The J-Pop Summit will rock your world.
Characters are welcome at S.F.’s annual Japanese pop culture gathering.
Allison Fluty is a 25-year-old studying for her master’s in counseling and psychology from Palo Alto University. But once she slips into costume — strapping on her studded, hand-painted crop top and wrapping a long black belt around her white balloon pants — and adds spiked boxing gloves, searing purple contacts and a sharp black wig with pointed pigtails, the student Fluty is left behind and replaced by Juri Han, a sultry street-fighting master of martial arts.
Fluty, known by the pseudonym Bunnetron, is an experienced cosplayer and plans to enter the Cosplay Masquerade at the seventh annual J-Pop Summit, Aug. 8-9 in San Francisco. Cosplay, shorthand for “costume play,” is a Japanese pop culture phenomenon that originated in the 1990s and involves fans dressing up to portray their favorite characters from anime, video games, film and manga — or even characters like Hastune Miku, a voice synthesizer application turned virtual Japanese pop star.
The J-Pop Summit is one of the larger destinations for lovers of Japanese media. The 7-year-old festival brings together all things Japanese — music, film, fashion, food, and people from all walks of life who find themselves drawn to the ever exotic, creatively quirky and endlessly imaginative pop culture of Japan.
After attracting a record attendance of nearly 125,000 people last year, this year’s organizers have planned to scale back the volume and step up the quality by transitioning to a series of events at Fort Mason, with added features including technology and travel pavilions designed to thrill any Japan fanatic. J-Pop Summit coincides with a Sake Summit at Union Square and weeklong Japanese Film Festival at New People in Japantown.
One event that’s become a tradition at the summit is the Cosplay Masquerade, during which entrants perform onstage in costumes and are judged by a panel of experts. This year’s Cosplay Masquerade will be hosted by Coskami, a San Francisco-based community for cosplayers with over 131,000 Facebook followers.
According to Coskami founder Rick Mendez, as cosplay grows in popularity, it is shedding the “nerd” label and becoming recognized as a creative art form.
“That’s really what we’re trying to help with — transcendence out of being misunderstood,” said Mendez.
Like many cosplayers, Fluty attends several conventions each year, such as the Fanime Con in San Jose and SacAnime in Sacramento. For each festival, she spends weeks designing and constructing her costumes, which include personalities ranging from C Viper, a character from Japanese video game “Street Fighter,” to Leeloo from the American sci-fi thriller “The Fifth Element.”
Though some might find the hobby unusual, its participants are not deterred.
“I never viewed the word nerd or geeky to be a bad thing,” said
J-Pop Summit: Ticket prices range from $13-$100 (day pass). www.j-pop.com.
Fluty, who says cosplay has allowed her to gain self-confidence. Meeting people at conventions has even helped her overcome extreme social anxiety.
“This whole community helps you step outside your comfort zone,” Fluty said.
Cosplay is just one category of the creative fashions that will be represented at the J-Pop Summit. Like cosplay, much of Japanese pop fashion is over the top, involves the portrayal of some kind of character or persona, and exemplifies the intersection of media, culture and clothing.
J-Pop Summit fashion events will include booths from various Japanese clothing labels like Sou Sou and Miki House, as well as fashion shows by Baby-the-StarsShine-Bright, Maruq, and Asobisystem talent agency . Several JPop artists and models will be visiting from Japan and sharing their unique styles as well.
Yanakiku, a girl pop duo who will perform at the summit, have taken cosplay to a new level with their invention of Kimocos — kimono plus cosplay.
“For Yanakiku’s music, fashion is one of the most important aspects. ...We always try to have a strong connection between music and fashion,” the duo said in an e-mail to The Chronicle. For example, they wear dresses shaped like snow-topped mountains while singing about Mount Fuji.
J-Pop Summit Executive Director Manami Iibioshi said kimono style is making a comeback in Japan as more young people become interested in this traditional fashion.
In contrast, Lolita, perhaps the most well-known of Japanese fashion trends, is characterized by an opposition to conventional Japanese style. This exaggerated babydoll look draws inspiration from the Victorian style and originated in Japan in the 1970s and is not, its devotees are quick to note, influenced by the young seductress of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel.
“Wearing that style is a strong statement that ‘I’m different. I choose something different from others, and that’s the way I am,’ ” Iibioshi said.
Serious Lolitas not only wear the clothing but also try to embody the persona by acting sweet and polite, like an “old-fashioned girly-girl,” Iibioshi said.
The Lolita fashion show at the summit will feature designs from Alice-and-the-Pirates and Babythe-Stars-Shine-Bright. Baby store manager Joshia Chang explained that there is much overlap between Lolita fashion and anime as well as manga.
“Our company does collaborations with TV shows and animes in Japan. … I think the artists are influenced by the fashion. Maybe they’ll incorporate a character, just to add some diversity in the show.”
Girls wearing Lolita fashion tend to congregate in the trendsetting Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo, which is full of crowded backstreets lined with independent boutiques.
According to Kimberly Ann, owner of Japanese fashion boutique Maruq in San Francisco, Harajuku fashion is all about setting yourself apart and presenting a unique image.
Maruq will hold a Harajuku fashion contest where attendees can showcase their outfits inspired by Japanese street style.
Ann said everything from color palettes to the actual designs of brands centered in Harajuku are heavily influenced by manga and anime characters. In turn, sometimes exact clothing designs will be taken and portrayed in a TV show or comic.
“It’s like a two-way street. It’s really, really interesting; they influence each other a lot,” Ann said.
Also appearing at J-Pop will be the Asobi talent agency, bringing designers and models to be presented at the Moshi Moshi Nippon Fashion show. Among those featured will be Amiaya and Ayumi Seto. Asobi will also bring Musubizm, an entertainment idol unit made up of six members who embody the six elements of kawaii: adorable, cute, pop, fashionable, beautiful and cool.
Iibioshi noted that these Harajuku models often don’t conform to the typical American high-fashion beauty standards or model body types. Many are not very tall, and they’re known more for their personalities and fashion choices.
“It’s not just about appearance, it’s their uniqueness and character,” said Iibioshi.