Brand Info: Swankiss (スワンキス)

 

Brand Info: Swankiss (スワンキス)

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Quick Info:
Active from- 2013-2023
Official Website- Defunct, Wayback Machine archive
Socials- Twitter, blog, Instagram, Facebook
Associated brands- (sister-brand) MISS ME BY CHALING

   Hi everyone! Today’s brand is Swankiss. Produced by Saaya Hayashida, their first store opened on the third floor of Shibuya 109 on March 8th, 2013. Swankiss was heavily featured in the girly magazine Larme, linking it to Larme’s style in the same way that early Liz Lisa was to Himekaji. They even collaborated in 2019 to make makeup for a free gift to accompany Larme's magazine. Kinda an odd choice for a magazine and a clothing brand, but it's not Swankiss's only strange collaboration. 

    In the same year, Swankiss also collaborated with Bodyline to create, drumroll please, Halloween costumes...? It's not a bad choice by any means. The costumes are pretty cute, but I'd really like to know how they settled on Halloween costumes lol. There were seven different costumes to choose from: Rabbit Ballerina, Like A Bear, Mysterious Sister, Cute Dalmatian, Lady Leopard, Chinese dress, and Heart Nurse. Personally, my favorite would probably be the bunny or the bear costume.

    Usually, I like to go through the changes in style throughout the years, but Swankiss is one of those brands that kept a consistent style even in the end. There's not much to comment on other than cute, cute, and cute! Although their Shibuya location closed back in 2016, it was ultimately the pandemic that caused their closure in 2023. 

(2013 vs 2022 Swankiss)

    Here is the stuff I read: Stephano, Street Girls Snap, News Live Door, and Gallery O.

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Brand Info: Amavel（アマベル）

 

Brand Info: Amavel（アマベル）

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Quick Info:
Active from- 2011-present
Official Website- amavel.jp
Socials- Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, blog
Associated brands- None

(From Amavel's website)                           (From Amavel's website)

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Brand Info: Lizmelo (マイメロ リズリサ)

 

Brand Info: Lizmelo (マイメロ リズリサ)

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Quick Info:

Active from- 2012-present

Official Website- None

Socials- None

Associated brands- (sub-brand of) LIZ LISA

Also known as- LIZ LISA x My Melody

                                                          (From Liz Lisa Twitter)                                          (Liz Lisa x My Melody mook vol. 1 scanned by Emiiichan)  

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Brand Info: LIZ LISA (リズリサ)

 

Brand Info: LIZ LISA (リズリサ)

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Quick Info:

Active from- 1999 to present

Official Website- lizlisa.com

Socials- Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, blog

Associated brands- LIZ LISA doll(sub-brand), Tralala(sub-brand), Primevère LIZ LISA(sub-brand), Lizmelo(sub-brand), LIZ LISA Twinkle(sub-brand), JugeETTA(sister-brand), Penderie(sister-brand),

Also known as- LL, LIZLISA

    Hi everyone! Today's brand is a classic. If you've been into J-fashion for a while, you probably already know about Liz Lisa, but I wanted to write up a page for it since I'm partially using this blog as a list of J-fashion brands for myself. 

    (Liz Lisa 2012 Autumn catalog)                                                     (Liz Lisa Twinkle magazine scan)    

    Liz Lisa started in 1999, launching its first store in Shibuya 109. It was, and still is, very popular among gals. In the early days, they had a lot of ganguro and banba styles, and were later heavily associated with himekaji and hime gyaru when the sub-styles first popped up. They launched their sub-brands Tralala in 2003 and Liz Lisa Twinkle in 2004. Tralala was a bit edgier than main-line Liz Lisa, I would say it's a bit more ajego and rokku gyaru. On the other hand,  Liz Lisa Twinkle was all about being pretty, feminine, and cute. In 2005, the store Liz Lisa Fusion opened in Natori City in the Miyagi prefecture. It sold Tralala and Penderie pieces until 2016, when it closed. 

