Harajuku self-expression in the South Loop
Model Juni Park was spotted hanging out at a Harajuku party at Studio 415 cohosted by Akira cofounder Jon Cotay. No longer working for the local boutique, the globe-trotting businessman now runs an event company that organizes such parties. "I decided to do the Harajuku-themed party based on my travels to Tokyo," he says. To Cotay, the Japanese teen street style popularized by the fashion magazine Fruits gave his partygoers an occasion to experiment with hair and makeup, layer patterns and colors, and engage in playing roles such as punk, goth, kawaii, and sweet Lolita.
Originally published in the Chicago Reader.
