Japanese Streetstyle and the Timeless Appeal of Harajuku’s FRUiTS Magazine. Before Instagram, and even before the popularization of fashion forums, there was still a place where one could hope to show off their latest outfit: FRUiTS magazine. Conceptualized and based in Tokyo’s Harajuku District, FRUiTS magazine covered the evolution of Harajuku’s street style evolution through the individuals who lived and wore it. Founded in 1997 by Shoichi Aoki, the founder of street style magazine STREET, FRUiTS documented the explosive new fashion scene emerging out of Harajuku. Through images of young people or groups of young people wearing outfits that Aoki personally found beautiful and/or cool, FRUiTS magazine exposed the world to the streetwear scene of Harajuku. This would prove vital in helping Harajuku’s trendiest brands spread their influence across the globe, with brands like BAPE, Undercover, and Number (N)ine being some of the more recognizable names to appear in the magazines early days. It was not only the people and labels of Harajuku that made FRUiTS magazine so influential and radical though. In an era before street style was readily available via social media sites or forums, FRUiTS offered an alternative to extremely curated magazines such as Vogue, which while featuring beautiful content, rarely featured people in their everyday attire being fashionable. Rather than letting the giants of the industry dictate to the masses what was cool or worth highlighting, FRUiTS magazine let the masses see themselves reflected. Like any good thing however, FRUiTS magazine would eventually come to an end, with Harajuku and its youth losing the spark that made it special in the eyes of Aoki. After 20 years FRUiTS shut their doors in 2017, with Aoki stating simply, “There are no more cool kids to photograph.” Whether this style devolution was caused by the explosion of social media, trends, fast fashion, or something else, FRUiTS magazine and the young people of Harajuku made their mark on the world of fashion, one outfit at a time. Writer: @isaacd4v15 Scan Providers: @zerocoolarchive / @f.liiiz