(Popteen November 2009 issue, scanned by toxictsukino on Instagram)

    The Liz Lisa Doll sub-brand was launched in 2006 and aimed at younger audiences in high school. In 2010, they held a runway show during Tokyo Fashion Week for a 2011 ready-to-wear spring/summer collection, which brought attention to the brand in Western fashion spaces. Their sister-brand JugeETTA was also launched in 2011, and was aimed at an older audience with a more mature and elegant look. In 2012, they released their first My Melody collaboration collection and have introduced many other Lizmelo collections since. In 2015, Primevère Liz Lisa was launched. Some of these sub-brands, however, I couldn't find much information about, but I thought it would be useful to include them for dating purposes.

(From Liz Lisa Doll online Twitter)

    Nowadays, Liz Liza's pieces are more jirai kei and ryousangata. Which makes sense since it is the more popular fashion style these days among youth these days, like gyaru fashion was when they first started. Though Himekaji has had a recent resurgence, so maybe they'll bring back some of those older styles. I'm not sure if they will, but a guy can dream (◞‸◟；)

     The reading list for this one is long! Here it is: The Gyaru Wiki, Fashion Press, Vogue, Virtual Japan, Wikipedia Gyaru page, Wikipedia Liz Lisa page, WWD, Tralala blog, TWC, Liz Lisa Fusion blog, Liz Lisa Doll blog, Latte Fashion, Rakuten, Emiiichan, Bunny Crafty Dream, Amarie Bunny (great guide if you're starting out), The Name I Love (a more in-depth history from 1999-2009, highly recommend!).

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Brand Info: Lilia & Lace

 

Brand Info: Lilia & Lace

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Quick Info:

Active from- 2023 to present

Official Website- lillaandlace.com

Socials- Instagram

Associated brands- None

    Hi everyone! Today’s brand is actually not an Asian brand like usual; it’s actually an American brand made by Ashuri Bear. It’s an adorable, size-inclusive brand that ranges from size XS to 4X. In a world of J-fashion brand free sizing, I’m happy to see a brand with proper sizing. I hope more brands start having wider sizing ranges like this one and DreamV. I don’t even understand regular sizing, so free sizing feels like these brands are doing active warfare on my poor little brain.

    They released their first collection, Strawberry Bunny, on January 24th, 2023. This collection included a blouse, a skirt, a dress, and a bow hair clip/pin. I think these pieces would be super cute in a sweet lolita coord!

    The stripes remind me of cake layers, or a tiered cake with a shell border! That might just be my sweet tooth talking, though. I personally feel like a wide neckline looks flattering on everyone, so these bring me joy. And who doesn't like ruffles?

    Their second collection, Casual Line, was released on December 21st, 2023. This one's my favorite so far since I've been in my himekaji era recently, so I'll chat about this one a little longer. This one also has different color options, so I'm only playing favorites just a little bit.

    First up is their Bunny ear knit sweater with engraved heart charms. Big bows are a staple of hime fashion, and this sweater doesn't disappoint! This sweater feels like if Liz Lisa's winter collections and DearMyLove kissed, or collaborated, or whatever you wanna call it. There are three color options: pink, cream, and black. Perfect for ryousangata, himekaji, and jirai kei.

    

    The picture above is the back of the sweater paired with their floral and plaid skorts, the second half the the collection. 

    These skirts have pockets! Pockets everyone! With the insane prices sukapans are being sold for these days, these skirts are an absolute blessing. I love the bloomers these have. I've noticed that a lot of sukapans' shorts' lace trim tends to not show when worn, and these skirts certainly don't have that problem. Did I mention the pockets? God, I love pockets.

    It seems like they're going to release a new collection soon called Lavender Tea Party. As a certified purple lover, I'm very excited to see what they're cooking up. If you want to follow their progress, here's their Instagram, website, and their designer's Instagram. ♡

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