We Love You Japan

My father moved us to Japan in junior high from Washington DC. A significantly awkward time to move for any kid since you aren't quite a teenager and you certainly are no longer a child. I remember wearing a hot pink FORENZA T-shirt (hit the LOVE button if you know what I am referring to!) amidst a sea of flowing crowds in black and grey in the fashionable Omotesando. That day I felt I was the only one walking in one direction with curious eyes upon me, and it further deepened my 13 year old shame and insecurity of feeling out of place. At the end of that street lived a magical place named Harajuku where street fashion Japanese style was born. As teenagers born to workaholic overseas placed American parents, it's Sundays that were spent there permeating and soaking up the Japanese culture, munching on yakisoba and cotton candy while taking part in the zany random activities. When the time came for us to move back to the United States- I went kicking and screaming because I had fallen in love.

Japan holds significant memories for myself and many of my friends. The people are kind and gentle, smart and organized, fun and crazy. When people ask what Japan is like, well it's quite simply another world. A really beautiful one. My heart goes out to Japan and the extremeness of the tragedy that has hit families, a nation and a world. The Japanese are graceful and resourceful and The Style Collective honors them for their extreme originality and colorful, eclectic mixes of self expression.

If you haven't already found the right space to donate, please check the links here. Kamisama ga Nippon o shukufuku (God Bless Japan).