You Wouldn't Believe What Else the US is Also Falling Behind Asia In

Perhaps less profound, but unquestionably more noticeable and immediate, it's long been known by jetsetters and seasonal Asian travelers that the United States, that's right, the country of New York Fashion Week, Hollywood starlets and mothership of pop cultural diaspora has on average been 1 1/2 years (6 seasons) behind Japan, intermittently with Hong Kong, and now even behind South Korea in its fashion trends, specifically and especially its mass market, off-the-rack casual wear. That would include accessories and shoes, of course, since these things mesh together like champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice, Simon and Garfunkel, Jon Steward and all spin and baloney.

Once upon a time, only the standards of technology and education in the developed Far East countries held arguable laurels over the developed Western countries, from Sony Walkman to Toyota Prius, from Korean students' average Top 5 ranking in international academic tests to Korea's 94% high school graduate rate, but now, even the comparatively frivolous industry of fashion is no longer in the firm sway of North America and Europe in terms of mass disintegration. This does not include (for now) high-end haute couture labels, e.g. Dior, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, which all still hold strong influence in the small upper echelon of fashion exclusivity far from the reaches and care of the normal consumer. Then again, tell that to Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake. Regardless, even the upper echelon sparkled with some Eastern infusion once in a while as witnessed by Takashi Murakami's whimsical palette to LV's traditional (ahem stuffy) line to sold old frenzy.

A year before big furry earmuffs were stacked on American retailer shelves, they were already selling like hot potatoes from street stalls to conglomerate malls in Asia. Long before the Bieber Look became, well, the Bieber Look, (too) many Asian boys were already sheared and coiffed as such. Everything seen and worn in the mainstream since 2009-2010, such as the ubiquitous oversized 'geeky' eyeglasses frames, faux jean leggings, oversized skirt length t-shirts with faux choker and ribbon prints, cape jackets (my personal favorite, see below), animal knitted hats, tapered trousers and skirts, hareem capris, cowl neck sweatshirts, intricate big bows and feather clips and headbands, open-toe boots, love of Longchamp totes, and on and on are trends that began popping up as early as 2007 in South Korea and Japan then grew and pervaded throughout the regions the following years thanks to the immense popularity of  Korean pop culture all over Pan Asia.

Will keep you fashionable and dry.

Such a great silhouette. 

Some of these looks are coming to an end in Asia and new ones are percolating as I type, just waiting for export to overseas and Western retailers for mass consumers market awareness and appreciation.

Like their foreign counterparts, Asian films and television kick start many new popular trends and item-specific fads. 

The one-sided bun's popularity ebbs and flows but rose noticeably again in popularity since 2005's "My Girl" (top) and 2006's "Goong" and continues to be a hit with teenagers, as recently sported here by Jung So Min (bottom) in 2010's "Playful Kiss."

Kim Tae Hee's (left) headband worn in the 2nd episode of her drama "My Princess" has become a hot sellar in Korea. Since I couldn't buy one here, I have done the next best thing- knitted a similar one to the adorable original (below). (To clarify, the girl on the right is not me.)

There was a time when product endorsement was a taboo for American artists and celebrities who decried endorsement as a blot on the artistic value of their profession or personal brand, but have no problem lugging back a suitcase of cash from endorsement jobs from overseas market; I'm talking about the likes and status of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, and more. This practice was never a problem with their Asian counterparts, who saw endorsement commercials and campaigns as another (mild) artistic outlet. The generous paycheck à la Keynesian economics didn't hurt either as their images held veritable sale power. Well, those incognito and hypocritical days are obviously long gone with the exposure of their foreign tryst splattered on Youtube and other such informative sites. These disclosures coupled with the rise of reality tv culture probably lend themselves to the all out, unabashed celebrity endorsements saturating our domestic landscape nowadays, from Brooke Shields for Crest, Dennis Haysbert for State Farm, Jennifer Aniston for Smart Water to Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning for Sony Electronics.

Even more recently, not stopping at just starting a trend or endorsing whatever products knock on their doors, many celebrities have taken a page out of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's book of success and became entrepeneurs to partake in a bigger slice of the pie by starting their own fashion line or opening online malls. The latter being so far an exclusively Korean phenomenon. I present to the jury Jay Z for Rocawear, Jennifer Lopez for JLo (last checked no longer sold in the US), Gwen Stefani for L.A.M.B., Jessica Simpson for Jessica Simpson  (I can't believe there was a time when she marketed herself as a chaste, simple living girl-next-door), Justin Timberlake for William Rast, Sienna and Savannah Miller for Twenty8Twelve, ad nauseum. In this realm, Asian celebrities en masse took that step just a little later but to no lesser success.

Some Asian Celebrity Fashion Brands and Online Shopping Malls:

Sakai Ayana: http://www.ayanature.jp/index.html

T-ara: http://www.t-aradot.com/

Hwang Jung Eum: http://www.oneum.co.kr/

Baek Ji Young and Yuri: http://www.iamyuri.com/

Kara: http://www.karaya.co.kr/

Puffy Amiyumi designs for one of Sony Electronics MP3 player line  

Naomi Matsushima designs Procter & Gamble's "Whisper" line Women Sanitary Napkins (really got a kick out of this one!)

To further appreciate the shifts in this fickle, ever changing, extraneous though entertaining, and more often than not, judgmental industry, check out some of the links below. Youtube.com has a plethora of clips to visualize my points. Some well compiled posts I've found are:
Back in 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQzDqrlRQiU
Back in 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EI-H3L7HyQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CahMEReh0NE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47IxSwRTcM

c.2008 Cute and functional.

Back in 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OGeLjp5n8&feature=player_embedded#at=27
Past 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFzutjECK2Y&feature=related
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkZkp4RnrYY&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZviPFwOSiyg&feature=related
Now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NrIekr9d4o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYYjZBb0S2I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYOlDwVF46g&feature=related

What does all this really mean in the potential long-run? With development and affluence or increasing affluence, a few key Asian countries have started or are starting to create and manufacture the look and style they will wear tomorrow instead of copying and following the long dominated taste and editorial decrees of North American and European designers and pop culture. There will sure to be overlaps and shared affinities moving forward, but there is definitely a purposeful direction from Pan Asia to diversify the global monopoly of fashion by concurrently creating a distinct alternative brand.  The past few years have yield verifiable proof from checking the street fashions of Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Chinese metropolises i.e. Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

Whether its fashion, eating habits, or transportation choices, as a nation's (middle class) affluence grows, it would usually embrace the lifestyle and choices of already developed countries to somehow prove it has arrived. But as time goes on, the newly minted developed nation will want to develop its own distinct offerings to the global market (taking into consideration its government's sanctions or support.) The bottom line is, no people wants to be a follower forever if given the choice to lead. 

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