Harajuku Lovers

• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Takeshita Music Tee
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Takeshita Baby Tee
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The School Love Tee in Lipstick Red
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The HL Bottlecaps Tee
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Snow Angel V-Neck Tee in Rasta Yellow
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The HL Speedway Jacket in Black
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Love Stack Tunic
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Atarijuku Dress
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Flower Girls Tee in Green
• 
  Harajuku Lovers The Tall Music Tee

• 
  Women Harajuku Lovers Shoes

In 2005, rock star, fashionista, designer, and proud mother of two Gwen Stefani launched a label she named Harajuku Lovers, or HL. Reflecting the name of the brand was the designer’s inspiration: Harajuku, a sprawling fashion district in Shibuya, Tokyo, and her four back-up dancers – the aptly named “Harajuku Girls” who go by the names Love, Angel, Music, and Baby.

Stefani’s fascination with the Harajuku lifestyle began when she visited Tokyo in 1996. She states in www.harajukulovers.com, “…it was as if i have landed on another planet. It was the most incredible experience. I saw kids in Harajuku that were all about self expression and had this unique individual style and everybody was making their own clothing mixing and matching. There was this whole western inspiration but yet there was this whole Japanese traditional style and I felt like I had come home. I felt like wow this is all very inspiring. This is where I wish I lived.”

Harajuku itself is a culture (and a term) in Japan – defined as “anything goes, outrageous, layered, and eye-catching.”

As Stefani says of her own line, “Harajuku Lovers can be everything that inspires me…anything that I want. The line is endless and is going to just continue to grow.”

Harajuku Lovers, originally called Sub-Lamb, offers a variety of products for those “addicted to cuteness.” The label carries apparel (licensed by Jerry Leigh), fashion accessories, shoes, bags, and stationeries (licensed by Nakajima USA). In comparison to Stefani’s L.A.M.B. line, which targets the mainstream, Harajuku Lovers goes for a demographic closer to Stefani’s fan base. The label’s distinguishing trademarks are usually the Kawaii (a Japanese term meaning “anything cute”) depictions of Stefani, her back-up dancers and the Japanese writen language kanji.

According to Gwen, Harajuku Lovers is more than just a line. For her, it’s an extension of her music and a visual to the lyrics. After all, HL products features verses and themes derived from her music, including the tagline “a fatal attraction to cuteness” from the Harajuku Girls song, and “this sh*t is bananas” from Hollaback Girl.

Recently, Harajuku Lovers launched a line of fragrances, featuring Kawaii images of Gwen and her dancers on top of their own respective fragrances. Her purfume’s scent is described as “Tropical, Sunny, and Delicious.”

Today, Harajuku Lovers can be found in retailers across the US and around the globe. So get your Harajuku Lovers fix today!