, “My fashion balances materials and colors. My recent trend is to combine showy with chic, as well as heavy and light — for example, mixing knits with artificial leather and organdy with metallic materials.” She continues, “I recently enjoyed putting OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) fiber on clothing and bags. Someday, I’d like to establish a brand that not only leads fashion but also the entire Harajuku culture.” Ms. Watanabe is equally ambitious in her definition of kawaii: “It’s a communication tool. Gothic Lolita (GothLoli) fashion and anime are often linked to Japanese kawaii culture in countries overseas, but I’d like people to know there are many other aspects to kawaii.”