“Are you ready for a burst of colors?”, asked Kaunas from Los Angeles, where he had just opened his exhibition, after arriving kawaii the king of fashion, an artist who works between Tokyo and New York, street fashion designer Sebastian Masuda. He arrived at the “Japan Days in Kaunas WA” festival with an impressive fashion show that took over the Romuva stage with colors, otherness and courage.
“In this world where there is quite a lot of negativity and darkness, it is not easy to live. Dark colors are depressing, which does not add lightness to everyday life. My mission is to change that. I want people to feel good, who can see and feel the taste and colors of life every day, so that the colors illuminate and highlight their everyday life”, says Sebastian Masuda.
In Kaunas, the artist debuted with an impressive kawaii (cuteness) fashion show, where the extremely playful, bright, sensationally cute youth street fashion collection, born in Tokyo’s street fashion capital, Harajuku district, was demonstrated by the dancers of the Kaunas dance theater “Aura”, who gave the displayed clothes even more character and emotions.
“In Japan kawaii style is a way of expressing yourself as a person in society. Meanwhile, we see a trend that in Europe, a bright subculture is more often perceived as a way to hide from society, and sometimes from oneself,” says Kristina Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė, a researcher of Japanese culture and lecturer at Vytautas Didios University.
A designer who has received numerous awards in his country and internationally, has been spreading the Japanese style with his work for almost 30 years. kawaii cultural philosophy around the world, says that his mission is simple: “I want every person to be able to boldly accept and reveal all their colors.” Maybe that’s why the artist’s work includes not only layers of visual expression, but also seeks to reveal the inner worlds of people that are not always visible from the outside.
Sebastian Masuda’s works broadcast a message to the world that kawaii or cuteness, can connect everyone, regardless of age, gender, religion or national borders, so his art projects and fashion shows have already been appreciated by the residents of America, Holland, Brazil, Bolivia, South Africa and other countries. This year, the creator was awarded the main prize of the CJPF Awards 2024, established by the Japanese government, for the dissemination of modern Japanese culture in foreign countries.
“Japan Days in Kaunas WA” continues until May 11, you can find their program here here.
Tags: Tokyo legend Sebastian Masuda organized fashion show Kaunas
