00:04This is my lifestyle.
00:09I feel like I'm going to live this way.
00:15First of all, I'm the most beautiful person.
00:31Tokyo, Japan.
00:33This is a land known for order and discipline.
00:36But for every social custom and rule, there are those who seek to break them.
00:41I'm here to find Okora Girls.
00:51More than ten years after this iconic fashion subculture began, a new generation is pushing the limits even further.
00:58This is a culture where there are school uniforms, here there are uniforms for work, pretty much uniforms for everything.
01:04Kat is a German decorer living and teaching English in Tokyo.
01:08How does this allow you to really express who you are?
01:12Decora fashion is fun fashion.
01:14It's very against the mainstream of things.
01:17It's not in a magazine.
01:18It's not elegant.
01:19It's very much boom in your face.
01:21It can scare people a little bit.
01:23Some people just go, ooh, that might be a weird person there.
01:26While Decora might be a direct rebellion against Japan's strict uniform culture,
01:31these girls aren't outcasts or loners.
01:33In fact, some of them are celebrities.
01:39It's very important to me.
01:44With over half a million followers on social media, Kuribayashi is one of the most famous Decora Girls in the
01:51world right now.
01:53When we meet with friends, when we meet with friends, when we meet with friends, we need to use this
01:56as a point.
01:59And Yunyan is one of the rare Decora boys with an equally fanatic following.
02:03I meet them at their favorite cafe, a self-styling salon in the neighborhood of Harajuku.
02:08Why do people feel that they have to come here to get ready? They can't do it at home?
02:13If you come here in Harajuku, if you come here, all of these people are gathered together.
02:20So you can share it with them, and you can use this as a place to share.
02:26It's cute!
02:29How long have you both been dressing Decora?
02:32About six or seven years.
02:37So this is your favorite Decora store?
02:40Yes.
02:46Fun as it may be, I have to wonder, could they be using the colorful barrettes and accessories to hide
02:52behind?
02:53You see this as being like a mask, like you're playing a character.
02:58I don't think I'm just trying to protect myself or hide my skin.
03:06I think I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask.
03:09I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask.
03:10I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask.
03:11I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask.
03:14I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask.
03:14Why are they using this?
03:19Kurabayashi and Junyan seem to embody this style completely.
03:24But what did Decora look like when it first began?
03:27The Decora are like 10 years ago, I'm working on them.
03:35Soushi Aoki is the founder of Fruits magazine, the most respected publication in Japanese street fashion.
03:46He has been documenting Japanese street style for more than 20 years.
04:00The Decora girls that I've seen have really pushed the amount of accessories they wear to the limit.
04:19Japanese culture values the group over the individual. It's the way social order is maintained.
04:25Decora may be breaking the mold, but maybe it's still within the framework of what is accepted.
04:31I'm hoping to get some perspective from a Decora girl who lives outside the city.
04:37When I was in high school, I didn't have a difference.
04:4723-year-old Kanaye lives in the suburbs of Tokyo with her husband, baby and extended family.
04:54Tonight, we're going to meet her friends in Harajuku and she wants to show me how a Decora look comes
04:59together.
05:01I wanted to wear a decora from before.
05:11So how long does it normally take you to get ready?
05:20So how long does it normally take you to get ready?
05:39With it a slow introduction into Decora or you just one morning decided I like this style and you did
05:45the whole thing?
05:56The look is complete?
05:59Of course a little bit more.
06:02I'm happy to be taken.
06:03What do you think of Kanaye dressed in Decora?
06:07I am.
06:08I prefer anything from my friends.
06:13You have to dance and play a bit, so I think it is good.
06:16If you know what you'll do is get ready.
06:19I'd rather be good.
06:22Where are you?
06:31It's just an outer expression of something inside that's just waiting to get out.
06:36I think it's the freedom of expression. You don't have to look everyday the same way.
07:01You wear the things you love, the way you want to wear them.
07:04This is not a label, it's not someone else's thing, it's my thing.
07:21Decorah truly is a fearless fashion, a celebration of who you are.
07:27It's a reminder to let go of the rules and just wear what makes you feel good.
07:32Have fun with fashion.
07:48We'll see you next time.
