Emma Qiu
Lolita fashion promises a girlish, Victorian and Rococo-inspired fantasy that has enraptured thousands of people worldwide, myself included. As someone who wears old school Lolita and a collector of archival J-fashion pieces and memorabilia, I have always had a strong interest in the history of Harajuku fashion.
For my university project, I was tasked to shed light on an underrespresented part of history and chose to explore Lolita fashion. Lolita Fashion: A brief history is a zine serves as a guide to Lolita fashion, exploring its history spanning six decades and reasons why it is still cherished and worn by so many across the globe. I referenced the design of Japanese fashion magazines over six different decades such as CUTiE, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Olive and included some of my own photography.
I hope that it can demystify the fashion to those who are unfamiliar with it and provide some insight into the origins of Lolita fashion that may be forgotten or not known by Lolitas today.
